You're reading: Moldovan minister: Russia won’t damage its reputation by deploying radar in Transdniestria

CHISINAU - Moldovan Defense Minister Vitalie Marinuta believes Russia will not deploy a radar station in the unrecognized Transdniestrian republic so as not to damage its international reputation.

"I do not think the matter is about the deployment of new weapons in Transdniestria. Russia will not deploy a Voronezh type radar station in Transdniestria on its own not only because Chisinau will not give its consent to this, but also because Russia respects its image in the international arena," Marinuta told journalists in Tiraspol on Wednesday.

"Russia will not make such a decision, taking into account that it would not do any good either to Russia’s international relations or to its image on the international arena," he said.

"We presume that a sovereign and independent Russian Federation as an integral part of the international community will respect Moldova’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and will not take any steps in this direction without the Moldovan authorities’ consent," Marinuta said.

A Voronezh-type radar station can accumulate data on certain frequencies and control airspace over a significant area, he said.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on Tuesday citing its own sources that Russia could deploy a Voronezh long-range early warning radar in response to the deployment of missile defense elements in Europe and NATO bases in Romania.

However, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and special presidential envoy to Transdniestria Dmitry Rogozin denied this information.

"The Republic of Moldova has banned radar deployment in Transdniestria. We don’t have such plans. A journalist has invented this, and the minister banned," Rogozin wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

It was reported earlier that Rogozin announced plans to rearm the Russian troops stationed in Transdniestria.