Transnistria's army: strength, composition

The collapse of the Soviet Union was relatively bloodless. The population of republics, most recently considered fraternal, in its majority supported the idea of dividing into sovereign states in the hope that living will become easier, richer and more carefree. To the power in many newly formed countries came exalted nationalists, who skillfully pretended to be adherents of democracy and the so-called "Western values".

Then came the battles that arose on the expanses of the former USSR, then simultaneously, then with some interruption. They were conventionally called ethnic conflicts, but by bloodshed they were not inferior to local wars. Did not stay aside and calm and peaceful Moldova. The leadership of the republic decided to establish the unity of power by force without taking into account certain features of the country's historical development. In contrast to this military adventure, an army of Transnistria emerged, which in the shortest time became the most efficient in the region and successfully repulsed the attack. And what is it today, almost a quarter of a century?

History of Moldova and Transnistria

Since the days of Dacia, Moldova has not been a sovereign state. Most of the present territory belonged to the year 1940 of royal Romania, and the national education of Soviet Ukraine had only the rights of autonomy. After two ultimatum notes sent by the government of the USSR, the Romanian leadership gave way to all of Bessarabia, showing some prudence. Otherwise, the Red Army would undoubtedly use force to expand the borders of the USSR. At the beginning of June 1940, the Seventh Session of the USSR Armed Forces officially established the Moldavian SSR as part of a common union state. The MSSR included 6 former Romanian counties and 6 districts of the Ukrainian SSR, which formerly constituted the autonomous republic of the MASSR. After the war, the borders of Moldova moved, but insignificantly. The specialists and military pensioners from other regions of the USSR migrated significantly in the 50s-80s and the national composition of the population of the cities, in Tiraspol and Bendery. At the decisive moment of confrontation with many of them, the newly formed army of Transnistria was forming.

Ninety-first year

In 1991, after gaining national independence, it became clear that a significant part of the Moldovan population was dreaming of reunification with Romania. Under this idea, the historical base was included, including the myth of the supposedly existing brotherhood between the two nations, the great European, and the other, smaller. In favor of this theory spoke and almost complete identity of languages, the commonality of the most popular religious confession, and the similarity of many customs. However, there was another thing. Old people remembered that in royal Romania, Moldovans were treated as some kind of creatures of a different sort, whose lot was mainly work on the field.

Nevertheless, the European idea took possession of the minds, and the Supreme Council seriously engaged in the issue of possible integration without even asking if the "older brothers" want to unite with the "younger ones". All this led to the fact that the residents of Dubossary, Tiraspol and Bender expressed their disagreement with the course conducted by the ruling regime of the Republic of Moldova and created the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika. This new quasi-state entity has acquired all the attributes of a sovereign subject of international law, de jure is not so. In fact, the army of Transnistria (then called the Republican Guard) was established on September 24, 1991. Soon she had to fight.

War

Almost a year later, on June 19, 1992, the leadership of Moldova decided to restore territorial integrity by force. The first fighting took place in Dubossary in March 1991, now they were held on the outskirts of Bender. The resistance of the Moldovan police and parts of the armed forces was provided by the army of Transdniestria, in fact representing detachments of militia volunteers, on whose side the units of the Cossacks who arrived in the conflict region came forward. The growth of the number of defenders was facilitated by numerous casualties among civilians and atrocities of the attacking side. The 14th RF Army in Transdniestria did not take part, but its arms stores were taken under control by the representatives of the Transnistria armed forces. The result of the summer war were thousands of deaths on both sides, and a deadlock at the front. One of the first attempts to forcibly impose "love of the homeland", then, in 1992, demonstrated the total impotence of the army's actions against the militia-supported people. The lesson for future use did not go, such "operations" continue today.

First commanders

The Republican Guard was created under the guidance of the professional military schools of the Soviet Union, which were all commanders of the army in Transnistria. The first of these was deputy commander of the Republican Guard Colonel SG. Borisenko, and then Stefan Kitsak, a veteran of Afghanistan, who used to serve in the 14th Army of the Deputy Chief of Staff. It was he who created the structure of the armed forces and held the first mobilization measures. In the fall of 1992, SG Khazheev, also a highly qualified officer, succeeded him in the post of Minister of Defense, who gave most of his life to service in the Soviet Army. Under his leadership, the armed forces of the unrecognized republic were reorganized , as a result of which the Transnistrian army became a formidable force superior to the main potential regional enemy, despite the fact that it is armed with obsolete weapons produced in the USSR. Judging by their modest size and armament, the Moldovan armed forces have now abandoned their attempts to resolve the territorial problem.

Probable adversary

The Romanian army in Transdniestria did not fight, but the officers of this country were likely to help planning the "liberation campaign", just like the volunteers who arrived. Over the years since the summer war in 1992, many officers of the armed forces of Moldova passed training in the NATO countries and the Russian Federation. The result of this training, however, is small, since samples of weapons that are in fact at the disposal of the national army have long been obsolete. The main forge of command cadres is the military academy of Alexandru cel Bun in Chisinau. The National Army of Moldova (NAM) includes two types of troops (land and air forces ), its personnel does not exceed four and a half thousand troops. Organizationally, the US is divided into three teams:

- "Moldova" (Beltsy).

- "Stefan cel Mare" (Chisinau).

- "Dacia" (Cahul city).

Also, the Moldovan army includes a peacekeeping battalion (22nd), through which virtually everyone who has served the first six months (all mobilized for a year) "passes through".

