Russia Plans Buffer Zone in Vinnytsia Region Near Transnistria
Russia is planning to establish a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region, near the unrecognized territory of Transnistria.
Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Palisa added that Russia frequently changes its plans, especially the timelines for carrying them out.
“Without a doubt, their main focus this year will be on the Donbas. At the same time, if conditions are favorable for them, they will expand and intensify their efforts in the southern direction — particularly along the Oleksandrivsk axis and across the entire Zaporizhzhia sector,” the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office stated.
According to him, Russia’s plans include creating buffer zones in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, establishing conditions for attempts to seize Zaporizhzhia and the Kherson region, and, in the longer term, pursuing aggressive intentions to capture the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.
“They have even added a point to their plans about creating a buffer zone in the Vinnytsia region from the side of the unrecognized Transnistria. This is the first time such plans have been recorded. Frankly speaking, there is no need to panic, as at present I do not see them having sufficient forces to carry out all these intentions,” Palisa said.
Russian troops have remained in Transnistria since the early 1990s, following the fighting in 1992.
They are presented as “peacekeepers” and forces guarding ammunition depots; however, Moldova considers their presence illegal.
According to Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova, the so-called “Operational Group of Russian Forces” currently consists of more than 1,000 armed personnel.
Currently, a significant share of personnel are local residents holding Russian passports, so there is almost no full rotation from Russia.
These forces have limited capabilities and largely serve as a tool of Russia’s political influence in the region. This year, Moldova presented a plan to reintegrate Transnistria for the first time since 2003.
