War of Transnistria 2153834 217978072 2008-06-08T16:27:12Z Sotnik 4595103 Bender & Tighina -> Bendery, see Bendery talk page {{Infobox War |image=[[Image:TransnistrianRegionMap.png]] |imagesize=250 |caption=Map of conflict region |conflict=War of Transnistria |date=1992 |place=[[Moldova]] |result=[[de facto]] independence of Transnistria |combatant1={{flag|Transnistria}}<BR> {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Russia]]n volunteers<br> {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] volunteers<br> [[Image:Red Army flag.svg|22px]] [[14th Army involvement in Transnistria|elements of the 14th Russian Army]]<ref name=humphries>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20011008a2.html| Transnistria: relic of a bygone era], The Japan Times, Richard Humphries, Oct. 8, 2001. Retrieved [[April 1]], [[2008]]</ref> |combatant2={{flag|Moldova}}<BR> {{flagicon|Romania}} [[Romania]]n volunteers<ref name=rupesinghe>[http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu12ee/uu12ee0b.htm#7%20large%20scale%20inter%20ethnic%20violence "Ethnicity and power in the contemporary world" Chapter 5, "Dynamics of the Moldova Trans-Dniester ethnic conflict (late 1980s to early 1990s)"], Kumar Rupesinghe and Valery A. Tishkov, United Nations University Press, 1996</ref><ref name=humphries/> |commander1= |commander2= |strength1= |strength2= |casualties1=823 Transnistrians (including civilians)<ref>[http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/90227.html Dubossary marked anniversary of the first Dniester engagement]</ref>, 90 [[Cossacks]]<ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol166-12-06.htm ВОЗРОЖДЕННОМУ В ПРИДНЕСТРОВЬЕ ЧЕРНОМОРСКОМУ КАЗАЧЬЕМУ ВОЙСКУ – 15 ЛЕТ] Olvia Press. Dec 18, 2006. Retrieved [[2006]], [[December 18]]; See also: [http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/96375.html "В Приднестровье отмечают 15-летие Черноморского казачьего войск,"]''«Новый Регион – Приднестровье»,'' Dec 14, 2006.</ref>, and an unknown number of other casualties |casualties2=279 combatants<ref>[http://www.monument.md/catalog/compozitii_monumentale/165/# Monumentul eroilor căzuţi în războiul transnistrean : Compoziţii monumentale : Catalogul monumentelor conform categoriei : MONUMENT.MD<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, ~400 civilians {{Fact|date=February 2007}} }} {{Campaignbox Post-Soviet Conflicts}} The '''War of Transnistria''' involved armed clashes on a limited scale that broke out between [[Transnistria|PMR]] Republican Guard, militia and Cossack units, supported by the [[Russia]]n 14th army, and [[Moldovans|Moldovan]] policemen/troops as early as November 1990 at [[Dubăsari]] ({{lang-ru|''Дубоссáры''}}, ''Dubossary''). Fighting intensified out of local incidents on 1 March 1992, with the accession of newly independent [[Moldova]] into the [[UN]], and alternated by ad hoc cease-fires, lasted throughout spring and early summer 1992 until a ceasefire that same year (21 July), which has held ever since. == Background == ===Historical background=== Before the [[Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina]] and the creation of the [[Moldavian SSR]] in [[1940]], the [[Bessarabia]]n part of [[Moldova]], i.e. to the west of the [[Dniester]] (Nistru) river, was part of [[Romania]] (1918-1940). The [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]] between the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[Nazi Germany]], that led to the events of 1940, was later denounced by present-day Moldova which declared it "null and void" in its Declaration of Independence in 1991. However, the territorial changes resulting from it have remained in place. Before the creation of the [[Moldavian SSR]], today's Transnistria was part of the [[Ukrainian SSR]], as an autonomous republic called the [[MASSR|Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]], with [[Tiraspol]] as its capital. {{History of Moldova}} ===Political background=== During the last years of the 1980s, the political landscape of the [[Soviet Union]] was changing due to [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]'s policies of [[perestroika]] and [[glasnost]], which allowed some political liberalization at the regional (republican) level. In the Moldavian SSR, as in many other not primarily Russian parts of the Soviet Union, national revival became the leading political force. Some Russians, however, viewed this tendency as exclusivist nationalism. This displeasure with the new trends and potential future policies was manifested in a more visible way in Transnistria, where, unlike the rest of the MSSR, ethnic [[Moldovans]] (39.9%) were outnumbered by a Slavic majority of Russians and Ukrainians (53.8%) as per the [[1989 Census in Transnistria]], and which experienced higher immigration during the Soviet Era. From September 1989, there were strong scenes of protests in the region against the central government's moves towards national revival/nationalism.<ref>[http://pridnestrovie.net/history-minorityrights.html Pridnestrovie: Founded on minority rights]</ref> While some believe that the combination of a distinct history (especially 1918-1940), and a fear of discrimination by Moldovans, gave rise to separatist sentiments, others believe that genuine ethnic tensions fail to completely account for the dynamics of the conflict. According to John Mackinlay and Peter Cross who effectuated a study based on casualty reports, significant numbers of both Transnistrians and Moldovans fought together on both sides of the conflict. They suggest that the conflict is more political in nature.