Control of southern Ukraine, according to the commander, would give Moscow access to Transnistria, a Moldovan province controlled by Russia.

According to a military official, Russia intends to conquer the Donbas region and southern Ukraine, describing the latter as a “path to Transnistria,” the Russia-backed separatist region in Moldova.

According to Russian media, Rustam Minnekaev, deputy commander of Russia’s central military area, made the declaration on Friday at a conference in Sverdlovsk.

He claimed that seizing Donbas would allow Moscow to build a land bridge between Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula it annexed in 2014, and the rest of the country.

“Control over the south of Ukraine is another route to Transnistria, where there is also evidence of oppression of the Russian-speaking people,” Minnekaev stated, without elaborating.

Ukraine shares a border with Transnistria, which is home to an estimated 1,500 Russian troops. Kyiv is concerned that the region could be utilised as a staging area for further Russian strikes.

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It runs along the east coast of Moldova and comes within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Ukrainian port of Odesa, which is seized by pro-Russian separatists.

Ukrainian officials said earlier this month that an airfield in the territory was being prepared to receive planes and be used by Moscow to fly in Ukraine-bound troops, claims disputed by Moldova’s defence ministry and Transnistria’s leadership.

The proposals have been branded “imperialism” by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

On Twitter, the ministry stated, “They quit hiding it.”

“The goal of the’second phase’ of the war,” it added, “is not victory over the fictitious Nazis, but merely the occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine.” Imperialism in its current form.”