Concern now affects Moldova. This Monday, President Maia Sandu detailed Moscow’s alleged plans to overthrow the pro-European power in place in Chisinau. “The plan provides for attacks on state buildings and hostage-taking by saboteurs with a military past camouflaged in civilian clothes,” declared the Moldovan head of state to the press.
Mentioned by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Brussels last week, this information comes from documents intercepted by the Ukrainian secret services. Moldovan intelligence then confirmed the information without giving details, saying it had “identified activities aimed at weakening and destabilizing” this former Soviet republic of 2.6 million inhabitants located between Romania and Ukraine.
“The objective is to overthrow the constitutional order and replace the legitimate power of Chisinau with an illegitimate one,” added the head of state, in office since December 2020. According to her, the Kremlin is counting on “the ‘involvement of internal forces’ such as the party of fugitive pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Sor, but also possible Russian, Belarusian, Serbian and Montenegrin nationals.
Russia denies
In this context, Maia Sandu announced a strengthening of security measures, with a legislative project aimed at giving prosecutors and intelligence services “the necessary instruments to effectively combat national security risks”.
The country temporarily closed its airspace between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. “Dear passengers, at the moment the airspace of the Republic of Moldova is closed, we are waiting for the resumption of flights. Schedules scheduled today will undergo changes,” Air Moldova wrote on its page. Facebook. According to the Moldovan Civil Aviation Authority, quoted by TVR Moldovathis measure was taken “in order to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation”.
Moldova, a candidate since the summer of 2022 for entry into the European Union, must also deal with the threat of Russian soldiers and a large Russian stockpile of ammunition in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria.
Moscow denies
This Tuesday, Moscow denied any attempt at destabilization. The assertions of the Moldovan leader “are absolutely unfounded and without evidence”, denounced the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that his country had intercepted documents showing a plan to destabilize Moldova. Russia accuses Ukraine of being the source of this “disinformation” to fuel tensions between Moscow and Chisinau.
Reacting to this information, the United States on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for Moldova. “We are deeply concerned by reports of a Russian plot to destabilize the democratically elected government of Moldova,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. He further insisted that Washington was working with the Moldovan authorities to “counter Russia’s long-term efforts to undermine the country’s democratic institutions”.