<ref>[John Mackinlay and Peter Cross: Regional Peacekeepers, The Paradox of Russian Peacekeeping. United Nations University Press: New York & Paris, 2003. Pages 140-141]</ref> On [[31 August]] [[1989]], the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR enacted two laws. One of them made [[Moldovan language]] the official language, in lieu of the [[Russian language|Russian]], which remained at the moment official in the Soviet Union as a whole. It also mentions a ''linguistic Moldo-Romanian identity''. The second law stipulated the return to the [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] [[Romanian alphabet]]. Moldovan language is the term used in the former Soviet Union for a virtually identical dialect of the [[Romanian language]] during 1940-1989. On [[27 April]] [[1990]], the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR adopted the traditional tricolour (blue, yellow and red) flag with the Moldavian coat of arms, and changed the national anthem to ''[[Deşteaptă-te, române!]]'', the [[1848]] revolution song that was also [[Romania]]'s national anthem before [[1946]], and after 1989. Later that year (1990) the words ''Soviet'' and ''Socialist'' were dropped, and the name of the country became the "[[Republic of Moldova]]". These events, as well as the end of the Communist rule in neighboring Romania in [[December 1989]], and the partial opening of the border between Romania and Moldova on [[6 May]] [[1990]], led many in [[Transnistria]] and Moldova to believe that a union between Moldova and Romania was soon possible, ending them inside Romania, where they could no longer demand the return to Russian as the official language. At the time of the war, it was widely believed on both sides that Moldova would, in the near future, most likely reunite with Romania leaving the Russian population alienated. ===Timeline of events before the war=== {{Missing information|Initiatives of the Moldovan government|date=March 2008}} {{Politics of Transnistria}} *[[30 December]] [[1988]]: In [[Chişinău]] (Kishinev), with the help of A. Bolshakov, the manager of "Tocilmaş" factory from Tiraspol, an organisation, "Interdvizhenie", is formed. This was later renamed "Edinstvo", a movement with the aim of defending the interests of Russian-speakers living in Moldova. This movement was against adopting Moldovan (Romanian) as the single official language, Latin script for Moldovan and later supported Transnistrian independence. *[[15 July]] [[1990]]: [[Anatoly Lukyanov]], chairman of the Supreme Soviet in Moscow, sends a letter written by Transnistrian and Gagauzian separatists to [[Izvestia]] (a widely read Russian newspaper). *August 1990: Moldovan SSR refused to participate in the referendum for the retention of the Soviet Union, but in the Gagauz and Transnistrian regions - and with the help of Soviet 14th Army (according to an agreement between A. Lukianov and Igor Smirnov) - a referendum is organised. *[[2 September]] [[1990]]: The Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR is proclaimed in Tiraspol as a Soviet Republic in its own right, separate from Moldova. The Soviet government does not recognize it. *16 September 1990: A meeting protesting against separatism is held in the village of Lunga, near Dubăsari.<ref>Mihail Gh. Ciubotaru - "Nu răscoliţi apele negre!", in "Moldova" nr. 12/1990 (Romanian)</ref> *2 November 1990: The bridges over the Dniester are blocked by PMSSR supporters. At the bridge near Dubăsari, clashes are reported between the Moldovan police (who wanted to open the bridge) and civilians supporting the PMSSR. Moldovan forces open fire at the PMSSR supporters, causing 3 deaths and several wounded. Two of the dead are ethnic Moldavians, who supported the PMSSR. The third, also a PMSSR supporter, is an ethnic Ukrainian.<ref>[http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/107536.html В чем причины и суть приднестровского конфликта?]</ref>. According another source, one of the victim was a pro-Moldova supporter shot from an unit of Russian 14th Army from Dubasari, as he carried the Moldovan flag<ref>Vlad Grecu - "O viziune din focarul conflictlui de la Dubăsari", Prut International 2005, ISBN 9975-69-741-0</ref>. *[[12 March]] [[1991]]: Based on the order of V. C. Bogdanov, a place tenant on the Tiraspol city Executive Committee, a 200-strong military unit is formed, with weapons and ammunition received from the Soviet Army. The same developments happened in [[Bendery]], Dubăsari (Dubossary) and Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa). *May 1991: The Moldovan government of Mircea Druc, a coalition between the Moldovan Popular Front and the reformist wing of the Communist party, is dismissed. Moldovan Popular Front enters opposition. *May 1991: The Supreme Soviet of the PMSSR orders all policemen from the Transnistrian territory to obey the PMSSR authorities. A PMSSR Ministry of Interior and Prosecutor's Office is also formed. *[[19 August]] [[1991]]: The PMSSR government proclaims a state of emergency in Tiraspol and [[Bendery]]. Dniester guards are patrolling the cities and roads are blocked. PMSSR leaders ask the local population to support the coup which was underway in Moscow. *Several PMSSR officials, including Igor Smirnov and G. Pologov, are arrested. They are later freed. *[[27 August]] [[1991]]: Moldova declares its independence and formally secedes from the Soviet Union. The PMSSR continues to regard itself as a part of the Soviet Union until the USSR ceases to exist on 31 December 1991, after which the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic has regarded itself as an independent country in its own right. *6 and [[18 September]] [[1991]]: The PMSSR government orders all Soviet military units in the region to obey the jurisdiction of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR. *10-20 September 1991: On the initiative of the Odessa military district leadership a general assembly of Soviet Army officers and non-commissioned officers in Transnistria is held. On this occasion, an agreement is expressed to give support to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR, regardless of Moscow's orders. *[[11 September]] [[1991]]: The Russian military unit 03517 from Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa) decides to defend the PMSSR. *[[19 September]] [[1991]]:A Police unit in Rîbniţa is captured