this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Also, for completeness, Moldova does apparently have one small port that ships can sail to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Giurgiule%C8%99ti
But that's got some issues that I think would prevent Russia from using it to put forces into Moldova:
It's on the other side of Moldova from Transnistria. The port is not in the Transnistrian portion of Moldova. I.e. Moldova can say no to ships and can presumably search cargo and control passengers at customs.
Reaching it requires sailing up the Danube. One bank is Romania, and the other bank is Ukraine. I don't think that there are any rights that ships have to sail there; it's not international waters. I don't believe that innocent passage applies to reaching ports on a river. And I'm pretty sure that Romania and Ukraine both have a healthy disinterest in Russia moving forces into Transnistria.
Based on this (Table 1, Page 8), goods going to Moldova via sea apparently normally go through Odesa in Ukraine:
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/766431468139805224/pdf/347710PAPER0Tr101OFFICIAL0USE0ONLY1.pdf
I am pretty confident that Ukraine is not going to be onboard with Russia moving military forces through Odesa to Transnistria.