Tiraspol

The Transnistrian Interior Ministry, a Russian-backed separatist territory in the former Soviet republic of Moldova, said two blasts were aimed at a radio center near the Ukrainian border.

"Early in the morning of April 26, two explosions were heard in the village of Mayak in the Grigoriopol district," a statement from the separatist republic's interior ministry said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Friday voiced deep concern about the security situation on her country's border caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The current leader of the breakaway region of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, won so-called presidential elections on Sunday with 79 per cent of the votes, after most potential rivals were eliminated from the race and with few foreign observers.

Indeed, Viktor Gushan and Ylia Kazmalii have come to dominate the economy of Transnistria - the pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova where Sheriff is based - since it threw off rule from Chisinau in months of fighting in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Moldovan football club Sheriff Tiraspol went through to the UEFA Champions League group stage after a goalless draw on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their tie against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. In the previous game in Tiraspol, Sheriff won 3-0.

The breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova on Sunday staged parliamentary elections for the seventh Supreme Council (local parliament) since 1992, in which only a minority of voters cast ballots.

Some Transnistrian exporters are taking advantage of the preferential trade system by registering with the central business registry of Moldova and paying taxes to Chisinau.

Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria has asked its ally and sponsor Russia to allow it to issue Transnistrian "passports" at the diplomatic office it opened in January in Moscow.

The region, which broke away from Moldova in 1992, backed by Russia, has not been recognised by any member states of the United Nations - Russia included.

Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria is to open a diplomatic office in the centre of Moscow on New Arbat Street alongside the "embassies" of other unrecognised similar entities such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The mission will open this month, the chief of the Transnistrian diplomacy, Vitaly Ignatiev, said on Sunday.

Moldova's vice-premier for reintegration Cristina Lesnic criticised the regime in the country's breakaway region of Transnistria on Wednesday for not allowing some pupils to attend Romanian-language schools unless they are on a separatist-approved access list.