by PMSSR forces. *[[22 September]] [[1991]]: A Police unit in Camenca (Kamenka) is captured by PMSSR forces. *[[2 October]] [[1991]]: Tiraspol city Executive Committee issues a decision asking the local police force to refuse to obey Moldovan authorities. *[[16 October]] [[1991]]: At Dubăsari, an explosion occurs at the police station, where the local police unit is still loyal to the Moldovan government. *[[8 November]] [[1991]]: The newspaper Nezavismaya Moldova publishes facts about human rights abuses in Transnistria: namely, explosions and burning of the homes of people who refused to accept the jurisdiction of the PMSSR, threats against the family of policeman Vladimir Colesnic (the second in command of the Dubăsari police unit which refused to accept the authority of the PMSSR government) and the situation of the refugees. *[[15 November]] [[1991]]: In [[Bendery]] and Dubăsari people are forbidden to subscribe to Romanian-language newspapers from Chişinău. *[[19 November]] [[1991]]: Weaponry and ammunition is transferred from the 14th Soviet Army unit to the PMSSR security forces. *[[21 November]] [[1991]]: PMSSR authorities forbid local businesses to collaborate with the Moldovan National Bank. *26-30 November 1991: PMSSR guard units in Rîbniţa (Rybnitsa) receive weapons and ammunition from the 14th Soviet Army unit based at Colbasna. *[[27 November]] [[1991]]: In the local authority's building in Teia village (Grigoriopol district) 6 people from Tiraspol (2 with automatic guns) forced the local authority to organise a voting process for the PMSSR presidential elections. The same situation occurs in other areas in Transnistria. *[[27 November]] [[1991]]: A delegation from the International Helsinki Committee for Human Rights visit Moldova. Igor Smirnov refused to participate in the meeting in Tiraspol with the foreign visitors. *[[27 November]] [[1991]]: Trudovoi Tiraspol, a newspaper run by OSTK, publishes a list with the names and addresses of Moldovan policemen from Transnistria who refuse to obey the PMSSR authorities and ask for reprisals against them. *[[1 December]] [[1991]]: A group of around 20-25 people (6 of them with automatic guns) enter the village of Mălăieşti in Grigoriopol district and petition the election officials on behalf of the PMSSR authorities. However, local villagers refused to participate in elections. Meanwhile, the same incidents occur in Speia, Butor and Taşlîc. *1-5 December 1991: All the bridges over Dniester are blocked by PMSSR supporters. *[[5 December]] [[1991]]: Viktor Malik, an assistant at the Soviet Union's Ministry of the Interior, (in an interview with "Nezavisimaia Moldova") reveals that the result of research done by the Soviet Union's Prosecutor's Office - regarding the events in [[2 November]] [[1990]] in Dubăsari - shows that PMSSR authorities acted unlawfully and Moldovan police acted within legal limits. *[[6 December]] [[1991]]: PMSSR security forces order the Slobozia police unit to accept the jurisdiction of the PMSSR. The commander of this police unit is beaten and he is prevented from accessing his local force. *[[6 December]] [[1991]]: PMSSR guards open fire on a car belonging to the Moldovan police at the bridge over Dniester at Gura Bîcului. The policeman, N. Dociu, is wounded. *[[8 December]] [[1991]]: L. Toderaş, the prosecutor of [[Bendery]], is arrested by the PMSSR security forces and interrogated at OSTK. *[[8 December]] [[1991]]: 700 PMSSR guards and cossacks, armed with bren guns, armoured carriers and grenade throwers (and all received from Russian 14th Army) mass at the outskirts of Dubăsari. The police receive an ultimatum to swear allegiance to the PMSSR. *[[9 December]] [[1991]]: A police unit from [[Bendery]] are visited by a group representing PMSSR authorities (headed by Kogut from Tiraspol) and inform the local commandant, V. Gusleacov, that he is being dismissed from his position. The separatists also ask him to give them the keys and all relevant documents to the newly appointed police chief. Gusleacov refused, and the police unit was then surrounded by PMSSR guards. Some policemen who came to this incident are subsequently arrested and disarmed. The building housing the local Transport Police is subsequently attacked and all the vehicles are confiscated. The local police are later aided by people from nearby villages such as [[Varniţa]], [[Chircăieşti]], [[Ursoaia]], Firladani and the PMR guard unit was forced to withdraw. *[[10 December]] [[1991]]: Near the village [[Lunga]], 5 PMSSR guards stopped a car with policeman A. Ismailov inside. The guards then take Ismailov out of the car, beat him and confiscate his gun. *[[10 December]] [[1991]]: S. Trocin and V. Oprea are arrested in [[Bendery]] and kept imprisoned for several days in a basement simply because they spoke Romanian in a Sovetskaia street. *[[11 December]] [[1991]]: Presidential elections are held in the area controlled by the Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR. *On the night of 12 to [[13 December]] [[1991]]: The Police section in Dubăsari is besieged by PMSSR forces. 