Rocket fragments fall in Transnistria, Moldovan and Joint Peacekeeping Forces investigate
Fragments of a rocket fell in the breakaway region of Transnistria on Monday, according to the head of the Transnistrian delegation to the Joint Control Commission, Oleg Belyakov.
Moldovan authorities say that observers from the Joint Peacekeeping Forces and the Transnistrian region will investigate the case.
According to local media in Transnistria, residents of the Chițcani commune and the cities of Bender and Tiraspol heard an explosion around 1 a.m. Journalists also write that rocket fragments may have fallen on the territory of the breakaway region.
Belyakov told local media that representatives of the investigation authorities immediately went to the village of Chițcani, where the rocket fragments fell, to investigate the case. Belyakov also stressed that there were no casualties or damage.
"There was an explosion in the Transnistrian region. Some rocket fragments fell in the Chițcani commune. We are talking about the fragments of the S-300 missile. We do not have any victims or injuries. If we have any additional information, we will let you know. We need to find out how this missile got to us," Belyakov said.
Contacted by Radio Moldova, the Ministry of Defense press officer, Ala Diaconu, said that observers from the Joint Peacekeeping Forces will investigate the case, and that they will communicate more details to the media when they are known.
"In the Transnistrian region, we inform you that military observers from the Joint Peacekeeping Forces have gone to the scene. At this stage, the origin of the identified object is not clear, and the trajectory of the object is not confirmed by independent sources. The state authorities will continue to keep the public informed as we receive more verified information about this incident," Diaconu said.
The spokesperson for the Bureau for Reintegration, Mariana Sarî, told Radio Moldova that the institution will issue a statement later.
In the meantime, the so-called authorities in Tiraspol have published photographs of the objects that fell on the territory of the Chițcani locality.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
