The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, was urgently summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration following the statements of the so-called "governor" of Kherson (a region in Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia), Vladimir Saldo, that the Russian army is ready to hit the Giurgiulesti bridge between Romania and Moldova in retaliation to attack by the Ukrainians on the bridge connecting Kherson with Crimea. 

Separately, Romania's Foreign Ministry and prime minister Marcel Ciolacu issued a message condemning the statements of the governor of Kherson.

"Romania strongly condemns the statements of Russia's so-called 'representative' in Kherson, a Ukrainian region illegally occupied by Russia. Such statements against the Republic of Moldova, which also target a part of the territory of Romania, a Nato ally, are unacceptable. At the same time, hitting civilian infrastructure is a war crime," is the message published almost simultaneously by the ministry led by Luminița Odobescu and PM Ciolacu on Twitter.

RO condamnă ferm declarațiile așa-zisului “reprezentant” al RU în Herson, regiune 🇺🇦 ocupată ilegal de RU. Astfel de declarații la adresa RMD 🇲🇩 &care vizează și o parte a teritoriului 🇷🇴, Aliat @NATO, sunt inacceptabile.Totodată,lovirea infrastructurii civile e crimă de război.

— Marcel Ciolacu (@CiolacuMarcel) June 22, 2023

The messages from Bucharest came after pro-Russian authorities in Kherson threatened "retaliatory strikes" by Vladimir Putin's army after Ukrainians attacked the Cyclonegar bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula and Kherson region.

"The coordinates of the bridges in the Odesa region, in the Moldovan Giurgiulesti area, which was part of Ukraine but was transferred by the [Viktor] Yushchenko regime, all these coordinates are known, so the answer will come soon and will be very serious," Saldo said. 

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Diana Opryshko/Dreamstime.com)