35 policemen are in the building and are all threatened with death. *[[13 December]] [[1991]]: A group of policemen is sent to assist the besieged Dubăsari police station but they are attacked with bren guns. 4 policemen are killed in this incident; Ghenadie Iablocikin, Mihail Arnăut, Valentin Mereniuc and Gheorghe Caşu. *[[13 December]] [[1991]]: At [[Bendery]], a reporter from Moldovan television is arrested and his camera confiscated. He will later be freed following the intervention of the Moldovan police. *[[14 December]] [[1991]]: In Dubăsari, shots are fired at electrician A. Terentiev and against a truck belonging to the regional Soviet, which had refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the PMSSR. The truck driver, V. Chiriac, and his passenger, are wounded. *[[14 December]] [[1991]]: Policemen S. Lopatiuc and V. Dorofenco are arrested by PMSSR security forces. They are later hospitalized after being beaten. *[[14 December]] [[1991]]: The newspaper "Druzhba" from Grigoriopol, which voiced opinions against separatism, is closed by the PMSSR authorities. A local radio station is also attacked. *[[15 December]] [[1991]]: The Moldovan president, Mircea Snegur, meets with Igor Smirnov. *[[21 December]] [[1991]]: Igor Smirnov is made an honorary cossack. *[[27 December]] [[1991]]: Access to the building of the regional Soviet of Dubăsari (which had refused to submit to PMSSR jurisdiction) is blocked by the PMSSR authorities. *[[31 December]] [[1991]]: The Soviet Union ceases to exist. Transnistria, which had formally seceded from the Moldovan SSR and constituted itself as the separate de facto Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR on 2 September 1990, becomes a de facto independent country under the name of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. *[[3 January]] [[1992]]: The building housing the KGB unit at [[Bendery]] is occupied by PMR security forces. *[[3 January]] [[1992]]: The mayor of Varniţa, A. Cuconescu, and several other people are arrested in Varniţa Town Hall and are taken to Tiraspol where are interrogated and threatened with prison. They are later freed after a request from Moldovan authorities. *[[6 January]]: On the road between Dubăsari and Rîbniţa 6 armed Transnistrian guards captured Moldovan policemen P. Frecăuţan and H. Adam. They are then forced to leave the region with their families and are threatened with death if they refuse. *[[9 January]] [[1992]]: A 70 men strong PMR unit attacked a column of trucks from military unit 07481, which transported weapons from [[Hlinaia]] (Grigoriopol district) to Chişinău. Trucks, weapons and ammunition are all captured by the PMR forces. *[[12 January]] [[1992]]: PMR guards open fire on a car belonging to Moldovan police in Dubăsari. 2 people, policemen S. Ţîstoi and a passenger, are wounded. In another incident at Dubăsari, another 2 people are wounded, policeman S. Manole and G. Damaschin. *[[13 January]] [[1992]]: E. Martin and V. Plămădeală are shot and wounded by PMR guards at an exit point from Dubăsari. *[[15 January]] [[1992]]: 2 policemen and a woman are wounded when gunfire is opened on a Moldovan police car. *[[22 January]] [[1992]]: The prosecutor of [[Bendery]], L. Toderaş, is arrested again. Following discussions with the Moldovan police he will later be freed. *[[25 January]] [[1992]]: L. Toderaş, prosecutor of [[Bendery]], is arrested yet again. His family and colleagues are also threatened. *[[29 January]] [[1992]]: PMR militia arrest a group of drunken cossacks in Tiraspol. The headquarters of this militia is then blocked by a committee of local women. The cossacks are later freed. *[[30 January]] [[1992]]: There are attacks against several units of the Moldovan police in [[Bendery]]. 39 policemen are arrested. The Transport Police section is stormed and the building later set on fire. 18 guns and 6 cars are stolen. *[[31 January]] [[1992]]: 4 policemen are arrested in [[Bendery]] and subsequently beaten. *1 February 1992: F. Ţurcan is killed at a check-point by PMR guards in Lunga, a village near Dubăsari. Turcan's car was fired on despite responding to a request from the PMr guards to stop his vehicle. *[[2 February]] [[1992]]: Also at Lunga, policeman V. Rusu is wounded after his car was stopped by 18 separatists guards. *[[4 February]] [[1992]]: The deputy of the [[Bendery]] Police unit, A. Corolicov, and police officer O. Pavliuc are arrested when they returned from duty. They are subsequently beaten and their weapons confiscated. *[[12 February]] [[1992]]: The medical nursery school [[Bendery]] is closed by PMR authorities. *[[14 February]] [[1992]]: People from Transnistria are heading to Moscow to inform public opinion about human rights abuses in Transnistria. *[[19 February]] [[1992]]: The Customs building in Dubăsari is attacked by PMR forces and customs officers are beaten. Their weapons are later confiscated. *[[20 February]] [[1992]]: A protest demonstration is held in Lunga, near Dubăsari, against a referendum organised in the village by the PMR authorities. The demonstration is later broken up by force. The protesters are fired on and tear gas used against them. The order to use force against the protesters was made by Alexandru Porojan, a PMR official from Dubăsari. *[[21 February]] [[1992]]: In Slobozia, the bank accounts of 2 schools which refused to accept the legitimacy of the PMR authorities, are closed. *[[22 February]] [[1992]]: Military unit 01002 is attacked by PMR forces. 95 officers and soldiers were ambushed and driven to a bridge over the Dniester river. They are then told to go to Chişinău on foot. *29 February 1992: Unknown assailants armed with automatic guns stop a car near Dubova, and kill the driver, N. Boiniceanu. Another person is wounded. All the passengers are also robbed in this incident.<ref>A. Muntean, N. Ciubotaru - Războiul de pe Nistru, Ager-Economistul publishing house, pages 311-354, Bucharest 2004, ISBN 973-86452-0-4</ref> ===Political conflict=== The language laws presented a particularly volatile issue as a great proportion of the non-Moldovan population of the [[Moldavian SSR]] did not speak - Moldovan (Romanian). The problem of the official language in the [[MSSR]] had become a [[Gordian knot]], being exaggerated and, perhaps, intentionally politicized. Some described the language laws as "discriminatory" and criticized their rapid implementation. Others, on the contrary, complained the laws were not followed. The different historic background prior to 1940, the different ethnic background, the social composition (up to 1/3 of inhabitants of Transnistria were recent migrants from other regions of the former USSR, with which (regions) they felt a closer connection), the socio-economic background (more industrial and skilled workers in Transnistria than in Moldova proper), and the political background (different power