THE BREAKAWAY Moldovan region of Transdniestria is ready to host Russian rockets in response to US plans to create a controversial missile defence system in Europe.
Igor Smirnov, the leader of the pro-Moscow region that broke free of Moldova’s control in an early-1990s war, said he would welcome any Kremlin request regarding the deployment of Russia’s tactical Iskander missiles.
“We are not against the presence of Russian troops with standard or any other weapons on our territory,” he said during a visit to Moscow yesterday.
“As far as the Iskander is concerned, we have long said we are ready,” he added.
Transdniestria is a tiny strip of land wedged between Ukraine and Moldova proper, which is home to a huge Soviet-era arms dump guarded by Russian troops. Critics of Mr Smirnov accuse him of running the territory like a personal fiefdom, cracking down on opponents and profiting from smuggling of everything from cigarettes to weapons – charges that he denies.
The opaque and isolated territory, whose self-proclaimed independence is not recognised internationally, is home mostly to Russian-speakers who fought free of Moldovan rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union, amid fears that Moldova could seek to unite with neighbouring Romania, with whom the majority of its people share a language and strong cultural and historical ties.
Russia has given passports to many residents of Transdniestria, causing alarm among Moldovans, who note that Moscow also gave citizenship to people living in separatist regions of Georgia before it went to war with Tbilisi and recognised the provinces’ independence in 2008.
Mr Smirnov’s offer to the Kremlin came just days after Romania and Bulgaria joined Poland and the Czech Republic in volunteering to play a role in Washington’s plans for a defence system in Europe.
Russian generals say the plan is delaying agreement on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.
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