Operational Group of Russian Forces


The Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria is a sizable overseas military task force of the Russian Armed Forces. It served as part of the tri-lateral Joint Control Commission in the region. All 1,500 soldiers of the peacekeeping force are based at the former decommissioned Soviet ammunition depot in Cobasna, where it guards around 22,000 tons of military equipment and ammunition.

History

14th Army background and Transnistrian war

The Soviet Army's 14th Guards Army was formed in November 1956 in Kishinev as one of the only formation of the Odessa Military District to be stationed in the Moldovan SSR. The army headquarters was moved to Tiraspol, the capital of Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in the early 1980s. At the start of the Transnistrian War, soldiers of the 14th Guards Army who were sympathetic to the PMR cause defected and joined the Transnistrian Republican Guard, despite the Russian government's official adoption of neutality. On 23 June, Major General Alexander Lebed of the 14th Guards Army, who had orders to evacuate the local logistics center, began an over two week battle which ended in an artillery strike on 3 July on a Moldovan unit in a forest near Bendery. It is generally accepted that this strike led to the strategic victory of the Transnistrian/Russian military and the tactical setbacks of the Military of Moldova when installing a Moldovan government in the region.

OGRF establishment

After the war, the 14th Army was split between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Army, with most of the Russian contingent being absorbed into Western Military District. The conclusion of the conflict in a cease-fire resulted in the beginning of trilateral negotiations between the governments and militaries of Russia, Transnistria and Moldova, which eventually led to the discussion of a joint peacekeeping force. In June 1995, the Operational Group of Russian Forces in Transnistria was founded by order of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. In 2005, the force consisted of the 8th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, the 1162nd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment, 15th Signals Regiment, as well as other support units.

The OGRF today

It is used purely for peacekeeping purposes and to provide security to the Cobasna arms depot. It also provides additional support to the Armed Forces of Transnistria. Today, around 350-400 troops with the operational force report directly to the JCC and can be assigned to it at any given time. The task force provides the largest contingent of peacekeepers in the region. On 27 June 2016, the Transnistrian government passed new law which penalized any actions or public statements that criticize the OGRF. The punishment for committing this crime is 3-7 years in jail. In recent years, the OGRF has taken part in Victory Day Parades in on Suvorov Square, often to the dismay of Chisinau.
Since its introduction, the OGRF jas been met with criticism from both Moldovan and Western officials and observers, all of whom claim that the Russian military presence is either illegal or unnecessary. In November 2008, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution, urging Russia to withdraw the force in accordance with its commitments at the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summit.

UN resolution

In June 2018, United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution, which essentially called on the Russian Federation to withdraw the OGRF from Moldovan territory immediately. While the Moldovan government led by Pavel Filip supported it, President Igor Dodon condemned the resolution, saying that the Russian presence led to the "creation of conditions for a political process of negotiations". Previously, Dodon supported the Moldovan parliament on this issue.

Structure (as of 2015)

The following generals commanded the unit: