On September 6, the Day of the Armed Forces is celebrated by the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. This state does not have official recognition by the overwhelming majority of countries in the world, which does not prevent it from successfully existing for 23 years already. The unique Russian-Soviet enclave on the territory of the former Moldavian SSR arose after the nationalists, having proclaimed the sovereignty of Moldova, took as a basis the policy of national discrimination against the Russian and Russian-speaking population that prevailed in Transnistria.
The history of the armed forces of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (hereinafter - the PMR Armed Forces) began in 1991. For Transnistria, the beginning of the 1990s turned out to be particularly harsh. Here, on a once peaceful land, a real war broke out between the Moldovan police forces and volunteers who defended their right not to remain part of the nationalist Moldovan state. It was on September 6, 1991 that the Supreme Council of the PMR adopted a resolution "On measures to protect the sovereignty and independence of the republic", which marked the beginning of the construction of the armed forces of sovereign Transnistria. Until that moment, there were workers' militia assistance units (ROSM) in Transnistria, on which the entire burden of ensuring public order and the protection of the Russian and Russian-speaking population in the period 1990-1991, when in the then Moldavian SSR with might and main raised its head pro-Romanian Moldovan nationalism, fell on them. (although it can be called Moldovan with very big reservations, since most of the nationalist leaders of Chisinau denied the Moldovan people and the Moldovan language the right to exist, claiming that the Moldovans are Romanians, the Moldovan language is Romanian, and Moldova is a historical part of the Romanian state).
It was the workers' detachments that became the direct basis for the formation of the PMR Guard (Republican Guard) - an armed militia that played a key role in repelling the attacks of Moldovan formations and protecting the state sovereignty of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Another predecessor of the PMR Armed Forces can be partly considered territorial rescue detachments - civil defense and emergency units, created back on February 11, 1991 and intended to eliminate the consequences of emergencies.
The responsibility for the direct creation of the Republican Guard was entrusted by the Supreme Council of the PMR to the Defense and Security Committee, which was then headed by V. M. Rylyakov. It was in his competence that the decision of the Supreme Council on September 24, 1991 was assigned to the issuance of orders for the creation and strengthening of the Republican Guard. On September 26, 1991, by the first order of the Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee, Colonel S. G. Borisenko. He also temporarily took up the duties of a commander. By the decision of the Defense and Security Committee, it was initially decided to create three battalions of the Republican Guard - in the cities of Tiraspol, Bender and Rybnitsa, as well as a separate company in the city of Dubossary. On the basis of the latter, the 4th motorized rifle battalion was subsequently deployed.
On September 30, 1991 S. F. Kitsak. Unfortunately, the now deceased Stefan Florovich Kitsak (1933-2011) was a professional military - Soviet officer who passed Afghanistan and in 1990 retired from the post of deputy chief of staff of the 14th Guards Army in Tiraspol. A native of the village of Ostritsa, which was part of Romania in the year of his birth, and now belongs to the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, Stefan Kitsak was educated at the pedagogical school in Chernivtsi, worked as a mathematics teacher at school, then was drafted into military service and sent to study at the Vinnitsa machine gun school.
Then there were the years of military service in the positions of platoon, company commander, studies at the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, again command of a motorized rifle battalion, motorized rifle regiments in Hungary, Czechoslovakia. Over the decades of service, Stefan Kitsak managed to fight the remnants of the Bandera gangs in Western Ukraine, to participate in the Czechoslovak events of 1968, from 1980 to 1989. fulfill the duty of an internationalist soldier in Afghanistan, where he was deputy chief of staff of the 40th Army. In 1991, 58-year-old Stefan Florovich, who had just retired, headed the Republican Guard of the PMR. The highest military professionalism of Stefan Kitsak is evidenced by the fact that less than two months after his appointment as the commander of the newly emerging Transnistrian Guard, the units of the Republican Guards have already moved to combat duty.
On March 13, 1991, the PMR Guard took part in the first major clash, repulsing the attack of Moldovan units on the city of Dubossary. However, the hottest period in the history of the PMR Guard fell on March - July 1992, that is, on the days, weeks and months of the conflict that went down in history as the War in Transnistria. The aggression of Moldova against Transnistria in March 1992 forced the Transnistrian leadership, in addition to the Republican Guard, to form the People's Militia, which became a worthy reserve and assistant to the guards. An important role in the battles against the Moldovan troops was also played by the paramilitary formations created on the basis of the territorial rescue teams. The first such formation appeared on March 20, 1992 in Dubossary and consisted of 13 civilians armed with 4 machine guns. Initially, the task of the detachments was to rescue civilians from shelling and from the occupied territories, but then they turned into the prototype of special forces and after the end of the war they became the basis for the newly created border detachment and the Delta special forces unit.
