The Transdniestrian State Security Committee has refuted a statement of the Ukrainian Security Service alleging the Transdniestrian origin of uranium-235 found in Chernivtsi region.
“The State Security Committee of the TMR (Transdniestrian Moldovan
Republic) calls attention to absence of any radioactive materials, their
natural sources, processing means or devices containing them in
Transdniestria. Therefore, the State Security Committee of the
Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic deems it necessary to point out the
misinforming nature of the Ukrainian Security Service’s report,” the
committee said.
Speculations about military preparations in Transdniestria had been
earlier made at various levels, it recalled. “The TMR KGB once again
stresses that Transdniestria is not carrying out any military
preparations and does not possess credible information about the
involvement of TMR citizens in the destructive processes underway on the
territory of Ukraine,” the committee said.
“The State Security Committee of the Transdniestrian Moldovan
Republic expresses its concern about the recurrent blatant releases of
provocative information by Ukrainian official entities and recommends
that they abstain from making misinforming insinuations, which escalate
tensions, in the future,” it said.
The committee also noted that Ukraine had limited the freedom of movement of Russian citizens residing in Transdniestria.
Ukrainian Security Service press service head Maryna Ostapenko told a
press briefing earlier that the counter-intelligence service had seized
a radioactive source possibility containing uranium-235 with an
approximate weight of 1.5 kilograms in Chernivtsi region. She said the
dangerous material was brought to Ukraine from Transdniestria.
A criminal inquiry was launched on the counts of illegal handling of radioactive material.
