TIRASPOL, September 11 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has appointed Col. Vyacheslav Sitchikhin as the commander of Russian forces in Transdniestria, a source at the forces’ staff told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The former commander, Maj. Gen. Boris Sergeyev, completed his mission due to the retirement age.

The Russian forces in Transdniestria succeeded to the 14th army, which was put under the Russian jurisdiction after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. The forces have 1,500 servicemen, provide security in the Transdniestrian conflict zone and operate arms depots near the Kolbasna village.

The Transdniestrian peacekeeping operation marked the 17th anniversary this July. The joint peacekeeping force is made up of Russian, Moldovan and Transdniestrian servicemen and ten military observers from Ukraine. Russian peacekeepers were stationed in Transdniestria in 1992 and helped stop the war, which claimed over 1,000 lives and injured thousands. Not a single outbreak of violence has occurred in the region since the deployment of the peacekeepers. Chisinau and Tiraspol are holding settlement negotiations.