Moldova reports 339,000 Transnistrian passport holders; SIS accuses Russia of creating region

Data from the Public Services Agency show that, at the end of June, 366,830 people lived in the Transnistrian‑controlled areas and the municipality of Bender, of whom 359,867 are Moldovan citizens. More than 339,000 of those citizens hold Moldovan passports and over 301,000 have Moldovan identity cards. Civil‑status records for the first half of 2026 recorded 4,521 events, including 1,818 births, 1,191 marriages, 908 divorces, 523 deaths and 81 name changes.

Separately, Director of the Security and Intelligence Service Alexandru Musteața said the separatist region was artificially created by the Russian Federation through direct military involvement to keep Moldova under political and energy control. He noted that separatism has only recently been codified as a crime and that Moldovan authorities are working to prosecute actions of non‑constitutional entities in the region. Musteața said the Russian‑backed conflict is increasingly being used to hinder Moldova’s European integration.