A senior Russian politician said yesterday he had brought to Moscow a petition by residents of Moldova’s Russian-speaking, breakaway region of Transdniestria backing union with Russia.

Dmitry Rogozin’s comments will further rattle Moldova, an impoverished former Soviet republic which, like neighbouring Ukraine, is seeking closer ties with Europe but faces stiff resistance from Moscow.

Transdniestria, which broke from Moldova in 1990, has long sought to join Russia and the West fears the narrow sliver of land on the Dniestr river will be Moscow’s next target following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March.

“The Russian delegation has... brought home the appeal to the Russian authorities by Transdniestrians. And even if it’s of symbolic rather than legal character it is now important to us,” Rogozin wrote on Facebook. Rogozin, who oversees Russia’s arms industry and is known for his harsh anti-Western rhetoric, also posted online pictures showing numerous piles of paper covered with signatures.

The actions by Rogozin don’t help progress in the Transdneistria conflict

He and his delegation visited Transdniestria to celebrate the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Moldovan security officers searched their plane after it was forced to return to the capital Chisinau when Ukraine refused to let it fly through its air space. Moldova said it had seized lists of names during the search and was analysing them, though Rogozin said he had returned home with the names of “most” of those taking part in the petition.

“The recent actions and statements by Rogozin are counter-productive and do not help progress in settling the Transdniestria conflict,” Moldova’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Moscow says it has the right to protect its compatriots and Russian-speakers abroad.

Rogozin triggered an angry response from Nato member Romania on Saturday when, after being barred from Romanian airspace, he reacted by saying that the next time he would fly on a Russian bomber jet.