Russian Troops Hold Drills in Moldova’s Separatist Region

   MOSCOW (AP) — Russian troops have conducted military exercises in Moldova's pro-Russia separatist

region.

   Russian news agencies on Thursday quoted an army representative saying that 400 troops and 30 pieces of weaponry were involved in drills in Transnistria, a narrow strip of land squeezed between Moldova and Ukraine.
   Predominantly ethnic Russian Transnistria broke away from Moldova in 1990 over fears that Moldova planned to reunite with Romania. Russian troops have been stationed in Transnistria since a 1992 war which killed more than 1,500 people.
   Army spokesman Oleg Kochetkov said that troops used 100,000 rounds of ammunition during the drills that involved armoured personnel vehicles and grenade launchers.
   Moldova's fears of Russian presence in Transnistria intensified after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea last year and supported a separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.