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By Putin's orders, a Russian Ministry of Defense commission just completed a month-long audit of all stored weapons in PMR

KOLBASNA (Tiraspol Times) - A spokesman for the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense categorically refuted claims and rumors that Pridnestrovie was leaking Russian weapons, and that Russian weapons stored in the area were being siphoned off for unauthorized sale on the black market. This came after an all-out inventory check ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, 12 October, OGRV (Operative Group of Russian Troops) commander Lt. General Boris Sergeyev produced the findings of a special commission from Russia's Defense Ministry which for 20 working days - four weeks in total - has been involved in a full audit of all stored weapons deposits located in Pridnestrovie, between Ukraine and Moldova.

" - The audit commission of the Russian ground forces did not reveal any irregularities in the weapons and ammunition storages in Pridnestrovie," confirmed the Ministry's Boris Sergeyev in a statement to online news agency New Region Press.

After carrying out a thorough inventory of the arsenals, the group confirmed that not a single pistol, submachine gun or grenade, not to mention heavier weaponry, has been stolen.

All weapons fully controlled and accounted for

According to the Lt. General, the group of generals and commissioned officers of the main rocket artillery administration of the Ministry of Defense satisfied itself that "nothing was missing or unaccounted for. Not a single pistol, nor machinegun, not a single grenade, nor any other type of weapon."

Approximately 800 Russian troops are involved in guarding and dismantling an old Soviet-era ammunitions dump in Kolbasna, northern PMR. The majority of the ammunition has by now been removed from Kolbasna under the supervision of OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Military equipment which is unpractical to remove has been undergoing on-site destruction. The U.S. State Department has publicly stated that the process of removal of ex-Soviet munitions and equipment has been carried out with efficiency since 2003.

Putin-ordered audit reveals no irregularities

In what the Tiraspol authorities consider "irresponsible scare-mongering by Moldova", Chisinau-based opinion makers had previously speculated about the potential dangers presented by the weapons deposits and the potential for unauthorized sales. But none of this ever took place, confirms the survey by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, backed up with OSCE reports of both the gradual removal and the on-site dismantling of the majority of the obsolete military hardware.

The audit and physical on-site review was initiated by an order from Russian president Vladimir Putin, following a meeting earlier on August 8 with his Moldovan counterpart, president Vladimir Voronin of the Communist Party. In the meeting, Voronin, a former Soviet-era Major General, repeated claims by Chisinau that stored weapons guarded by Russian military depots in Pridnestrovie were being plundered and finding its way to the black market. With the president-to-president agreement on the audit, and the successful finding that none of these claims are true, these fears are now laid to rest, said the Defense Ministry spokesman.

Pridnestrovie, also known as Transnistria or Transdniester, is embroiled in a 16 year old territorial claim with neighboring Moldva. A hot war, which ended with a ceasefire agreement in 1992, has now been replaced by a cold war and an information war, in which both sides accuse the other of numerous unproven misdeeds.

Chief among the Moldovan claims against Pridnestrovie is that the unrecognized country is a "black hole" and a hub for weapons smuggling. Tiraspol counters by pointing out that as a landlocked country with no airport, all exports - legal or illegal - must go through either Moldova or Ukraine, making weapons smuggling next to impossible, and that Moldova's accusations have absolutely no basis in reality.

Western diplomats agree, having stated to US-funded RFE/RL that Moldova's claims are wildly exaggerated. OSCE and European Union officials state that there is not a single piece of evidence to indicate that the country has ever trafficked arms at any time in the past.(With information from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)