Both Sides Exchange Blame for Explosion at Breakaway Moldova Region Military Site

Pro-Russian separatist authorities in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria on Sunday said that an explosion at a military site had likely been caused by a drone launched from Ukraine.

Transnistria is a primarily Russian-speaking region that has long depended on Moscow for support and broke away from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Today a fire occurred on the territory of a military base in Tiraspol as a result of an explosion," authorities said on social media.

"It was preliminarily established that the explosion was caused by a kamikaze drone attack," they added, claiming the drone was launched from the Odesa region of Ukraine.

Separatist officials said no one was hurt and opened a criminal investigation.

Kyiv said Sunday that Russia had orchestrated an attack at a military facility in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria.

Moscow "carried out a provocation in Transnistria with a kamikaze drone attack on a military base," a Ukrainian government office responsible for disinformation said, adding that: "Russians are trying to carry out provocations and manipulate the information space by spreading fakes."

Grainy footage distributed by separatist authorities showed a projectile slamming into a military helicopter standing at an airbase surrounded by fields.

Late last month, Transnistria appealed to Russia for "protection," fueling fears the territory could become a new flashpoint in Moscow's conflict with neighboring Ukraine.

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In 2006 the separatist territory's deputies announced a referendum on integrating with Russia that resulted in an overwhelming majority in favor.