basis), gave rise to separatist sentiments. Although not yet independent, Transnistria's protests against the central government were increasingly accompanied by moves towards more autonomy and self government of local affairs. The first operation by the special forces of the Moldovan police were launched against separatists in Dubăsari on [[12 June]] [[1990]], in response to local moves that would effectively cut off parts of Transnistria from the central government. On [[2 September]] [[1990]], the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic was proclaimed; "Pridnestrovie" being the name for Transnistria in Russian. On [[22 December]] [[1990]] the president [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] signed a decree that declared void the decisions of the ''Second congress of people deputies of Transnistria'' from [[September 2]]. For two months, Moldovan authorities refrained from taking armed action against this proclamation. Transnistria became one of the "unrecognized republics" that appeared throughout USSR, alongside [[Abkhazia]], [[South Ossetia]], [[Nagorno-Karabakh]]. The events leading to the ''de facto'' separation of the former three were very similar, and many speculated they were simply a product of the old Soviet apparatus trying to "punish" the distantiation of [[Moldova]] and [[Republic of Georgia|Georgia]]. Despite the fact that no country has recognized them, all four successfully survive until today. These four [[de facto]] states maintain official relations only with each other. In the aftermath of the failure of the [[Soviet coup attempt of 1991]], on [[27 August]] [[1991]], the Moldovan parliament adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova. The declaration specifically referred to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact as ''null and void'', and called for ''the political and legal consequences of the above be eliminated'', declaring, among other facts, that the merger of Transnistria and the previous Romanian west-bank Moldova to have been an act of occupation and absent of ''any real legal basis''.<ref>[http://pridnestrovie.net/moldova_declaration_of_independence.html Moldova's 1991 Declaration of Independence]</ref> The PMR side interpreted this as meaning that the 1940-merger of the two sides of the Dniester river was dissolved. Moldova, however, did not agree, as large portions of the territory occupied in [[1940]] by USSR remain in [[Ukraine]], and almost immediately took steps to assert its sovereignty over the full territory of the now-former MSSR. At that time, the Republic of Moldova did not have its [[Military of Moldova|own army]] and the first attempts to create one took place in early 1992 in response to the beginning of the War of Transnistria. The newly independent Moldovan parliament asked the defunct government of the USSR "to begin negotiations with the Moldovan government in order to put an end to the illegal occupation of the Republic of Moldova and withdraw Soviet troops from Moldovan territory". When, on [[29 August]] [[1991]], Transnistria's independence leader [[Igor Smirnov]] and three other deputies arrived in [[Kiev]], the capital of Ukraine, to meet the Ukrainian leader [[Leonid Kravchuk]]. Smirnov and Andrei Cheban were arrested by Moldova's police, and immediately transported to a prison in Moldova. As a protest, the women's strike committee headed by Galina Andreeva blocked the Moscow-Chişinău railway line at a waypoint between [[Bendery]] and [[Tiraspol]], until the arrested were freed by the president of Moldova [[Mircea Snegur]] in an uninspired attempt to quell the spirits. In late 1991, the policemen in Tiraspol and Rîbniţa swore allegiance to the PMR. == Military strength == [[Image:Tiraspol bridge infantry vehicles.jpg|thumb|Infantry vehicles (Transnistrian forces) on the bridge between Tiraspol and Bendery]] In 1992, Moldova had troops under the Ministry of the Interior. On 17 March 1992, they started recruiting troops for the newly created Ministry of Defence.<ref>[http://www.army.gov.md/?action=show&cat=7 Istoria creării Armatei Naţionale (Moldova)]</ref> By July 1992, total Moldovan troop strength has been estimated at 25-35,000 people, including called-up policemen, reservists and volunteers, especially but not only from the Moldavian villages near the conflict zone. On the Transnistria side, there have been alegations that in addition to Soviet weaponry inherited upon independence, Moldova also obtained arms from Romania.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} At the same time, the Russian Army in Moldovan territory numbered about 14,000 professional soldiers. The PMR authorities had 9,000 militiamen trained and armed by officers of the 14th Army. In addition, there were 5,000-6,000 Russian volunteers{{Fact|date=February 2007}} who came forward after an appeal was made on Russian television for fighters to go to Transnistria to support the cause. These volunteers came from all over the Russian Federation: a number of Don, Kuban, Orenburg, Sibir, and local Transnistrian Black Sea Cossacks joined in to fight alongside the separatists. Due to the irregular makeup of the forces, troop strength of the PMR is in dispute, but it is generally accepted that it was as large, if not larger, than the Moldovan forces, as shown by the fact that the PMR forces were able to repel Moldova in the fighting near [[Bendery]] and partially near Dubǎsari.<!--re-write, not {{Fact|date=March 2008}}, all these facts are in the sourses--> Forces of the 14th Army (which had owed allegiance to the [[USSR]], [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] and the Russian Federation in turn) stationed in Transnistria, had fought with and on behalf of the PMR forces.<ref>Vahl, Marius. [http://ceps01.link.be/Article.php?article_id=222 Borderland Europe: Transforming Transnistria?] Centre for European Political Studies, October 2001. </ref><ref>[http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/russia/#P169_26952 Analysis of the Transnistrian Conflict] "Human Rights and Russian Military Involvement in the "Near Abroad"" Human Rights Watch December. 