Transnistria's Request of Russia Makes Headlines

If you aren't familiar with Transnistria, that would be understandable. It's a slender strip of land that's hugged on either side by Ukraine and Moldova, the latter of which it broke away from in 1992. On Wednesday, the internationally unrecognized state became a headline location after it called on Russia for protection during a special session of its Congress of Deputies, "a Soviet-style assembly" that last met in 2006, reports the New York Times. The paper sees the request as "repeating in miniature the highly flammable scenario played out by regions of eastern Ukraine now occupied by Moscow."

• What it wants protection from: Moldova, which it says is applying increased economic pressure on it in a bid to get it to come slinking home, reports Bloomberg. The Moscow Times reports Transnistria claims an "economic war" is being waged against it as part of a plan to turn it into a "ghetto." The AP explains Moldova on Jan. 1 imposed new customs duties on imports to and exports from Transnistria.
• An asterisk: Politico reports Transnistria—a largely Russian-speaking area that's home to 470,000 people, nearly half of whom are Russian—didn't explicitly ask to be folded into Russia, as some had expected.
• What drove Moldova's January move: The AP reports it's seeking to join the EU and is "working to align its economic legislation with the EU as it pursues full membership in the bloc."
• The response: Russia's Foreign Ministry responded by saying it considers the protection of Transnistrian residents a priority and will consider the ask. Moldovan leaders have brushed off the request "as a propaganda move and downplayed the recent events," as Al Jazeera puts it, "saying there is no risk of escalation."
• More on the ask: The AP notes Transnistria's request wasn't just of Russia. It also asked the European Parliament, the secretary-general of the UN, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to stop Moldova from "violating the rights and freedoms" of local residents.

(More Transnistria stories.)