He said this on the Espreso TV channel.
"Russia started injecting money into Moldova to undermine the internal situation 25 years ago. The information campaign about Transnistria joining Russia is aimed at creating the perception that Russia is everywhere, and that something needs to be done, but in reality, nothing needs to be done," noted Kharchenko. "If there really was some major turmoil there, half of the population of Transnistria would already be in Moldova,"
According to the diplomat, Moscow currently lacks the means to seriously destabilize the situation in Moldova because the sentiments there are pro-European.
"Transnistria is cut off from information other than Russian. All television there is pro-Russian. Russians simply escalate the situation in Moldova, they don't care about Transnistria. Just in case, let it be there so that it can be used to destabilize Moldova. Russia is only sowing discord and turmoil there. This is Russia's attempt at a major information game," emphasized Kharchenko.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) later stated that the grouping of Russian troops currently concentrated in unrecognized Transnistria does not pose a military threat to Ukraine.
On February 25, the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate stated that the information that Transnistria would be asked to join Russia at the so-called Congress of Deputies on February 28 was not true.