1993</ref> A significant portion of the personnel of the Russian 14th Army were local conscripts and officers that had been given local residence. PMR units were able to arm themselves with weapons taken from the stores of the former 14th Army. The Russian troops chose not to oppose the PMR units who had come to help themselves from the Army’s stores; on the contrary, in many cases they helped the PMR troops equip themselves by handing over weapons and by opening up the ammunition stores to them. In December 1991, the Moldovan authorities arrested Lieutenant-General Yakovlev in [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] territory, accusing him of helping the PMR forces to arm themselves by using the weapons stocks of the 14th Army. At that time, General Yakovlev has been both Commander of the 14th Army and "Head of the National Defence and Security Department" of the PMR. The government of the Russian Federation interceded with the Moldovan government to obtain the release of General Yakovlev in exchange for 26 policemen detained by PMR forces at the start of the fighting in Dubăsari. On [[5 April]] [[1992]], Vice-President [[Aleksandr Rutskoy|Rutskoy]] of Russia, in a speech delivered to 5,000 people in [[Tiraspol]], encouraged the Transnistrian people to obtain their independence. == Military conflict == The first fatalities in the emerging conflict took place on [[November 2]], [[1990]], on the two-month anniversary of the PMR's September 2, 1990 declaration of independence. News agency New Region reported that Moldovan forces entered Dubăsari in order to separate Transnistria in two halves. They were stopped by the city's inhabitants who had blocked the bridge over Dniester, at [[Lunga]] village near Dubăsari, and Moldovan forces opened fire in their attempt to proceed over the bridge.<ref>Vlad Grecu - "O viziune din focarul conflictlui de la Dubăsari", Prut International 2005, ISBN 9975-69-741-0, page 30-34 (Romanian)]</ref> In the course of the confrontation, three Dubăsari locals, Oleg Geletiuk, Vladimir Gotkas and Valerie Mitsuls, were killed by the Moldovan forces and sixteen people wounded.<ref>[http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/90227.html Dubossary marked anniversary of the first Dniester engagement]</ref> A second Moldovan attempt to cross the Lunga bridge took place on December 13, 1991. As a result of the fighting, 27 PMR troops were taken prisoner and 4 Moldovan troops (Ghenadie Iablocikin, Gheorghe Caşu, Valentin Mereniuk and Mihai Arnăut) were killed,<ref>Vlad Grecu - "O viziune din focarul conflictului de la Dubăsari", page 38-39</ref> without Moldova being able to cross the bridge. After this second failed attempt, there was a lull in military activity until [[March 2]], [[1992]], considered the official start date of the War of Transnistria. The armed conflict lasted from [[March 2]] to [[July 21]], [[1992]], in three areas along the [[Dniester|Dniester river]]. The start date of the conflict, [[March 2]], [[1992]], was the same day when Moldova was admitted as a member of the [[United Nations]], i.e. got full international recognition of its [[August 27]], [[1991]] declaration of independence. In April Russian vice-president [[Alexander Rutskoy]] visited Transnistria and expressed the full support of Transnistrian separatists by Russia.<ref>[http://mkspmr.idknet.com/content/view/790/209/ Хроника конфликта в Приднестровско - Молдавской республике с 1988 по 2006 г.] {{ru icon}}; [http://youtube.com/watch?v=lhAVRVKqywY Alexander Rutskoi visit in [[Bendery]] in 1992 (video)]</ref> With the PMR's overwhelming military superiority, Moldova had little chance of achieving victory and the fighting was unpopular with the skeptical Moldovan population.<ref>William Crowther,"Moldova: caught between nation and empire," in ''New States, New Politics'', Ian Bremmer and Ray Taras, eds., (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 322.</ref> === Cocieri-Dubăsari area === The first area of military action was on the left shore of the Dniester river, from north to south, the villages of [[Molovata Nouă]], [[Cocieri]] (approx 6,000 inhabitants), [[Corjova]], and the city of [[Dubăsari]] (approx 30,000 inhabitants), together forming a contiguous mainly inhabited area 10-12 km along the shore. The only connection to the right bank from the three villages is either a ferry, or two bridges in Dubăsari. On [[1 March]] [[1992]] Igor Shipcenko, the PMR militia chief of Dubăsari, was killed by a teenager and Moldovan police were accused of the killing. Although minor, this incident was a sufficient spark for the already very tense situation to blow up, and the events succeeded in a cascade. In response, the Cossacks who came from [[Rostov on Don]] to support the PMR side stormed the police precinct in Dubăsari during the night. Moldovan president [[Mircea Snegur]], afraid of starting an armed conflict, ordered the 26 policemen to surrender to the attacking Cossacks and PMR forces. They were later exchanged for Lieutenant-General Yakovlev. Moldovan policemen loyal to [[Chişinău]] from the Dubăsari raion (district), instead of returning to work in the occupied precinct in Dubăsari, now a milice precinct, gathered in Cocieri. On [[2 March]] [[1992]], locals from Cocieri, after hearing about the situation in Dubăsari, broke into the small local arms depot to arm themselves against the PMR side. 3 locals (Alexandru Luchianov from Cocieri, Alexandru Gazea from Molovata and Mihai Nour from [[Roghi]]) were killed, but the military unit from Cocieri was defeated by the Moldovans. The officers and their families were forced to leave the village.