The border with the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldavian Republic — 405 kilometers, where remnants of Russia's 14th Guards Army remain stationed — is becoming a separate theater of defensive planning. The Western Operational Command detailed for the first time what exactly is happening there.
Three layers of defense instead of a single fence
Engineering units together with border guards have been conducting large-scale operations since late March: minelaying, installation of barbed wire "Yegorka" and autonomous video surveillance systems along the entire border length. In parallel — deployment of additional mechanized military units with armored vehicles. As reported by the Western Operational Command, a multilayered control line is being formed, allowing rapid response to border violations rather than reactive measures after the fact.
The engineering component is supplemented by expanded capacity of medical facilities in border areas and support for transport infrastructure — logistics in case the direction becomes active. Notably, the Western Operational Command's statement separately emphasizes the readiness of civilian population for resistance — not just military forces.
What is happening on the other side
The Armed Forces' preparations are not merely preventive: in September 2025, a Moldovan politician confirmed that enterprises for drone production are being prepared on Transnistrian territory — including at the "Moldavizolit" and "Elektromash" plants in Tiraspol. The GUR previously warned about the activation of Russian special services in the region and Moscow's attempts to force Ukraine to scatter its reserves.
"A large-scale Russian military offensive from Transnistria is currently impossible, but Moscow may resort to other dangerous actions — activation of sabotage groups, mining of logistics, drone strikes on Odesa region's port and energy infrastructure."
Dmytro Snehirov, military expert, co-chair of the NGO "Rights First"
A separate indicator is the strike on the bridge across the Dniester near Mayaky in December 2024: the distance from Tiraspol to the target is 30 kilometers — a range within which a sabotage group can operate without complex logistics.
Meanwhile, Moldova is pushing Russia out
Against the backdrop of Ukrainian preparations, Chisinau took its own steps: declared representatives of the command of the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria as personas non grata, and President Maia Sandu stripped nine officials of the unrecognized republic of citizenship. This narrows Moscow's room for diplomatic maneuvering, but does not affect the actual military grouping on the ground — approximately 1–1.5 thousand military personnel according to Zelensky's assessment.
- ~1–1.5 thousand OGRV military personnel remain in Tiraspol and Kovalskoe
- The ammunition depot in Kovalskoe is among the largest in the region
- In 2025, the SBU detained a spy from Transnistria who attempted to steal developments in the field of unmanned aircraft
If drone production in Tiraspol truly launches and the first strikes target Odesa's port infrastructure — this will test whether the current three layers of defense are sufficient to stop not an army, but a swarm of unmanned aircraft operating from 30 kilometers away.
