The US, UK, Romanian, and Moldovan special operations forces have begun special maneuvers in the former Soviet republic, Moldova’s defense ministry said.
“The exercises will be held at army training centers from March 27 to April 7 and are aimed at joint training and exchange of experience between Moldovan, Romanian, U.S., and British special forces soldiers, as well as increasing the level of interoperability between the participating contingents,” the ministry statement said.
The U.S., Britain and Romania are NATO members but Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine, isn’t.
The special forces from four countries will conduct advanced combat shooting exercises and parachute exercises under the Combined Exchange Training program, according to reports.
The defense ministry said military equipment would be transported during the exercises to training centers of the Moldovan army for maneuvers, asking citizens to avoid on speculation as to the reason for this movement.
Moldovan Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatîi said the situation on the Moldovan border is tense due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldpres news agency reported.
However, he said there was no risk of a direct Russian attack on Moldova.
Moldova “uses all diplomatic tools to strengthen its defense capabilities, including cooperation with the European Union” in this regard, Nosatîi said.
NATO troops are also holding exercises on the Romanian Black Sea coast, close to the Ukrainian border.
Naval forces practiced evacuating civilians from coastal areas in the Danube delta, which is the closest region to the Ukraine border.
The drills in Romania and Moldova are part of the “Sea Shield 23” exercises that involve 3,400 soldiers from countries across the NATO alliance including the U.S and Britain. The exercises are due to continue until April 4.
