A family walks through Tiraspol in Transnistria.Image: keystone
May 16, 2026, 8:31 p.mMay 16, 2026, 8:31 p.m
Russian President Vladimir Putin is facilitating the issuance of Russian passports in the separatist region of Transnistria, thereby increasing pressure on the Republic of Moldova. According to a decree from the Kremlin chief, residents of Transnistria aged 18 and over should be able to become Russian citizens, even if they have not lived in Russia for five years, as is otherwise required. The Kremlin in Moscow published the document.
Transnistria is a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and Ukraine, predominantly inhabited by ethnic Russians. It seceded from the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova in a war in the early 1990s. The separatist republic is not internationally recognized. For Moldova, which is aspiring to join the EU, secession is an unresolved problem. Russia supports Transnistria and has around 1,500 soldiers stationed there, mostly locals with Russian citizenship.
Tiraspol sees better protection for separatist territory
The separatist leadership in Tiraspol called the decree a step to protect the residents of Transnistria, Russian state news agency Tass reported. According to various estimates, of the approximately 455,000 people, 200,000 to 250,000 already have a Russian passport.
While the Moldovan leadership in Chisinau did not immediately react, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was hoping for new soldiers for its war. At the same time, Russia wants to mark Transnistria as its zone of influence, he explained.
There are fears that Moscow could use the alleged protection of Russian citizens as a means of pressure. After 2014, Russia also distributed Russian passports in the occupied part of eastern Ukraine. In 2022, before the major invasion of Ukraine, it recognized the separatist entities Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. (sda/dpa)