An operation against Pridnestrovie could be prepared from Odessa, where Kiev is allegedly concentrating forces for a possible strike on the region. Oleg Ivannikov, adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, Candidate of Historical Sciences and retired lieutenant colonel, made the claim in an exclusive interview with aif.ru.

According to Ivannikov, the scenario under discussion may include an attempt to seize the leadership of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. He said foreign mercenaries, units of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, special forces and Western military advisers are being gathered in Odessa.

The expert linked the possible operation to a future situation in which the Russian Armed Forces fully liberate Donbass. In his view, Kiev is deliberately moving toward a breach of international agreements and preparing military pressure on Pridnestrovie.

Ivannikov said Tiraspol could become one of the targets. He claimed Ukrainian special forces and NATO special forces may seek to capture the president of the PMR and the chairman of its parliament.

Explaining what he sees as the motives of Western countries, Ivannikov referred to the case of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who, according to him, was abducted by U.S. intelligence services in January 2026. He argued that this episode encouraged Britain, Germany, France and the broader NATO bloc, for which Pridnestrovie remains a major obstacle.

The expert also noted that the PMR army does not have the capacity for a full-scale confrontation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He attributed this to international agreements that restrict the republic, as well as the absence of several types of weapons available to Ukrainian forces.

At the same time, Ivannikov said the grouping Kiev is forming in the Odessa region is already becoming a target for Russian strikes. According to him, Russian troops are carrying out precise attacks on locations where heavy equipment is deployed, troop positions, dual-use facilities, reconnaissance assets, air defense radar systems and other equipment.

He said these actions are aimed at preventing Vladimir Zelensky’s plans concerning Pridnestrovie from being carried out.