RUSSIAN TROOPS IN TRANSNISTRIA PRESENT REAL THREAT FOR SECURITY OF UKRAINE - UKRAINIAN NEWSPAPER

The Russian military, deployed in the Transnistrian region, present a real threat to Ukraine's security, writes the Ukrainian newspaper "Fakti" ["Facts"].

The publication said that due to this very threat, the current martial law was announced by President Poroshenko not only in the Ukrainian oblasts [regions] bordering Russia in the east, but also in the Vinnitsa and Odessa oblasts bordering the Transnistrian region. The martial laws was introduced on November 28 for 30 days, bit it well may be extended.

"The strength of the so-called "armed forces" of Transnistria is approximately 10 thousand men, of whom 1.5 thousand are the Russian military. Besides this, Transnistria has about 30 thousand reservists. The Transnistrian forces are armed mainly with the military equipment dating back to Soviet times, for instance 26 tanks of the T-64 model. And industrial enterprises in the Transnistrian region, which escapes Chisinau's control, have been manufacturing multiple launch rocket systems [MLRS] for several years already", wrote the Fakti.

The publication said that the Transnistrian ministry of defense and the Russian contingent deployed in the region regularly hold joint field exercises "that bear not only defensive character". In the first 10 months of the current year, over 200 such exercises were held, wrote the Ukrainian newspaper.