In the shadow of the war in Ukraine: Tonight (Thursday), the Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning to the Transnistrian region of Moldova, following the escalation of security in the region.
The publication states that “in light of the deteriorating security situation in the region and in light of the fact that the Foreign Ministry’s ability to assist Israeli citizens staying there is limited, we call on Israeli citizens to leave the region as soon as possible.” It was also written that “the Foreign Ministry calls on Israeli citizens who plan to arrive in Transnistria in the near future to cancel their trip at this time.”
The Foreign Ministry’s announcement comes while fears that the separatist region in eastern Moldova will be Russia’s next destination, as part of an attempt to take over southern Ukraine. When the series of explosions that terrified Tiraspol, the capital of the separatist region of Transnistria in eastern Moldova, on Monday caused thousands to flee the region.
Transnistria, bordering western Ukraine, is ruled by pro-Russian separatists and permanently hosts 1,500 Russian troops as well as a large weapons depot. The separatist region is home to about 5,000 Jews out of a population of about half a million, mainly in Tiraspol. Jewish communities also exist in the cities of Bendri, Dovsari and Rivnitsa.
Following the security escalation, representatives of the Jewish communities turned to Rabbi Mendi Axelrod, a Chabad emissary in Kishinev, and asked him to evacuate to Kishinev. According to Rabbi Axelrod, The Jewish Agency and the JDC also operate in these cities. “
Rabbi Pinchas Salzman, Rabbi of Moldova: “The fear of developing a military incident in the Transnistrian region is a real fear and we are preparing for any scenario. It should be understood that this region is at the center of internal political debate within Moldova “The Russian army in the Transnistrian region is inconceivable and is on the scale of several military armies.”