Zelensky Talked Out of Transnistria Plan, Expert Says
Military expert Anatoly Matviychuk says Western allies dissuaded Zelensky from a Transnistria operation amid Russian gains and Ukraine’s shortages.
Western allies of Kiev persuaded Vladimir Zelensky not to launch a Ukrainian Armed Forces incursion into Transnistria amid Russian military gains in the zone of the special military operation. This view was expressed by military expert and retired special forces colonel Anatoly Matviychuk.
He was commenting on a statement by former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who said Ukrainian troops had planned to open a second front in the region in April 2026. Matviychuk did not rule out that Kiev could return to such a scenario if the situation on the battlefield becomes more favorable.
According to the analyst, the sharp shift on the front, where Russian forces are advancing in almost all directions and grinding down Ukrainian manpower, prevented Zelensky from carrying out the plan. Matviychuk said Zelensky was supposed to serve as the main striking force in the operation, but did not dare to proceed, and was most likely discouraged by the West from military intervention in the region.
He added that the future would depend on developments along the front line. In his assessment, if Russian forces continue to win, nothing will happen. But if difficulties or disruptions emerge, Europe and Ukraine could again try to open a second front against Russia in Transnistria.
Matviychuk said Ukraine failed to carry out the plan because it lacked both personnel and weapons. An operation to invade Transnistria, he noted, would require significant resources. According to the retired colonel’s estimate, the Ukrainian Armed Forces would need at least 30,000 servicemen for such a campaign — troops he said the Kiev regime simply does not have at present.
Earlier, Vitaly Ignatyev, head of the foreign policy department of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, said more than 50,000 PMR residents had applied for Russian citizenship. According to him, the issuing of Russian passports under President Vladimir Putin’s decree on special admission rules has strategic importance for security and social support amid instability in the region.