Two blasts occurred near Tiraspol airfield on April 25 - Transdniestrian govt source

TIRASPOL. April 26 (Interfax) - Two explosions occurred on the grounds of an aviation depot of the Defense Ministry of the Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic on Monday, a source in Transdniestria's government told Interfax on Tuesday.

"Two explosions took place on the grounds of an aviation depot of the Defense Ministry of the Transdniestrian Republic of Moldova that adjoins Tiraspol's airfield at around 11:00 p.m. on Monday," the source said.

No casualties or destruction have been reported, he said.

A Transdniestrian government source told Interfax that the office of the state security ministry in the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic in Tiraspol was fired upon by people who entered its territory from Ukraine.

"This act of terrorism was committed by three unidentified persons who entered from Ukrainian territory bypassing crossing points at about 5:15 p.m. on Monday," the source said.

The suspected assailants entered Transdniestria near the village of Novovladimirovka about eight kilometers north of Tiraspol, he said.

They left for Ukraine following the same route at about six o'clock in the evening, he said.

Meanwhile, Leonid Manakov, head of the republic's official mission to Russia, told Interfax that the administration of the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic is verifying reports on an attack on a military airfield near Tiraspol.

"The Transdniestrian authorities are thoroughly verifying this information," Manakov said.

The Transdniestrian president, Prosecutor General's Office, and other law enforcement agencies are keeping the situation under control, he said.

According to Manakov, there was no information about enhancement of the Russian contingent in Transdniestria.

"We can rely exclusively on official information. There is no official information about enhancement [of the Russian contingent]," he said.

"Transdniestria is ready to deter possible attacks, and a respective strategy has been elaborated to envisage protection of the republic and the population, instead of attack," he said.

The operative group of Russian forces, a legal successor of the 14th Combined-Arms Army that fell under the Russian jurisdiction after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, is currently stationed in Transdniestria. Its primary objectives are peacekeeping and protection of ammo depots.

The Moldovan authorities call for the pullout of the Russian contingent and the ammunition it is protecting from Transdniestria. Chisinau also says that the other part of the Russian contingent in Transdniestria, i.e. peacekeepers, should be replaced with an international civilian mission with the OSCE mandate.

Moscow said earlier that Russian forces would leave Transdniestria upon the establishment of a normal dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol.