Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Oleg Serebrian believes that the wave of fake reports about the mining of important facilities in the country, as well as statements by representatives of "Transnistria" about the desire to reunite with Russia, may be a prelude to a military operation by the Russian Federation.

Serebrian expressed this opinion in an interview with The Times.

On July 22, the so-called Foreign Minister of Transnistria, Vitaly Ignatiev, announced his intentions to integrate the unrecognized republic into Russia, coinciding with the start of reports of alleged mining.

"This is a clear provocation - the idea that they (Transnistria) should be independent is an old one, but that they should join Russia was unexpected. This is the first time they have said this. The war in Ukraine means that we are worried that This is not just about a statement, but about a kind of prelude to an operation in Moldova," said the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova.

He added that Moldova "will do everything to avoid a military confrontation, but this is not 100% dependent on Chisinau."

"We were surprised, some local politicians have been tense in the last few weeks, we are concerned that there is a certain synergy between the "mining", the new rhetoric from Gagauzia, the new, more aggressive rhetoric from Tiraspol - we believe that there is a connection between them," Oleg Serebrian added.

Commenting on the statements of Ukrainian officials about possible assistance in the liberation of "Transnistria", the representative of the Moldovan government stressed that no official proposals had been received, and if this happens, they would be rejected.

"Moldova is a neutral country, so there should be no foreign military on its territory. The priority is the withdrawal of Russian forces," he said.

As reported, Moldova will turn to Romania for help if the conflict in Ukraine spreads to its territory, and relations with the Russian Federation worsen.