The breakaway region of Moldova blames the explosion of a military site on a drone from Ukraine

Pro-Russian separatist authorities in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria said on Sunday that the explosion at a military site was likely caused by a drone launched from Ukraine.

Transnistria is a primarily Russian-speaking region that has long relied on Moscow for support, and broke away from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The authorities said on social media: “Today a fire broke out on the territory of a military base in Tiraspol as a result of an explosion.”

They added, “It has been tentatively proven that the explosion was caused by a suicide drone attack,” claiming that the drone was launched from the Odessa region in Ukraine.

Separatist officials said no one was hurt and opened a criminal investigation.

There was no immediate comment on the incident from Kiev or Moscow.

Grainy footage distributed by the separatist authorities showed a shell hitting a military helicopter that was parked at an air base surrounded by fields.

Late last month, Transnistria asked Russia for “protection,” raising fears that the region could become a new flashpoint in Moscow's conflict with neighboring Ukraine.

In 2006, representatives of the separatist region announced a referendum on integration with Russia, which resulted in an overwhelming majority in its favour.