Image by Perconte
The Moldovan legislature recently demanded Russia remove its troops from the breakaway Transdniester region. The area has been controlled by Moscow since the early 1990s when 1,500 people were killed during a conflict between Moldovan forces and the pro-Russian population of Transdniester. The Kremlin has kept a contingent of around 1,500 troops in the region ever since the shooting stopped.
Video: Moldovan Parliament Protest January 2016
A total of 61 of lawmakers in the 101-seat legislature Friday approved a symbolic statement calling for the removal of about 1,500 Russian troops, weapons, and other military equipment from the pro-Russian Trans-Dniester region, reported Associated Press.
There has been a split in the Moldovan government in the last few years over Moldova‘s push to align itself more with the European Union. President Igor Dodon criticized the measure as he seeks to push Moldova back into Moscow’s orbit.
Two years ago, 20% of Moldovan state assets was stolen in a diabolical banking scheme which many traced the origins back to Moscow. The resulting protests over the theft and incompetence of the pro-EU government gave the Kremlin an opening back into Moldovan politics.