Fighting against the Moldovan aggressors lasted five months, as a result of which the Transnistrian guards, militias who came to the aid of the Cossacks of the Black Sea Cossack army and the Cossack troops of Russia, managed to defend the sovereignty of the republic. An important role in the victory over the Moldovan troops was also played by the presence on the territory of the PMR of units of the Russian 14th Army, the commander of which at that time, General Alexander Lebed, is still respected by the inhabitants of Transnistria - for the support provided to the Transnistrian militias. After the agreement “On the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova” was signed in Moscow on July 21, 1992, the units of the Republican Guard returned to their daily service and combat activities.
The existence under the threat of a permanent resumption of the armed conflict, since in Moldova nationalist and revanchist sentiments have not subsided throughout all more than twenty years of post-Soviet history, forced the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic to maintain high discipline, fighting spirit and the training of its armed forces. The founding father of the Transnistrian armed forces Stefan Kitsak in September 1992was appointed chief military inspector of the armed forces of the republic, in whose position he remained until the end of his days. At the same time, in September 1992, the process of transformation of the Republican Guard into the Armed Forces of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic began. On March 14, 1993, the personnel of the PMR Armed Forces was sworn in.
From September 8, 1992 to 2012, the Ministry of Defense of the PMR was headed by Stanislav Galimovich Khazheev (born 1941). Like Stefan Kitsak, Stanislav Khazheev, who now holds the post of chief military inspector of the PMR Armed Forces, is a professional military of the Soviet school. He graduated from the Tashkent Higher Combined Arms Command School and the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze, served in various command positions in the Soviet Army - from platoon commander to division chief of staff, served in Vietnam as a military adviser to the army corps. Khazheev began service in the PMR Armed Forces from the moment of their foundation and initially was the deputy head of the PMR Defense Department.
It was during the years of the "ministry" of Stanislav Galimovich Khazheev that the PMR Armed Forces acquired their modern outlines. Today, the Armed Forces of Pridnestrovie are significantly superior to the Moldovan army in terms of equipment, personnel training, and military morale. Affects the construction and training of soldiers and officers of the PMR Armed Forces in accordance with the norms of the old Soviet military school, the participation of officers and generals of the old school in the formation of the Armed Forces. The latter actively pass on their experience to the young generations of Transnistrian military personnel.
In the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika, there is a general conscription for military service for a period of one year. Also, some of the servicemen do military service under the contract. Despite the fact that the number of the country's Armed Forces is 7, 5 thousand servicemen, and with units of the border troops, special forces and Cossacks - about 15 thousand, in the event of hostilities, a reserve of up to 80 thousand soldiers and officers who have undergone military training can be mobilized. The PMR Armed Forces include four motorized rifle brigades deployed in the cities of Tiraspol, Bendery, Dubossary and Rybnitsa. The brigades are made up of motorized rifle battalions. Each battalion includes 4 motorized rifle companies, a mortar battery and separate subunits (platoons) - communications, engineers and sappers. The motorized rifle company consists of three platoons of 32 people (3 squads) in each.
The PMR has a tank battalion and 18 tanks (in reality, there are much more tanks, since several dozen tanks are in hangars and can, after a short repair, be put into battle if a relevant situation arises), its own aviation with six combat helicopters (the total number of aircraft is planes and helicopters - up to 15 pieces). The PMR is armed with 122 artillery systems, including 40 Grad multiple launch rocket systems, 30 howitzers and cannons, anti-tank SPG-9 grenade launchers, RPG-7, RPG-8, RPG-22, RPG-26 and RPG-27 grenade launchers, MANPADS "Igla", ATGM "Baby", "Fagot", "Competition".
In wartime, special forces of the PMR State Security Committee are also transferred to the operational subordination of the PMR Armed Forces. The KGB Spetsnaz is the Vostok Special Operations Center, which is responsible for anti-terrorist and anti-sabotage activities, assisting border guards in guarding the state border. Since 2012, this is the name of the legendary Separate Special Forces Battalion "Delta", which has existed since 1992 and participated in the heroic battle in Bender on June 19-21, 1992, in many other special operations.
