Oleg Serebrian: The digging of trenches by the Ukrainians near the border with the Republic of Moldova is a defense action, not an attack
Ukraine's actions on the border with the Republic of Moldova are defensive, the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Oleg Serebrian, told RLIVE. The representative of the Government also added that the Ukrainian military forces located near the Transnistrian segment of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border are aimed at countering a possible attack from the Transnistrian side. According to Oleg Serebrian, the digging of trenches by the Ukrainians on the border is, likewise, an action of defense, not of attack.
"Ukraine has always feared an offensive, an attack from the Transnistrian region, and several times, they said that the Transnistrian region could be used as a space from which the aggression against Ukraine would expand. If preparations are taking place, they are defensive preparations, because many military experts warned back in January that a new offensive could take place in the spring of this year. The hypothesis of an attack from Belarus was spread, but some believe that the Transnistrian region can also be used in a military operation that would target Odessa. Nobody wants a military confrontation, not even the alleged authorities from Tiraspol. Stopping the smuggling phenomenon can be an element (with reference to the reason for digging the trenches)", said Oleg Serebrian.
Recently, representatives of the Border Police announced that the Border Guard Service of Ukraine dug trenches on the border with the Republic of Moldova. The Ukrainian side explained its actions with the intention of preventing illegal crossing of the border and stopping the phenomenon of smuggling. Earlier, the head of state, Maia Sandu, said that the Ukrainian authorities are sovereign in the decisions they make.
