Officials in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria blame Ukrainian drone strike after military site blast

By The Associated Press

A drone strike at a military installation in Moldova’s breakaway republic of Transnistria has destroyed a helicopter and ignited a fire. The area’s pro-Russia authorities blamed Ukraine for the strike on Sunday. Russia bases about 1,500 troops in Transnistria nominally as peacekeepers. They guard huge Soviet-era weapons and ammunition stockpiles at the military depot in Cobasna. The base hit by the drone on Sunday was in the regional capital of Tiraspol. It wasn’t immediately clear if any Russian troops were at the site. The attack comes weeks after officials in Transnistria appealed to Moscow for protection as tensions escalated with Moldova’s pro-Western government.