Moldova’s unrecognised breakaway region of Transnistria says it wants Moscow to bulk up its small contingent of peacekeepers because of what it called growing security risks, Russia’s state-owned RIA news agency reported.
Though Moldova does not allow Russia to deploy new troops in Transnistria, Russia has had hundreds of peacekeepers in the region since a bloody war between pro-Russian separatists and Moldovan government forces after the 1991 Soviet breakup.
“As long as Russia’s peacekeeping mission continues, Moldova is constrained in any military plans and preparations against Transnistria,” Leonid Manakov, the region’s envoy to Moscow, was cited as saying by RIA.
“Transnistria has repeatedly applied for an increase in the number of Russian peacekeepers … There is such an option, and it is justified in terms of the worsening security risks,” he was quoted as saying.
Moldova’s ties with Russia are currently badly strained and have deteriorated rapidly over the course of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, which Chisinau has repeatedly condemned.
Italy says it “strongly” recommends any of its citizens still in Ukraine to leave the country by any means.
The country’s foreign ministry issued an alert in the wake of “ever heavier missile attacks on Kyiv and across all Ukrainian territory”.
“All travel to Ukraine, in any capacity, is strongly discouraged,” the ministry said, urging anyone going for work to take “appropriate risk prevention and mitigation measures” and exercise “maximum caution”.
Russia launched its biggest swarm of drone attacks for months against Ukraine on Monday, and Kyiv says it will soon launch a counteroffensive to try to reclaim territory from Moscow’s invasion forces.
World Athletics, the governing body for track and field, says dozens of Ukrainian athletes and officials preparing for their world championships in August can get funding for training camps.
The body will invest $190,000 and prioritise replacing equipment for pole vaulters — the event of Ukrainian great Sergey Bubka — destroyed in Russian missile attacks.
A college in Bakhmut named after Bubka, who is now senior vice president of World Athletics, was part of a sports complex including a track stadium and indoor arena destroyed during fierce fighting there in recent months, the national track federation said.
“It was the only centre where athletes could conduct training camps at any time of the year. Now there is nothing left in Bakhmut,” Ukrainian officials wrote in a letter, World Athletics said.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe pledged ahead of the August 19-27 championships in Budapest, Hungary, to do “whatever we can to help athletics survive and recover in Ukraine”.
Though Moldova does not allow Russia to deploy new troops in Transnistria, Russia has had hundreds of peacekeepers in the region since a bloody war between pro-Russian separatists and Moldovan government forces after the 1991 Soviet breakup.
