The province of Transnistria officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic (PMR), the easternmost province of Moldova bordering Russia, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to protect the Russian speakers in the province, "as he did in Ukraine" according to authorities.
In what appears to be a replay of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine about two years ago, a district of the country of Moldova bordering Russia, with a large population of Russian speakers, declared itself independent from Moldova several months ago and is now appealing to Russia to "save the Russian population in the district."
The politicians at the head of the rebellious district, who are close to the Kremlin, in recent hours publicly appealed to the Russian authorities to: "take every necessary step to protect the citizens of Transnistria, and its independence."
Transnistria's leadership accuses Moldova's central government of "putting pressure on the Russian populations in the region" in a statement that was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives in the local capital.
The request of the authorities of does not include a direct request for military action by Putin and the integration of the province into Russia's borders, but presents a pattern of action strikingly similar to the behavior of Russia's associates in Ukraine in the months before the invasion, during which Russian separatists declared the independence of pockets of Russian settlement in the country, and made public requests for protection from Russian authorities.
If it is a question of preparation for an invasion, it will be a significant expansion of the war beyond the borders of Ukraine, something that Western countries have pointed to as a red line in the past, and a border that, if Putin crosses it, may drag many more countries into the war.