World Bulletin / News Desk

Moldova has confiscated a petition of names of people from the breakaway Transdniester region which call on Russia to annex the territory.

The boxes containing the lists were taken away by officials from a Russian jet in the Transdniester capital Chisinau after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin's visit of Victory Day celebrations.

Rogozin had been in the pro-Russian breakaway region, which despite declaring its independence in the early 1990s is not recognized by a single county, to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. It has been reported that he was on the plane from which the boxes were taken.

However, on Sunday, Rogozin wrote on his Facebook page that he had "brought home the message of Transdniestrians to the leadership of Russia," confirming that most of the boxes had made it.

Moldova condemned the Russian delegation's visit as "provocative". Meanwhile Russia has expressed concern for the people of the region as developments in Ukraine, which shares a border with Transdniester, could leave them blockaded.

Ukraine blamed recent pro-Russian uprisings in the southern city of Odessa on pro-Russian militias from Transdniester. After annexing Ukraine's breakaway Crimea peninsula following a referendum on March 16, Russia is now being accused of being behind pro-Russian uprisings in the east and south of the country in a bid to secure the Black Sea coast and form a corridor to Transdniester.

Today, the people of the self-declare People's Republic of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine are holding a referendum to decide their fate.