Ukrainian forces fear Russia is set to open a new front against tiny state Moldova which has an army of just 3,250 soldiers.
The new strategy comes amid rising tensions in Transnistria - a Russian-controlled region of around 470,000 people in the former USSR state which has declared itself independent.
If Russia took Moldova it would allow Putin to attack Ukraine from the West in the port of Odessa, lengthening the odds against President Zelensky’s forces.