Do not misunderstand Putin “Transnistrian” policy to conquer nations.
The Russian pattern of “Transnistrian” policy controls ‘zones’ of frozen conflicts in Moldova (Transnistria region), Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia), and in Ukraine annexed Crimean peninsula and the Donbas.
Russia uses this wider pattern of created separatist conflicts to create corruption and criminality as ‘Trojan horses’ to block progress in reform-minded periphery countries. This is the Russian tactics part of their geopolitical strategy creating conflict zones to prevent countries from entering NATO and integrating into the European Union.
CONFLICTS in these by Russia AS being part of Russia imperialistic plan to regain strategic points of its LOST EMPIRE.
Of course, This means Russia is going to fully separate occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts from Ukraine and recognize its Donbas puppet republics as states sooner or later just like Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
That’s not the Kool Aid I want to drink.