Former Moldova's interior minister says spontaneous, uncontrolled explosion at Cobasna ammunition depot technically excluded

A spontaneous and uncontrolled explosion at the Cobasna ammunition depot is technically excluded. The ammunition is stored according to compatibility categories and is separated from initiation means, which makes explosive objects more resistant to various external impacts. The conclusions have been presented by engineer Adrian Efros, former interior minister, for the Moldova 1 TV channel, in the context of the report titled, Cobasna: Separating a Myth from Reality, presented by the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) and the Military Intelligence Agency (AIM) today.

The former interior minister welcomed the evaluation carried out by the competent authorities, which relied on precise data regarding the situation at the ammunition depot.

“In the case of previous governments, this message of fear, meant to mislead people and artificially create a psychosis around Cobasna, was actually maintained by the authorities themselves. Now, our objectives and our pro-European orientation have changed and therefore I thank my colleagues from SIS and AIM for having the courage to investigate and conduct an analysis based on data, not intuition,” Adrian Efros emphasized.

He explained that the ammunition is kept by compatibility categories, separated from initiation means, and arranged in a checkerboard pattern, in order to prevent a chain reaction.

“Why do I agree with my colleagues’ conclusion that a mass explosion or a simultaneous explosion of all depots cannot take place? Because the ammunition is stored by compatibility category and is separated from initiation means, which makes explosive objects more resistant to different external impacts. From my point of view, having more than 25 years of experience in engineering service and having handled thousands of explosive objects, I believe that the possibility of an explosion initiating by itself or due to natural factors is excluded,” he noted.

Adrian Efros also referred to the necessary steps for evacuating the depot in the event of an agreement.

“First of all, we need a visual inspection and the identification of the types of ammunition stored in these depots. Afterwards, based on this data, decisions can be taken regarding the most efficient ways of neutralizing or using this ammunition. Thus, part of it could be neutralized on site, while the explosive substance resulting from processing could be reused in demining missions,” the former minister said.

Adrian Efros suggested that eliminating the narrative about the depot’s danger could transform Cobasna from a Russian pressure tool into a useful element in the process of settling the Transnistrian issue.

“Once these myths have been dispelled, I believe it will act as a catalyst and will be useful during negotiations and during these settlement processes,” he specified.

Asked whether Russia will continue to invoke the situation in Cobasna to justify its military presence, the former minister said that Moscow would not easily give up such pretexts, but stressed that the new report brings clarity and provides the public with truthful information.

“The narratives or pretexts used by the Russian Federation to justify the troops that are stationed illegally on the territory of Moldova will, I believe, continue. But what was intended with this report was to bring safety to the citizen and to instill the feeling that the government takes care of its citizens. We have always made efforts to ensure that citizens are safe and are not manipulated by various forces with political or geopolitical interests,” Adrian Efros concluded.

The Intelligence and Security Service and the Military Intelligence Agency today presented the report, Cobasna: Separating a Myth from Reality, according to which the Cobasna ammunition depot holds a quantity of approximately 14,000 gross tons of armaments (including packaging and crates), while the net quantity of explosive substance is only 2,800 tons, a volume much smaller than previously circulated. The report highlights that the Cobasna depot represents a risk, but a limited and controlled one and does not represent “an existential threat to the region, as it has been repeatedly presented for geopolitical purposes.”