Authorities in Moldova’s Moscow-backed breakaway region of Transnistria said Friday two attempted attacks were carried out on infrastructure in the regional capital Tiraspol.
The incidents come after a string of attacks were reported in the separatist region with fears mounting of a spillover from the conflict in neighboring Ukraine.
“At around 4:15 in the morning, a car stopped near an oil depot of one enterprise, from which an unidentified man got out, threw a Molotov cocktail towards the building, and fled,” the interior ministry of the self-proclaimed republic said in a statement.
It said that some grass caught fire but it was “quickly” extinguished.
Around 30 minutes later, “two Molotov cocktails were thrown” at a conscription office in central Tiraspol.
“One bounced off onto the sidewalk, the other got stuck in window grates. The fire was promptly extinguished by security,” the ministry said.
The self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria bordering Ukraine seceded from Moldova in 1992 after a brief war with Chisinau. Around 1,500 Russian soldiers have been based there ever since.
Fears of a spillover from the Ukraine conflict grew after a Russian general said the Kremlin’s military campaign — launched on Feb. 24 — aimed to create a land corridor through southern Ukraine to Transnistria.
Kyiv has accused Russia of wanting to destabilize the region to create a pretext for military intervention.