<ref>V. Grecu - "O viziune din focarul conflictului de la Dubăsari", page 65-68</ref> More policemen were ferried the following days from the right bank of the Dniester. They organized a defense line around the three villages, while PMR forces retained control of Dubăsari. In the following weeks both PMR and Moldovan forces amassed large numbers in the area and fought a trench war, with intermittent cease-fires. === Coşniţa area === A similar development occurred on [[March 13]] in the villages of Coşniţa, Pîrîta, Pohrebea and Doroţcaia. A second "bridge-head" was formed on the left bank, now south of Dubăsari.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} === Bendery area === {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}} A cease-fire was in negotiation during June in the [[Bendery|Bendery area]]. However, the full scale conflict re-erupted after regular Moldovan forces entered the city of [[Bendery]] in an attempt to reestablish the authority of Moldova there. It has been reported that this action was a response to the stand-off at the police station in [[Bendery]] on [[19 June]] [[1992]]. On the afternoon of that day, the Moldovan police in [[Bendery]] arrested the 14th Army's Major Yermakov on suspicion of a planned subversion. After his arrest, PMR guards opened fire on the police station. The Moldovan government ordered its troops to enter the city the following morning. Urban warfare ensued between the two sides in the densely populated city. In the course of combat actions in [[Bendery]] there were casualties among civilian population. The news of the havoc in [[Bendery]] reached Tiraspol, only 11 km away, as Moldovan troops were approaching the crucial bridge over the [[Dniester]]. At this point, having the support of ROG's tanks, the Transnistrian Republican Guard and [[Cossack]] volunteers rushed to confront the Moldovan forces. The Vice-President Rutskoy of the Russian Federation, in a speech delivered on the main channel of the Russian (former Soviet) television, called for all Russian forces in Tiraspol to storm [[Bendery]]. In the course of the following days, parts of the city of [[Bendery]], including the center, were retaken by PMR forces. == Ceasefire and Joint Control Commission == {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}} [[Image:Benderskii memorial slavy 13.jpg|thumb|The Bender Memorial]] A cease-fire agreement was signed on [[21 July]]. This official document whose broad lines was established by the Russian side, was signed by the presidents of Russia ([[Boris Yeltsin]]) and Moldova ([[Mircea Snegur]]). The agreement provided for peacekeeping forces charged with ensuring observance of the ceasefire and security arrangements, composed of five Russian battalions, three Moldovan battalions and two PMR battalions under the orders of a joint military command structure, the [[Joint Control Commission]] (JCC). It is estimated that in total nearly one thousand people have been killed in the conflict, with the number of wounded approaching 3,000. Unlike many other post-Soviet conflicts, IDP's (internally displaced persons) did not reach large numbers in the war of Transnistria. Days after the truce had been agreed upon, a military confrontation between a local self-defence unit and the Moldovan army, took place in [[Gîsca]] (Gyska), a village with an ethnic Russian majority near [[Bendery]]. At least three villagers were killed. During the combat, civil buildings were damaged or destroyed by artillery fire. Later reports of ceasefire violations have been brought under control with no known loss of human lives. The Russian 14th Army's role in the area was crucial to the outcome of the war. The Moldovan army's position of inferiority prevented it from gaining control of Transnistria. Russia has since disbanded the 14th army and reduced troop strength in Transnistria to a corps of around 1,300 men who form part of the [[Joint Control Commission|JCC]]. == Human rights abuses by both sides == According to eye-witnesses in Russian media, the Moldovan troops were firing at houses, courtyards and cars from heavy machine-guns mounted on armored vehicles. It was reported that in the daytime, [[June 20]], Moldovan troopers were shooting at civilians who were hiding in their houses, trying to flee the city or help wounded (PMR) national guards. Eye-witnesses testified that, on that day, a group of unarmed men, having gathered in a downtown square on the call of the pro-PMR Executive Committee, were fired at from machine-guns. Eye-witnesses in Moldovan media testified and produced similar accusation directed at the other side. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} On many occasions, fire was opened at ambulance cars. The sides accused each other of such actions. Doctors testified in Russian media that heavy fire from the positions of Moldovan forces, June 19-20, prevented them from giving help to the wounded.<ref>[http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/moldavia/benderye.htm Memorial Human Rights Center Report] </ref> ==Outside involvement== === Involvement of the Russian Army === ''main article [[14th Army involvement in Transnistria]]'' Although the Russian army officially took the position of neutrality and non-involvement, many of its officers were sympathetic towards the fledgling Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) and some even defected in order to help the PMR side openly. ROG [[Parcani]] sapper battalion, under the orders of General Butkevich, went over to the PMR side. This battalion later destroyed the bridges at [[Dubăsari]], [[Gura Bâcului]]-[[Bâcioc]] and [[Coşniţa]]. Moldovan forces used aircraft in the village of Parcani (Parkany) and shelled the ROG station there which meant engaging not just PMR but also Russian forces. In 1991, paramilitary forces of the PMR have conducted forays into supply depots of the 14th Army appropriating an unknown, large, amount of armaments. With the commanding officer of the 14th Army, General G. I. Yakovlev, openly supporting the newly created PMR, these forays have usually met no resistance from Army guards, who later faced no punishment. Yakovlev eventually participated in the founding of the PMR, served in the PMR Supreme Soviet and accepted the position as the first chairman of the PMR Department of Defense on 3 December 1991, causing the Commander-in-Chief of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] armed forces, [[Yevgeny Shaposhnikov]], to promptly relieve him of his rank and service in the Russian military.