There are no tanks in the Moldovan army, planes and helicopters are represented symbolically.

The military structure of the armed forces

The army of Transnistria, whose number is 7,500 people, looks impressive in all respects. The equipment is produced according to the draft and contract principles. The organizational structure as a whole resembles the Moldovan one, with the support-regional dislocation. Brigades (divisions) are located in the four largest cities (Tiraspol, Bender, Dubossary and Rybnitsa). In each of them - three motorized rifle battalions, which, in turn, consist of four companies. In addition, the brigade includes a mortar battery and separate platoons (engineer-sapper and communications). The total number of each division is about 1,500 servicemen.

Tanks and artillery

The source of the Armed Forces of the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic was the trophies of the summer war of 1992, which did not have time to withdraw the army stationed in Transdniestria. Tanks are represented by three types (T-72, T-64B and T-55), their total number is estimated at seven dozen, but in good condition, according to experts, no more than 18.

Heavy artillery is also present, it includes 40 BM-21 Grad systems, three dozen cannons and howitzers, as well as mortars of various calibers, ZSU Shilka and SAU.

In addition to heavy weapons, the DMR army has compact weapons that have proven effective in the conflicts of recent decades - MANPADS (Strela, Igla, Duga), RPG grenade launchers (7, 18, 22, 26, 27) and LNG-9. Anti-armored guided missiles "Fagot", "Malyutka" and "Competition" are designed to combat armored vehicles (which Moldova practically does not have, with the exception of infantry fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles).

Aviation

The fact that the TMR has its own air force, people are reminded of parades, held during public holidays, during which citizens are shown the army of Transnistria. The composition and technical fleet, however, looks rather modest. Altogether, there are not a lot of aircraft and helicopters, 29, among them are the well-deserved workers An-2 and An-26, intended for cargo and transport or landing paratroopers (airborne troops are also available), and sports Yak-18.

In the conditions of modern combat, direct support to the troops can be provided by rotorcraft, also Soviet-made, which, however, are still in the arsenal of many other countries-Mi-24, Mi-8 and Mi-2.

Regarding the Air Force, formally, Moldova has superiority, it has attack aircraft-interceptors MiG-29, however, they are few, especially in good condition. Most of the Soviet military vehicles were sold abroad.

Reserve

There is another important aspect, according to which the armed forces of Moldova and the army of Transdniestria differ substantially. The strength of the DMR Armed Forces in the event of a threat can increase by more than ten times due to the mobilization of reservists. Courses for retraining of officers and rank-and-file reserves, as well as their fees, are held regularly, and in their majority, those who hold high office in power structures do not seek to escape from them. In addition, there is a separate Cossack regiment, a subdivision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB. Separate special battalions "Delta" and "Dniester" are staffed by well-trained professionals, another one related to the police is also considered elite. For comparison, Moldova's total mobilization reserve is approaching one hundred thousand people, although the outflow of citizens from the country is very high, and it is objectively difficult to assess it objectively both quantitatively and qualitatively. Collections and training of reservists in the country has not been held for many years.

What do Russians do in Transnistria?

The Russian army in Transnistria was introduced in 1992 as part of the peacekeeping forces. The local population met her as their rescuers, and although the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces did not take part directly in the fighting, Transnistria is to a large extent a victory for them. If before the collapse of the Soviet Union the 14th Army was a superpowered strike joint, today it is almost completely withdrawn to the territory of the Russian Federation. The total strength of the Russian army in Transdniestria currently does not include 3,000 troops and thousands of civilian civilians. A significant proportion of them are local residents who have taken citizenship and the oath of the Russian Federation. What are they doing and what kind of service are they carrying?

Peacekeepers

The peacekeeping battalion, present in Transnistria under the OSCE mandate, has 335 Russian military personnel. In addition, the joint control of the situation is carried out by representatives of the armed forces of Moldova (453 people), Transnistria (490 people) and observers from Ukraine (10 people).

For all the time that has passed since the introduction of the peacekeeping forces into the conflict zone, not a single instance of the use of weapons has been recorded, no one has perished.

The small size of the composition and its purely disjunctive functions serve as a serious argument against the allegedly allegedly aggressive nature of the Russian presence in the region, proclaimed by Moldovan, and recently Ukrainian nationalists.

Warehouse Security No. 1411

The Russian army in Transnistria is carrying out another important task. Not far from Rybnitsa there is the village of Kolbasna, which would be an unremarkable settlement, if there was not a monstrous ammunition depot of 130 hectares in its vicinity. There are bombs, shells and much more military property, taken from Eastern Europe and stored from earlier times. The total weight of the explosives contained in ammunition exceeds 20 kilotons, that is, the power is approaching the atomic bomb "Malysh", dropped on Hiroshima. What to do with this dangerous cargo today, no one knows. Storage conditions deteriorate year by year, tare is often destroyed. The same number has been previously neutralized, but the times were calmer.

The 83rd and 113th separate guards motorized rifles and the 540th battalion of command and control do not allow a terrible catastrophe to happen.

What's next?

Today, Transdniestria is a narrow strip of land, sandwiched between hostile countries, Moldova and Ukraine, which in fact declared a blockade of the unrecognized republic. In this situation, the army of the PMR is brought in a state of increased combat readiness. To inflame another armed conflict in the territory of the former USSR, except it, only one force, peacekeepers, hinders. The second attempt to integrate Transnistria into Moldova can turn into a big disaster. The question of how effectively the DMR army can operate is not paramount today. The main thing is to avoid war altogether.