Moldova’s president on Monday detailed what she described as a Russian plot to overthrow her government with foreign saboteurs in order to put the country “at Russia’s disposal” and thwart its plans to one day join the European Union.
President Maia Sandu’s announcement comes a week after the president of neighboring Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova, which was later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.
“The plan for the next phase involves actions by saboteurs with military training, camouflaged in civilian clothes, who would undertake violent actions, attacking public buildings and even taking hostages,” Sandu told reporters at a press conference.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Moldova – a former Soviet republic of some 2.6 million people – has been trying to move closer to the West. Last June it was granted candidate country status for the EU, the same day as Ukraine.
Sandu argued that the purpose of the alleged Russian plan was “to overthrow the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power of (Moldova’s capital) to an illegitimate one … which would place the country at Russia’s disposal in order to slow down the process of European integration.”
In a defiant tone, he added: “The Kremlin’s attempts to sow violence in our country will not succeed.”
Moscow did not comment on the matter.
Sandu said that between October and December the police and the Intelligence Service intervened in “several cases of organized crime elements and foiled attempts at violence.”
Over the past year, Moldova has been plagued by a number of problems, including a severe energy crisis after Moscow drastically reduced gas supplies, runaway inflation and the detection of missiles that have crossed its airspace.
Moldovan authorities confirmed that another missile from the war in Ukraine entered its airspace on Friday.