Secretary of Moldova's Supreme Security Council says modern warfare no longer begins with tanks at border, but with soldiers in jeans, propaganda

‘’Modern warfare no longer begins with tanks at the border, but with soldiers in jeans and online propaganda’’ warns Stanislav Secrieru, Secretary of the Supreme Security Council. He emphasizes that, in the face of new hybrid threats, Moldova needed vigilant institutions, strong international partnerships and a firm orientation towards the European Union - the only guarantee of peace, security and freedom.

Russia does not need soldiers in uniform to carry out destabilization operations, warns Stanislav Secrieru, Secretary of the Supreme Security Council and security and defense adviser to the Moldovan president.

In a Facebook post, the presidential adviser highlighted the real threats of hybrid warfare practiced by Russia, especially in the context of speculation about possible reinforcement of the Russian military presence on the left bank of the Dniester.

According to Secrieru, Russia's infiltration tactics are well-documented and historically tested and the absence of military uniforms does not mean the absence of a threat.

‘’Russia already has an entire hybrid warfare manual,’’ he said. Secrieru noted   that, after 2014, when Ukraine blocked the rotation of Russian troops through its territory, Moldova had countered similar rotation attempts through the Chisinau International Airport, where Russian soldiers tried to pass as civilians.

Secrieru also presented several historical examples of Soviet troops' covert deployments, later continued by Russia:

In 1962, in Cuba, Soviet soldiers did not wear uniforms, being presented as 'agricultural experts';

In 1970, Soviet troops were transported to Egypt on tourist ships, dressed in civilian clothing;

In 1982, in Syria, the military was landed in a similar manner;

During the Angolan civil war (1975), Soviet troops operated on the ground in civilian clothes to hide their presence.

‘’This is an important lesson for all those who underestimate the danger,’’ concluded Stanislav Secrieru. He emphasized that Moldova must remain vigilant and strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of a war that no longer starts with tanks, but with subtle and well-coordinated tactics.

The deployment of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers to the Transnistrian region poses a real danger, if the Moldovan power is controlled by Russia. ‘’The risks are high for the country,’’ President Maia Sandu has recently to the national media.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean last week told the Financial Times that the Russian Federation intended to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the Transnistrian region. The Kremlin regime seeks to strengthen its military presence in the region, but currently cannot send additional troops because of the positioning of the Transnistrian region between Ukraine and Moldova, led by pro-European forces, the PM said.