The Armed Forces of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic; ; are the military forces of
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
, a self-proclaimed and internationally
unrecognized breakaway state located within the internationally recognized borders of
Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
. The Armed Forces operate under the authority of the
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
. The Armed Forces were established on 6 September 1991, with the stated purpose of maintaining the region's claimed sovereignty and independence, in accordance with Article 11 of the
region's constitution.
History
On 6 September 1991, the
Supreme Soviet of Transnistria adopted a resolution which called for the formation of a Transnistrian military unit. As a result, the Transnistria
Republican Guard
A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...
() was formed. It was the direct counterpart to the
Republic of Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised ...
's Republican Guard (). Both were the predecessors to their respective countries armed forces. In its first major conflict, the guard repelled Moldovan troops from the city
Dubăsari
Dubăsari (; mo-Cyrl, Дубэсарь) or Dubossary (; ; ) is a city in Transnistria, with a population of 23,650. Claimed by both the Republic of Moldova and the Transnistria, Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, the city is under the latter's ad ...
in December 1991. By the end of 1991, the organizational formation of the Transnistrian armed forces was generally completed. Shortly after the outbreak of
Transnistrian War in March 1992, the People's Militia was created, having been supported and armed by the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
14th Guards Army
The 14th Guards Combined Arms Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1956 to 1995. By the 1990s, according to sources within the 14th Army, the majority of its troops came fro ...
. By the end of 1992, all main structures of the
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
and the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
were formed, including individual military units, government agencies, and specialized services. On 14 March 1993, personnel of the new armed forces took the military
oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
to the country.
As of 2021, Transnistria is equipped mainly with Soviet-Era equipment including the T-64BV tank. Infantry fighting vehicles are the BMP-1 and BMP-2 with at least 15 in service as of 2021. APCs include the BTR family of APCs as well as over 70 MT-LBs, GT-MU, and BTRG-127 vehicles. Trucks are typically post-Soviet, Ural-375, GAZ-66, and Zil-131 trucks make up the logistics backbone. Rocket artillery is very important for the Armed Forces, given the limited number of conventional artillery Transnistria has. Rocket launchers include the Grad system, some of which were placed on ZIL-131 trucks. Transnistria also has a domestic rocket launcher industry which has built the Pribor-1 and Pribor-2 rocket launchers with 20 tubes and 48 tubes respectively; both systems are of 122mm caliber. Transnistria does have a small domestic drone industry which has been producing reconnaissance drones for the military since at least 2019. These have been jointly used with the Pribor-2 rocket launch systems in exercises to increase accuracy of the rockets via drone targeting.
Structure
The armed forces are composed of 4,500 to 5,500 active duty soldiers, (with 15,000 - 20,000 personnel in the reserve).
[Pridnestrovie.net]
Law enforcement and armed forces of Pridnestrovie
/ref>
In order of precedence, the current military leadership is composed of the following:
* President of Transnistria/Commander-in-Chief – President of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky
* Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
– Major General Oleg Obruchkov
* Chief of the General Staff – Colonel Sergey Gerasyutenko
Units
Regular Army
* 1st Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade " Stefan Kitzac" (Tiraspol
Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...
)
* 2nd Motorised Rifle Brigade ( Bender)
* 3rd Motorised Rifle Brigade (Rîbnița
Rîbnița ( or , , ) or Rybnitsa (; ) is a town in the breakaway state, breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria. According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, 2004 census, it has a population of 53,648. Rîbnița is situated in the northern half ...
)
* 4th Motorised Rifle Brigade (Dubăsari
Dubăsari (; mo-Cyrl, Дубэсарь) or Dubossary (; ; ) is a city in Transnistria, with a population of 23,650. Claimed by both the Republic of Moldova and the Transnistria, Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, the city is under the latter's ad ...
)
* 1st Independent Aviation Detachment
* Tank Battalion
* Artillery Regiment
* Anti-aircraft Regiment
* Special Forces Battalion
* Security Battalion
* Intelligence Company
* Airborne Infantry (VDV)
Additional support is provided by the Operational Group of Russian Forces of the Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...
, based in the Transnistrian city of Cobasna.
