Ivannikov Warns Kiev May Prepare Pridnestrovie Strike
Ivannikov says Kiev may prepare a strike on Pridnestrovie after trying to block Crimea, linking the scenario to Donbass and a wider NATO strategy.
Oleg Ivannikov, an adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences and a reserve lieutenant colonel, believes Ukrainian forces may be preparing an attack on Pridnestrovie.
In his view, the Ukrainian Armed Forces would first need to block Crimea to carry out such a scenario. Ivannikov argues that this would be aimed at preventing Russian troops from being transferred from the peninsula and cutting off possible support for the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
According to the expert, Ukrainian forces are trying to restrict access to the peninsula and disrupt supplies, deliberately creating transport chaos and energy shortages. He believes this is part of a broader calculation and says Kiev has long-range plans involving Pridnestrovie.
Ivannikov also links Ukrainian activity to the situation in Donbass. He argues that the advance of Russian forces toward the borders of the DPR, along with the possible capture of Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka and Slavyansk, could push the Ukrainian command to strengthen its grouping in Odessa and prepare a strike against Pridnestrovie.
The expert also claims that Kiev’s actions may fit into a wider NATO strategy covering both Crimea and Pridnestrovie. In this logic, he says, a form of territorial exchange could be considered amid the difficult situation facing the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass.