After a multi-year break, the Tiraspol authorities are again planning a military parade on 2 September to mark the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the “Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic” in 1990. Chisinau says this is” a violation of previous agreements”.
The de facto leader of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, informed representatives of district institutions and administrations in the region about the plans for the military parade. He did not give details about this year’s parade, but in the years since, up to 1,500 soldiers and military equipment have taken part.
Tiraspol abstained from participating in military parades on 2 September following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with the last one taking place in 2021. Over time, events prompted by the celebration of the “independence of the republic” have been reduced to laying flowers and rallies.
The government in Chisinau criticised Tiraspol’s intention to organise a military parade. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Iuri Rosca said the initiative “is a violation of previous agreements”.
The separatist region on the left bank of the Dniester declared its independence on 2 September 1990, but the “Transnistrian Moldovan Republic” is not recognised internationally.
A contingent of Russian Federation soldiers is stationed in the region guarding an arms depot in the village of Kolbasnaya, where some 20,000 tonnes of old weapons and ammunition are stored. In the region, according to local data, there are about 450 thousand inhabitants, of whom about 347 thousand also have citizenship of the Republic of Moldova.