Specialized Units
* General Staff of the Armed Forces – It is the commanding and managing body of the armed forces. It is tasked with enforcing military strategy which comes from the ministry of defense.
* PMR Honour Guard – Since its establishment on 6 November 1997, the PMR Honour Guard has taken part in the welcoming of honoured guests and festive and ceremonies. Notable commanders of the unit include Yaroslav Isak, Valentin Rasputin and Artem Chernichenko.
* General Staff Band – The band's musicians must have at least a year of experience in the musical services of the Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n, Moldova
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
n, and Ukrainian armed forces. Their repertoire includes over 500 works by foreign composers. The band is led by Colonel Vitaly Voinov.
* Peacekeeping Force
Military education
Higher education
* Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense – Founded in May 1993, it is the seniormost military institution in the armed forces. It was reorganized as an independent institution from the Shevchenko Transnistria State University on 30 April 2008. In August 2009, the institute was awarded a battle flag and was given the honor of being renamed to honor Alexander Lebed
Lieutenant General Alexander Ivanovich Lebed (; 20 April 1950 – 28 April 2002) was a Soviet and Russian military officer and politician who held senior positions in the Airborne Forces before running for president in the 1996 Russian preside ...
in July 2012.
* Basic training courses for military specialists
Cadet schools
* Tiraspol Suvorov Military School – It was founded on 1 September 2017 and is based on the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
*Grigory Potemkin Republican Cadet Corps
Security forces
* Ministry of State Security
**
PMR Border Guard
** Independent Battalion of Special Operations "Delta"
* Special Motorized Military Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (formed in 1995)
* Spetsnaz
SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...
Culture
Events
On Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
List
January 1 January in Slovak Republic
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially calle ...
and Victory Day
Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...
, two-hour military parade
A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...
s of the Armed Forces of Transnistria is annually held on Suvorov Square, usually featuring over 15 military contingents overseen by the president, the Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
and members of the Supreme Council. A historical mechanized convoy is usually assembled at the parade. In 2020, due to the COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic, the two jubilee celebrations were merged on 2 September.
The official armed forces holiday is Defender of the Fatherland Day on 23 February, which celebrated similarly to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...
. Other military holidays include:
* Internal Troops Day (March 24)
* Liberation Day (April 12)
* State Security Day (May 16)
* Peacekeeper Day (July 28)
* Armed Forces Day (September 6)
* Border Guards Day (September 14)
Institutions
Museum
The Military History Museum of the Armed Forces was opened on 13 November 1999 by President Smirnov together with Defense Minister Stanislav Hazheev
Stanislav Galimovich Hazheev () (born 28 December 1941 in Kashtak, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian SFSR) is the former Ministry of Defence (Transnistria), Minister of Defence in Transnistria.
Early life and career
Hazheev was born in Kashtak, now a ...
. It has been visited by more than 20,000 servicemen, students, and tourists. The main attraction is the diorama "Storming the bridge over the Dniester", which depicts an episode of the battle on 20 June 1992. The museum is conventionally divided into two parts: exhibits and archival photographs. The central area is occupied by a ring in memory of fallen guardsmen.
Sports Club
The Army Sports Club in Transnistria is a sports movement in the army that has the involvement of not only active military personnel, but also retired ones, as well as their family members, and pre-conscription youth. Almost anyone who wants to compete under the SKA banner are able to join the club. It was created as part of a return to the traditions of Soviet sports.
Equipment
Aircraft
Retired aircraft
Previous aircraft operated were the Antonov An-26
The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twins ...
, Antonov An-2
The Antonov An-2 (USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet Union, Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau beginning in 1947. I ...
, Yakovlev Yak-52 airplanes, and Mil Mi-2
The Mil Mi-2 (NATO reporting name: Hoplite) is a small, three Helicopter rotor, rotor blade Soviet-designed multi-purpose helicopter developed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, designed in the early 1960s and produced exclusively by PZL-Świdn ...
and Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...
helicopters.
Notes
References
External links
* Official website
Ministry of Defense
* Pridnestrovie.net
(archived link)
{{Transnistria topics
Military of Transnistria
Transnistria