TIRASPOL. Dec 24 (Interfax-AVN) - A new train carrying ammunition and materiel of the former 14th army left Moldova's breakaway region of Transdnestria for Russia overnight to Wednesday, a spokesman for the Russian military force in Transdnestria told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"A new train with ammunition of the former 14th army left for Russia at 2:30 a.m. Moscow time on Wednesday (2330 GMT on Tuesday). The ammunition had formerly been stored at warehouses in the village of Kolbasno not far from Tiraspol," the spokesman said.
He noted that a total of 40 trains with materiel, including 31 trains with ammunition, have left for Russia this year.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia has pulled out if Transdnestria half of the 42,000 tonnes of its ammunition that were stored in Kolbasno when decisions of the OSCE's Istanbul summit of November 1999 came into force.
The Defense Ministry plans to complete the pullout in over four months if the current train departure schedule (at least two trains a week) is preserved.
"At least one more ammo train will leave for Russia before the end of December," the spokesman said.
He stressed that local authorities do not balk the withdrawal.