<ref>{{ru icon}}Anna Volkova, ''Leader'' (Tiraspol’: [s.n.], 2001), 56. Available online at: http://www.olvia.idknet.com/soderjanie.htm</ref> Yakovlev's successor, General Yuriy Netkachev has assumed a more neutral stance in the conflict. However, his attempts at mediation between [[Chişinău]] and [[Tiraspol]] were largely unsuccessful and the situation escalated to an open military engagement by June 1992. On 23 June, in the wake of a coordinated offensive by Moldovan forces, General Major [[Alexander Lebed]] arrived at the 14th Army headquarters with standing orders to inspect the army, prevent the theft of armaments from its depots, stop the ongoing conflict with any means available and ensure the unimpeded evacuation of armaments and Army personnel from Moldovan and through Ukrainian territory. After briefly assessing the situation, he assumed command of the army, relieving Netkachev, and ordered his troops to enter the conflict directly. On 3 July at 03:00, a massive artillery strike from 14th Army formations stationed on left bank of the Dniester obliterated the Moldovan force concentrated in Gerbovetskii forest, near [[Bendery]], effectively ending the military phase of the conflict.<ref>[http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF129/CF-129.chapter4.html "U.S. and Russian Policymaking With Respect to the Use of Force", chapter 4, Trans-Dniestria], by Irina F. Selivanova</ref> <ref>{{ru icon}}[http://femida-pmr.narod.ru/politika/051012_bergman.htm "Вождь в чужой стае"] by Mikhail Bergman</ref> A quote attributed to Lebed demonstrates his support of the Transnistrian cause: "I am proud that we helped and armed Transnistrian guards against Moldovan fascists"<ref>{{ro icon}}Anatolie Muntean, Nicolae Ciubotaru - "Războiul de pe Nistru" (The war on Dniestr), Ager-Economistul Publishing House, Bucharest 2004, page 451 (with a photo of Lebed inspecting Transnistrian guards)</ref>. However, he bore no goodwill towards the Transnistrian leadership and frequently denounced them as "criminals" and "bandits". Another quote attributed to him describes his stance as follows: "I told the hooligans [separatists] in Tiraspol and the fascists in Chişinău -- either you stop killing each other, or else I'll shoot the whole lot of you with my tanks"<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20011008a2.html| Transnistria: relic of a bygone era], The Japan Times, Richard Humphries, Oct. 8, 2001. Retrieved [[April 1]], [[2008]]</ref>. ===Involvement of Russian and Ukrainian volunteers=== Volunteers from [[Russia]] and [[Ukraine]], including [[Don]] and [[Kuban]] [[Cossacks]] fought on Transnistria's side. There is no general consensus on the number of volunteers or the military role they played in the conflict. Estimates range from as low as 200 to as high as 3000.<ref>{{ro icon}} Anatolie Muntean, Nicolae Ciubotaru - "Războiul de pe Nistru", Ager - Economistul Publishing House, Bucharest 2004, pages 119, 122</ref><ref name=arbatov>[http://books.google.com/books?id=ArKtx7XsMHAC&printsec=frontcover#PPA178,M1 Managing Conflict in the Former Soviet Union: Russian and American Perspectives, Alexei Arbatov, et al. eds. (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997), p. 178], ISBN 0262510936</ref>. According to Romanian sources, at least one inmate was released from [[Bendery]] prison to be enrolled in the Transnistrian Guard.<ref name=Muntean>{{ro icon}} Anatolie Muntean, Nicolae Ciubotaru - "Războiul de pe Nistru", Ager - Economistul Publishing House, Bucharest 2004, pages 119, 122</ref>. === Involvement of Romania === Shortly before the escalation of the conflict in late June 1992, Romania provided limited military support to Moldova by supplying weaponry, ammunition, and armed vehicles,<ref name=Sislin>[http://books.google.com/books?id=6HMmOs8klhUC&pg Arms and Ethnic Conflict, John Sislin, Frederic S. Pearson (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), p. 99], ISBN 0847688550</ref><ref name=arbatov/><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=ArKtx7XsMHAC&printsec=frontcover#PPA178,M1 Managing Conflict in the Former Soviet Union: Russian and American Perspectives, Alexei Arbatov, et al. eds. (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997), p. 178], ISBN 0262510936</ref> possibly also sending military advisers{{Verify source|date=April 2008}} and training Moldovan military and police forces.{{Verify source|date=April 2008}} Volunteers from Romania fought on Moldova's side.<ref name=humphries/><ref name=rupesinghe /><ref>[http://www.regnum.ru/news/966399.html Приднестровский парламентарий: Причиной приднестровского конфликта стало то, что Молдавия провозгласила себя моноэтническим государством], REGNUM News Agency, 20:04 03.03.2008</ref> ==See also== *[[14th Army involvement in Transnistria]] *[[History of Transnistria]] == References == {{reflist}} == External links== * [http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/moldavia/benderye.htm Armed conflict in and around the city of Bendery] * [http://war.freemd.info/ The War of Transnistria] (Russian) == Further reading == * Vlad Grecu, "O viziune din focarul conflictului de la Dubăsari”, Editura Prut International, Chişinău, 2005 [[Category:Conflicts in 1992]] [[Category:Wars involving Moldova|Transnistria]] [[Category:Transnistria]] {{Campaignbox Post-Soviet Conflicts}} {{Link FA|ro}} [[be:Прыднястроўскі канфлікт]] [[be-x-old:Прыднястроўскі канфлікт]] [[de:Transnistrien-Konflikt]] [[fr:Guerre civile de Moldavie]] [[id:Perang Transnistria]] [[nl:Transnistrisch conflict]] [[nn:Transnistriakrigen]] [[ro:Conflictul din Transnistria]] [[ru:Приднестровский конфликт]]