Building its own Armed Forces and maintaining them in constant combat readiness demanded that the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika and careful attention to the training of future professional military personnel. As early as May 7, 1993, a military department was founded at the Pridnestrovian State-Corporate University, whose duties included the training of reserve officers, who could be used in case of mobilization to fill junior officer posts. The training of the "reserves" was carried out by experienced officers who served in the Soviet Army. On March 31, 1998, as the need for junior officers grew, the Platoon Leader Training Courses were established. They initially trained not only commanders of motorized rifle and artillery platoons, but also communications specialists and deputy company commanders for educational work. On December 17, 1998, the first graduation of the Platoon Leader Training Courses took place. Since 2007, the courses have been training not only junior officers, but also technicians and foremen of companies and batteries with the rank of warrant officers. Soon, the Platoon Leader Training Courses were renamed into Junior Officer and Warrant Officer Training Courses.
In 2008, the Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the PMR was founded at the Transnistrian State University named after I. T. G. Shevchenko, who has been named after Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Lebed since 2012. The Military Institute trains officers with higher civilian and secondary military vocational education. Also, the Military Institute is responsible for training reserve officers from among the civilian students of the Transnistrian State University. T. G. Shevchenko.
Professional servicemen at the Military Institute are trained in the specialties "command and control of military units (motorized rifle and tank troops)", "the use of artillery units" and "educational work in the ground forces." Reserve officers from among civilian students are trained in the specialties "anti-aircraft artillery platoon commander", "engineer platoon commander", "communications platoon commander", "military and extreme medicine". After graduation, future officers undergo training camps. All those who have completed the training course are awarded the military rank of "lieutenant". On July 18, 2012, the first graduation of the Military Institute took place - the Armed Forces of the PMR were replenished with 61 young lieutenants.
For those who, already in their teens, decided to choose a military profession for themselves, in 2008 the Republican Cadet Boarding School named after Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky was opened. Here, in addition to general school activities, cadets also study the basics of military disciplines, master fire and physical training. As a rule, children of professional military personnel predominate among cadets, choosing for themselves the example of their fathers.
However, there are also certain problems faced by the modern Transnistrian army. First of all, we are talking about a fairly significant emigration of Pridnestrovians, especially young people, including those of military age, to the Russian Federation in search of work. Accordingly, the Armed Forces are deprived of many potential military personnel. Secondly, the question of the material support of the Pridnestrovian army remains open. Since the republic can hardly be called a rich state, its general financial situation also affects the level of financing of the Armed Forces. Insufficient funding, in turn, affects the level of armament of the Transnistrian army. Although, as experts note, in terms of its combat potential, it clearly surpasses the Moldovan armed forces, it is obvious that its military-technical component needs gradual modernization through the supply of the latest weapons. All this requires an infusion of monetary resources, with which the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika is not doing so well.
In 2012, after the 70-year-old Colonel-General Khazheev left the post of Minister of Defense of the PMR, Colonel Alexander Lukyanenko was appointed as the new Minister of Defense of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, soon promoted to major general and holding the post of minister until the present time. Although Alexander Alekseevich Lukyanenko is much younger than his predecessors in the ministerial post of Kitsak and Khazheev, he also belongs to the career Soviet officers. Alexander Lukyanenko was born in 1961, in 1982 he graduated from the Tashkent Higher Combined Arms Command School named after I. IN AND. Lenin.
In the Soviet Army, Alexander Lukyanenko served as commander of a motorized rifle platoon, commander of a motorized rifle company, deputy chief of staff of a tank regiment, chief of the 2nd section of the Dubossary regional military commissariat. After the proclamation of the sovereignty of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Alexander Lukyanenko commanded the 4th separate motorized rifle battalion of the Republican Guard, was the commander of a separate motorized rifle brigade, head of the service of the troops of the Ministry of Defense of the PMR. He was appointed to the post of defense minister from the post of deputy defense minister for combat training.
