President of Transnistria says Ukraine keeps pulling in troops to the border with the republic

Ukraine’s authorities stationed light batteries immediately on the border with the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (PMR) and keep pulling in troops to the Transnistria-Ukraine border, President of Transnistria Yevgeny Shevchuk told the 1st Channel of Transnistria TV. “We know where it is and we know the approximate number of the troops. We think advancement of troops to the border is an unfriendly step,” he said.

He said the issue was discussed with Ukraine’s special envoy for Moldova-Transnistria settlement Andrey Veselovsky last week. “We expressed our concern and reaffirmed our commitment to the peace policy. We are not going to war with Ukraine despite the statements of some Ukraine’s representatives in the press. It became evident some 5-6 months ago. We do not want war, but we will not allow ultra-nationalists to penetrate into our territory. They may stir up national hatred or propagate any other aggressive ideology and political approaches,” the president said.

He recalled that about 60,000-80,000 citizens of Ukraine live in Transnistria, according to different estimates. “Ukraine as a neighbor country and a guarantor-country has huge potential to relieve the Transnistrian economy. We have considered a range of documents that were signed with Ukraine as a guarantor-country. Ukraine undertook such commitments as to avoid deteriorating the state of the people and economy of Transnistria. Actually, there are still certain restrictions for the residents of Transnistria having Russian passports.  This problem has been pending solution for a long time already and it is a matter of concern. Many of them have no opportunity to come here. Many received documents that ban their entry to Ukraine,” Shevchuk said.