Test for statehood: Portnikov explains the threat of strikes on bridges in Odesa region

Against the backdrop of intensified Russian shelling of Odesa region, Ukraine should pay increased attention to Budzhak.

This opinion was expressed by journalist Vitaliy Portnikov to InfoPost.

"Budzhak is not just a piece of territory. It is a civilizational frontier where Ukraine faces serious challenges: the region's past, its multinationality, and our responsibility for stability. And this stability needs to be maintained, as well as the very functioning of the region that Russia is trying to tear away from Ukraine. In addition to logistics, this is also a test of statehood. Ukraine must not just keep the region, it must develop it. And to convince people in Budzhak, in Bessarabia, how important their role is in the modern survival of the state," he emphasized.

According to the journalist, Budzhak is important in three ways. First, logistics - Ukraine was able to survive thanks to its ability to maintain southern communications.

"Ukrainian ports, railroads, and highways in the southwest are all important arteries. Bessarabia is primarily a transportation hub, and its destruction means a thousand problems with exports, supplies, and military capabilities. The Russian plan may not necessarily be aimed at a full-scale breakthrough, especially since they do not have the forces to do so, but destabilization, blockade, fear, mining, and attacks on the roads are already a challenge. This is the same strategy of shelling Odesa region: not to conquer, but to destroy," Vitaliy Portnikov noted.

The second direction, according to the journalist, is to maintain the threat from Transnistria as a second front.

"The aggravation around Transnistria is not only a military but also a diplomatic provocation: to draw Moldova, and Romania after it, into the conflict. To create an image of instability, to distract the West's attention, to force Chisinau to make mistakes and Bucharest to look for a way out. Let's not forget that pro-Russian forces in Moldova are already trying to capitalize on the situation: territorial claims to Bujak are being voiced again, and figures from the nineties who already dreamed of an alliance with Moscow are reappearing," the journalist emphasized.

According to Portnikov, Bujak is also important because of the revival of far-right political forces, which, despite their defeat in the presidential election, continue to put pressure on the democratic coalition. Since Bujak is a territory historically associated with a controversial Romanian heritage, the Kremlin understands that any escalation in the region could activate revanchist voices in Bucharest. And with Ukraine forced to focus on the frontline and survival, and Moldova fighting for its European future and stability, destabilization from within, with the support of far-right politicians, is the most convenient tool for Moscow.

Кирило Бойко