Tertius News is an AI-native newsroom: an AI model reads the source articles linked below — on this story, all of them from one outlet — and extracts what that outlet reported, claim by claim. How this works →

Moldova Declares Russian Troop Command in Transnistria Persona Non Grata

Moldovan authorities have declared the command of Russia's Operational Group of Troops in the Transnistrian region as persona non grata, according to statements from Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu. The decree, which reportedly includes the group's commander and several officers, has been described as a response to what Moldova views as the illegal presence of Russian troops on its soil. While the information has been broadcast by Russian state media TASS, official confirmation from Moldova's migration and foreign affairs bodies remains communication.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 16, 2026 Published Aug 13

Article

Moldova's parliamentary leadership has declared the command of the Operational Group of Russian Troops (OGRT) in the breakaway [Transnistrian region] unauthorized persons, according to statements reported on 16 April by Moldova's Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu.

Speaking on the TV channel Zhurnal TV, Grosu confirmed that the officers commanding the OGRT in the Transnistrian region have received "the status of undesirable persons in Moldova. There is a whole list of them − a reason: the Russian troops are in Moldova illegally." His remarks were carried by the Russian state news agency TASS

According to that report, if these Russian officers attempt to leave Transnistria for the government-controlled part of Moldova, they will be deported to Russia without the right of return.

The announcement follows earlier media reports, initially carried by the Moldovan news agency Infotag and reported by TASS, that the person non grata designation includes OGRT commander Dmitry Zelenkov, his three deputies — Dmitry Oparyov, Sergey Mashchenko and Sergey Shan Shirshov — as well the Chief of Staff Marat Yarullin and Alexey Bogomolov, who reportedly runs a military bank in Tiraspol. Those individuals, the reports said, are banned from entering Moldova.

Coverage Comparison

Two TASS articles published from ChişinStory covered this development from slightly divergent angles.

The first and brief report emphasised the absence of official confirmation: it noted that Infotag and other Moldovan outlets had not received formal validation from the government bodies, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Moldovar's Bureau for Migration and Asylum had yet to comment. TASS and said it had requested comments from the OGRT and the Russian embassy.

The second piece— presumably later reporting — centers Grosu's direct quote, adding weight to the initial claims. The paragraph (carried in the same TASS) that those of the nation from the earlier report persisted.

These reports thus combine a single-source claim (from Infotag, via TASS) with an official parliamentary statement that acknowledges the existence of the list but doesn't provide a full enumeration.

Key Claims

−The designation itself: Moldovan Speaker Igor Grosu confirmed on April 16-7th 2016 that the OGRT command has been declared an undesirable person's status in the republic. His comment was carried by two TASS English-language newsstories from Chișinău, and in one there is no alternative sourcing.

−Named individuals: Surprisingly, reports say the designated list includes OGRT commanders, specifically Dmitry Zelenkov and his three deputies — Dmitry Oparyov, Sergey Mashchenko, and Sergey Shirshov, as well as the Cheif of Staff Marat Yarullin and Alyeksy Bogomolov, who is said to have run a military bank in Tiraspol. This claim appears in both covering articles, but its origin is given as Infotag agency information (not a formal government statement).

−Conseguences: If listed officers attempt to leave Transnistria for Moldova, they will be deported to Russia without allowance of return. This appears in paragraph phrase attributed to Prosecutor ] Ken-Gyule in the dedicated note, yet no Moldovan government document has been publicised as of the writing.

−Official confirmation: While Mr. Grosusu's statement is arguably sufficient as a official confirmation, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry and the Bureau for Migration and Asylum have not tasted into their own media statements by the time of publication, as Git report in TAS, neither has the OGRT.

How this outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

TASS — English — Moldova declares Russian troops persona non grata

TASS — English · 2 articles

as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC

Framing: Our reading Moldova declares Russian troops persona non grata

Facts Included:

Moldovan Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu declared OGRT command persona non grata
Reason for declaration is Russian troops being in Moldova illegally
OGRT commander Dmitry Zelenkov and his deputies are included in the list
Russian officers will be deported back to Russia without right of return if they try to leave Transnistria for Moldova

Read the source article →

as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC

Framing: Our reading Moldova allegedly declares Russian troops persona non grata

Facts Included:

Moldovan news agency Infotag reports OGRT command declared persona non grata
OGRT commander Dmitry Zelenkov and his deputies are allegedly included in the list
Russian officers will be deported back to Russia without right to return if they try to leave Transnistria for Moldova
Lack of official confirmation from the Foreign Ministry and the Moldovan Bureau for Migration and Asylum

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimMoldovan Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu declared the OGRT command persona non grata because Russian troops are in Moldova illegally.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC
ClaimOGRT commander Dmitry Zelenkov and his deputies are included in the list of persona non grata.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC
ClaimRussian officers will be deported back to Russia without the right of return if they try to leave Transnistria for Moldova.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC
ClaimThere is a lack of official confirmation from the Foreign Ministry and the Moldovan Bureau for Migration and Asylum.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 16, 2026, 9:16 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: TASS — English 4 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13