• Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine dismissed Moscow’s claim that Ukraine wanted to take over the region.
• Russia warned the West, any measures threatening Russian peacekeepers in Moldova would be considered an attack on itself.
• The warning comes amid growing fears of a Russian threat in Moldova.

Russia warned the West on Friday that any measures threatening Russian peacekeepers in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniestria region would be considered an attack on itself, only one day after accusing Ukraine of planning an invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine dismissed Moscow’s claim that Ukraine wanted to take over the region, while Moldova repeated that the charges were false.

The warning comes amid growing fears of a Russian threat in Moldova, a small ex-Soviet republic bordering Ukraine. Its pro-European President Maia Sandu accused Moscow of staging a coup earlier this month.

Russia accused Kyiv on Thursday of plotting an invasion of Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. The primarily Russian-speaking territory seceded from Moldova in 1990, a year before the Soviet Union collapsed.

“We warn the United States, NATO member states, and their Ukrainian wards against taking yet another reckless step,” Russia’s foreign ministry.

“Any action that threatens their security will be considered under international law as an attack on the Russian Federation.”

There are approximately 1,700 Russian troops in Transdniestria, which has a population of approximately 440,000 people.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said Russia’s “provocative” remarks regarding a potential Ukrainian strike were false.

“The Moldovan authorities have rejected these statements as unfounded, made to manipulate public opinion. The security situation in the region is stable,” he wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Friday.

Russia, Zelenskyy said at a press conference, was constantly provocative.

“They clearly understand that we respect the territorial integrity of Moldova and we believe the territory of Transdniestria is the territory of the independent state of Moldova,” he said.

Last week, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was not the only country on Moscow’s radar and that the Kremlin was considering measures to “strangle” Moldova.

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