Mysterious explosions in a contested region bordering Ukraine have sparked fears the war is spreading.
The president of Moldova called for an urgent meeting with her government following reports of multiple explosions in Transnistria - a Russian-controlled region in Moldova that has declared itself independent.
The region isn't far from Odessa - where eight Ukrainians, including a three-month-old baby, were killed in a Russian missile strike last week.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu fears the region could be brought into Russia's war with Ukraine.
President Sandu said certain forces in the region were in "favour of war".
Transnistria authorities have said the explosions this week targeted their state security headquarters in Tiraspol, a Soviet-era radio mast that broadcasted Russian news and a military unit in a village outside Tiraspol.
No casualties have been reported.
Vadim Krasnoselsky, the head of Transnistria, was quoted by Russian news agency TASS: "The traces of these attacks lead to Ukraine.
“I assume that those who organised this attack have the purpose of dragging Transnistria into the conflict.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was clear Russia was behind the explosions.
He said: "The goal is obvious - to destabilise the situation in the region, to threaten Moldova. They show that if Moldova supports Ukraine, there will be certain steps."
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Ukraine's foreign ministry condemned what it called Russian attempts to drag the region into the war.
It said the incident "coincided with the statements of the Russian military command about their plans to occupy the entire south of Ukraine and establish a land corridor to the Transdniestrian region of Moldova.”
It added: "Ukraine strongly supports the territorial integrity of Moldova in its internationally recognised borders, condemns attempts to involve the Transnistria region of Moldova in Russia’s … full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and calls for a de-escalation of the situation."
The comments are referring to when General Rustam Minnekaev suggested he will invade Moldova taking more of Ukraine's coastline.
He also claimed the Russian president has ambitions to extend his invasion beyond the borders of the war-torn country.
Russia ’s ambassador in Moldova was summoned on Friday after he claimed Moscow was trying to create a route towards a breakaway part of the country where Russian troops are based.
Minnekaev said: “Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are cases of Russian-speaking people being oppressed.”
Russia, which has about 1,500 troops in Transnistria, has claimed the Russian speakers in Moldova are oppressed - echoing a similar reason given to justify the invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, Moldova applied to join the European Union. The contested region, which is not recognised internationally, broke away from Moldova following a short war in 1992.
