MOSCOW. April 30 (Interfax-AVN) - More than 30 units of the former 14th Army in Transdnestria, which is currently called the Russian Army Group, have been reduced or transformed, Major General Boris Sergeyev, the group's commander, said in an interview published in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Friday.
"The group has always remained a viable and manageable combat ready unit," he said.
While the Constitution of Moldova does not allow foreign troops to reside on the country's soil, leaders of the self- proclaimed Transdnestrian Moldovan Republic want Russia to maintain its military presence in the region, Sergeyev said.
Russia said at an OSCE summit in Istanbul in November 1999 that it would withdraw its troops from the region.
"The Russian Army Group in Transdnestria is a force of just under 1,500 men. Its main goals are to guard weapons and materiel stored here, train in peacekeeping operations and remain combat ready," Sergeyev said.
Before a large amount of materiel was withdrawn to Russia recently, over 45,000 tonnes of ammunition used to be stockpiled in the village of Kolbasna and thousands of small arms, nearly 300 tonnes of explosives and 15 divisional battle sets of ammunition were being kept in Tiraspol.
"All this huge deadly mass was concentrated on an area of over 100 hectares, and it naturally required, and still requires, considerable financial expenses and reliable protection," Sergeyev said.
The withdrawal of armaments, military hardware and materiel from Transdnestria to Russia has been in progress for several years.
"A total of 31 transports have departed: The Russian Army Group has never foiled a single train departure," Sergeyev stressed.