UAV event in Moldova, Republic of on Fri 5th April 2024

CHISINAU, April 5 (Reuters) - A kamikaze drone hit a military facility belonging to the defence ministry of pro-Russian separatist authorities in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, its security ministry said on Friday.

A message posted by the ministry said the target was six km (four miles) from the border with Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion for over two years, with the nearest front lines around 200 km (125 miles) to Moldova's east.

"The target was a radar station, which suffered minor damage, but there were no casualties. An investigative team is working on the spot. A criminal case has been opened," the ministry said. It did not name a culprit.

A video shown on television in the separatist region appeared to show an attack by a drone in progress with the sound of an explosion, but no evidence of damage to buildings.

The incident was the second of its kind in less than a month - in March, Transdniestrian authorities said a drone strike had destroyed a helicopter in the region.

Moldova's Bureau For Reintegration, which handles relations with Transdniestria, said it was studying images from the latest occurrence but it had no access to an area controlled by the separatist authorities.

It warned that the incident could be a deliberate attempt to sow panic and draw attention to the enclave. "Only legitimate law enforcement authorities have the capacity to conduct thorough investigations," the Bureau said in a statement.

The Bureau said video footage of last month's incident with the helicopter did not confirm an attack had taken place, and it accused the separatists of trying to whip up panic.

Transdniestria enjoys no international recognition, not even from Russia. Its authorities are closely allied with Moscow and the region hosts around 1,500 Russian troops, described as "peacekeepers".

Transdniestria broke away from Moldova before the collapse of Soviet rule and waged a brief war in 1992 against the newly independent Moldovan state. It has remained alongside the rest of Moldova for more than 30 years with little turbulence.

But tensions have risen since Moldovan authorities imposed customs taxes this year on goods entering and leaving Transdniestria. Elected officials in the enclave issued an appeal to Russia in February to provide the region with "diplomatic protection".

Moldova is located between Ukraine and Romania. Its pro-European president, Maia Sandu, has denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Moldova's relations with Moscow have been strained.