The Chief of the General Staff of the PMR Armed Forces - the first deputy minister of defense of the country since July 3, 2013 is Colonel Oleg Vladimirovich Gomenyuk - also a career Soviet officer. He was born in 1960, graduated from the Leningrad anti-aircraft missile military school and from 1982 to 1992. served in the Trans-Baikal Military District and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Since 1993, he entered the service in the PMR Armed Forces, where he rose from the deputy commander of an anti-aircraft missile regiment to the head of the anti-aircraft defense of the PMR Ministry of Defense. Thus, we see that the officers of the old Soviet military school still continue to serve in command positions in the Armed Forces of the PMR and their combat and life experience is a good help in the further construction and development of the army of the small republic on the banks of the Dniester.
In the context of the current military-political situation in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine and in Novorossia, the need to further strengthen the PMR Armed Forces, increase the level of their combat training, and the military spirit of servicemen is becoming actual. For quite understandable reasons, today Transnistria can expect repeated acts of aggression at any time - this time not only from Moldova and Romania standing behind it, dreaming of territorial expansion, but also from the Kiev regime in Ukraine.
For the pro-Western elements who seized power in Ukraine in early 2014, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is one of the most likely opponents and an object of hatred. After all, the PMR is not only a stronghold of pro-Russian sentiments near the southwestern borders of Ukraine, but also an example of the long-term existence of an unrecognized republic, which is extremely important for modern warring Novorossia. Also, the Kiev junta is very afraid of the creation of Novorossia from the borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics to Transnistria - across the entire strip of the South and East of Ukraine, including Crimea, Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa regions. For the Kiev regime and the pro-Western authorities of Moldova, such a project, if implemented, seems to be a real nightmare, since it cuts off the Black Sea region, the industrial Donbass from Ukraine, deprives Moldova of hopes for the return of Transnistria and, thereby, turns the remnants of the former Moldavian and Ukrainian SSR into marginal states, not interesting even to former European and American patrons.
Moreover, it is known that immigrants from Transnistria, as volunteers, provide assistance to the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in their opposition to the aggression of the Kiev regime. Suffice it to say that the legendary Lieutenant General Vladimir Yuryevich Antyufeev, a veteran of the Soviet militia, and then of the Transnistrian state security agencies, came to the aid of the DPR. For twenty years he served as the Minister of State Security of Transnistria and is a highly qualified specialist in the field of creating law enforcement and counterintelligence structures. In the Donetsk People's Republic, Antyufeev became deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. Other Transnistrian servicemen are also present in the authorities and the militia of the DPR.
Therefore, rumors that the Kiev regime, if successful in Novorossiya, will immediately open the southwestern front, may not be an exaggeration. Indeed, the junta fears both Transnistrian aid to the militias and the presence of a pro-Russian state entity in the immediate vicinity of Odessa, also a potentially troubled region with a Russian-speaking population. At the same time, since both Ukraine and Moldova are currently backed by the United States and its satellites from NATO and the European Union, it is obvious that in case of an attempt to return to the use of force “solution of the Transnistrian issue”, the West will prefer to act not only by the forces of Moldova. The blatant weakness of the Moldovan army, low fighting spirit, the poorest standard of living of the Moldovan population in Europe - all this does not play for the better in the event of a possible confrontation with the PMR. Needless to say, the economic situation in the PMR, which of course cannot be called successful, is in any case much better than the position of neighboring Moldova, and now Ukraine, which was struck by the war with Novorossia and the devastation that followed the establishment of a pro-Western junta in power.
Therefore, if the West tries to attack Transnistria with the help of its Eastern European satellites, Moldova will act in coalition with Ukraine and Romania. But in any case, even for these states that are many times superior to the PMR, a combat republic can turn out to be a very tough nut to crack. Moreover, considering that there are still warehouses of the 14th army in Pridnestrovie, the weapons stored in which can be used in the interests of the Pridnestrovian people. Moreover, the PMR also has its own enterprises in Bendery and Rybnitsa, producing grenade launchers and mortars. Some experts argue that the stocks of ammunition and weapons on the territory of the PMR will be enough for the conduct of hostilities for two years. And this is even if we exclude the possibility of organizing the supply of weapons from other sources.
Thus, we see that the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic remains an important stronghold of the Russian world and Russian geopolitical interests in Eastern Europe. We can only hope that in the difficult modern political situation, Transnistria will blow away the fate of the former Eastern Ukraine and the opponents surrounding the small republic will not dare to attack it. And the most important role in "scaring away" enemies from the borders of Pridnestrovie for 23 years belongs to its Armed Forces - the pride of the republic, born in the battles for its independence.
