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                                                                 TRANSNISTRIA REQUESTS PROTECTION BY RUSSIA

On February 28th, 2024 the Transnistrian Congress passed a resolution requesting from Russia to protect Transnistria from Moldovan pressure. Moscow did not reject the appeal and said that it is carefully considering the request from its “compatriots.” In short, a complicated geopolitical rivalry is taking place in the wider region, threatening peace and stability not only of Moldova, but of the Black Sea as a whole.

Chisinau has increased its political and economic pressure towards Tiraspol, seeking to reintegrate the breakaway region, assessing that current political and security conditions are favoring Moldovan actions for achieving a positive resolution in the longstanding dispute. In this context, Moldovan authorities imposed to Transnistrian companies addittional taxes, while “separatism” is considered as a criminal offense, targeting officials of the unrecognized region.

Transnistria or the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic (PMR) is an unrecognized breakaway region of approximately 475,000 people from which 220,000 are ethnic Russians, while almost 350,000 are Moldovan citizens as well. Tiraspol is politically and economically fully dependent to Russia, which considers the seceded region as a useful geopolitical and geostrategic tool in its rivalry with the west. Moreover, Moscow maintains a military force of 1,500 soldiers in Transnistria.It is assessed that Tiraspol expects from Moscow additional financial support and humanitarian aid aiming to balance the Moldovan economic pressure. Besides, Transnistria is blocked from the East, since the Ukrainian border has closed due to the war. Consequently, Moldova (and the EU) controls the Transnistrian movement of people and goods. The important question is what Russia seeks to achieve. Its primary goal is to influence Moldova for the coming presidential elections, seeking to change Sandu with a pro-Russian President. Moldova has started its accession negotiations with the EU in 2023 and Moscow will try to disrupt this process by any mean. Military intervention is not likely since currently Russia is not able to open a new front in a region which cannot be reached easily. Potential annex of Transnistria by Russia is another option but not very likely, since it might lead in an armed conflict as well. Under these circumstances, it is assessed that Moscow will intensify its hybrid operations in Moldova, seeking to destabilize the country and to disrupt its pro-western orientation.


March 19th, 2024

Ioannis Karampelas

President of HERMES Institute of International Affairs, Security & Geoeconomy

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​​​​March 26th, 2024

National Day of:

People's Republic of Bangladesh 






The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated every year on March 26th, commemorating the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. On March 26th, 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, which were known at the time as East Pakistan and West Pakistan, respectively. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on March 26th and lasted till  December 16th, 1971 which is celebrated as Victory Day in Bangladesh. in 1970, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was from East Pakistan (Bangladesh), won the elections. The Government refused to hand over power to Rahman. This led to a demand for independence by the people of East Pakistan. On the night of March 25th, 1971, the Pakistan Army launched the military operation "Searchlight,” that was essentially Bengali genocide, leading to approximately 3,000,000 Bengalis being killed indiscriminately. For nine months following that day, a liberation war raged between the two regions which finally came to an end on December 16th, 1971. Pakistan finally surrendered. ​​​​

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