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Moldova, one of Ukraine's western neighbours, is another former Soviet republic. Transnistria, a "breakaway region" of Moldova which borders western Ukraine, is controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and has about 1,500 Russian troops permanently stationed there. A series of attacks in Transnistria on Tuesday, when radio masts and a state security building were damaged, were reported on Tuesday. Igor Munteanu, a former Moldovan ambassador to the United States and parliamentarian, outlines his concerns about how this could lead to Moldova being drawn into the war in Ukraine. He says that Transnistria is "sponsored" by the Russian Federation, has its own state bodies and could recruit local people there into Russian forces, which would be a way of "drawing the population into the war with Ukraine". "We are terrified about the kind of war Russia is making in Ukraine." Photo: The railway destroyed by the Ukrainians to prevent passage from Transnistria to Ukraine, Transnistria, April 2022 Credit: Getty Images