After SMO is completed, Russia will deal with its ammunition in Transnistria

A necessary condition for the removal and disposal of the contents of warehouses in the village of Kolbasna, Rybnitsa district of Transnistria is the end of the conflict on the territory of Ukraine. This was stated at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council today, March 7, by Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia Maxim Buyakevich.

"The Russian Federation plans to carry out the removal and disposal of their contents when the necessary conditions are created for this. We are ready to think about practical steps in this direction after the end of the conflict on Ukraine, through whose territory the corresponding logistics routes pass," the Russian diplomat said.

Recall that at the Russian military depots in the village of Kolbasna, after the withdrawal of the 14th army and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, there were about 20 thousand tons of various ammunition removed from the Eastern Europe, most of which are expired. The storage facility covers an area of 150 hectares just 2 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and 20 from the Moldovan border. There are charges, including high-explosive, 500 kilogram, and thousand kilogram. Their explosion will be equivalent to the explosion of an atomic bomb with a capacity of 10 kilotons. The warehouses are guarded by the Operational Group of Russian Troops (OGRV) in Transnistria.

Russia supports the removal and disposal of explosive stockpiles, and Moldova also demands this, linking the Russian military presence in the region with this. Tiraspol supports this idea, but insists on compliance with public safety and environmental requirements.

As EADaily reported, in August 2019, the then Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, visited Chisinau. He discussed with the leadership of Moldova the issue of auditing and disposal of weapons depots in Transnistria. At that time, the European Union and the United States welcomed the initiative to demilitarize the region, stressing that it would help advance the settlement of the conflict in the Dniester.

Earlier, before the start of the military conflict, the Russian side offered to take out these weapons, but Ukraine did not allow it through its territory. According to preliminary estimates, if sent by train per day, the event will take 5 years, so disposal on site is the most realistic plan, including from the point of view of safety.