Russia on Tuesday denied any “plan to destabilize Moldova” after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Moscow of preparing “violent attacks” against her country, Ukraine’s pro-Western neighbour.
The Moldovan leader’s claims are “absolutely baseless and without evidence,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by France’s AFP agency.
The ministry headed by Sergei Lavrov also accused Ukraine of being behind this “disinformation” to fuel tensions between Moscow and the Moldovan authorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Kiev had intercepted documents about a plan to destabilize Moldova.
“The plan includes attacks on state buildings and hostage-taking by saboteurs with a military background disguised as civilians,” Maria Sandu told reporters on Monday.
Sandu reiterated that the purpose of these actions “is to undermine the constitutional order and convert the legitimate power of Chisinau into an illegitimate power to put the country at the disposal of Russia”.
With this, Moscow wants to “stop the process of European integration, but also allow Russia to use Moldova in its war against Ukraine,” he warned.
In this context, the Moldovan leader announced a legislative project to give prosecutors and intelligence services the “necessary tools to effectively counter threats to national security”.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people located between Romania and Ukraine, has turned pro-Western in recent years, enraging Moscow.
The country has been a candidate for membership of the European Union (EU) since the summer of 2022, just like Ukraine.
Moldova has been in crisis since the start of Russia’s war with Ukraine a year ago.
It has also been denouncing “Russian energy blackmail” for months, with gas supplies cut in half.
Chisinau continues to deal with the presence of Russian troops and a large stockpile of ammunition in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria, a narrow strip of land bordering Ukraine.
Source: DN
