The 'authorities' of the so-called Transnistria claim a drone attack on a military base in Tiraspol. Chișinău denied the information.

Tiraspol/Chișinău, Moldova (Svidomi) — The 'authorities' of the so-called Transnistrian Moldovan Republic have claimed a drone attack on a military base in Tiraspol. Chișinău authorities denied the information, while Ukraine called the incident a Russian provocation.

An explosion allegedly occurred at the base, followed by a fire. Videos posted by local telegram channels show that the blast destroyed an Mi-8 helicopter.

Moldova's Reintegration Bureau said the attack was "an attempt to cause fear and panic in the region". The military equipment in the video has not been in operation for several years.

"The Moldovan authorities are in contact with the Ukrainian side and do not confirm any attack on the Transnistrian region," the Bureau added.

The Centre for Countering Disinformation, which operates under the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said that the drone attack on the military base was a Russian provocation.

"The main logic of the Kremlin's actions is to inflame the situation with information since Russia has no corridor to Transnistria to carry out military provocations," the Centre said.

The so-called Transnistrian Moldovan Republic is a self-proclaimed "state" on the territory of the Moldovan region of Transnistria.

Transnistria is an administrative unit within Moldova that has the status of autonomy. In 1990, this territory declared sovereignty, which led to an armed conflict between Moldova and the self-proclaimed republic. In 1992, the fighting ended. Subsequently, a contingent of "Russian peacekeeping forces" was deployed to the region.

The situation in the region has not yet been resolved. In 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe unanimously recognised Transnistria as a Russian-occupied territory.