Russia denies having a plan to destabilize Moldova

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Tuesday strongly rejected claims by the Moldovan president about an alleged plan by Moscow to overthrow his government and accused Moldovan authorities of trying to divert public attention from the country’s internal problems.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Monday that the alleged Russian plot included attacks on government buildings, hostage-taking and other violent actions by saboteur groups to put the nation “at the disposal of Russia”. and dash their hopes of joining the European Union.

In her response on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Sandu’s claims “absolutely groundless.”

“They are built using the classic techniques that are often used by the United States, other Western countries and Ukraine,” Zajárova said. “First the accusations are made with references to alleged classified information that cannot be verified, and then they are used to justify their own illegal actions.”

Sandu’s claim came a week after the president of neighboring Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed that kyiv had intercepted Russian intelligence plans to destroy Moldova. Moldovan intelligence officials later confirmed the allegations.

Zakharova accused Ukrainian authorities of fabricating allegations about Russia’s alleged plan to destabilize her country in order to draw her into a confrontation with Russia. Furthermore, he alleged that the Moldovan authorities were using “the myth of a Russian threat to divert the attention of Moldovan citizens from internal problems stemming from the disastrous socio-economic development of the current government and to strengthen the fight against dissent and political opponents. ”

The spokeswoman insisted that Russia does not pose a threat to Moldova and hopes to develop win-win cooperation.

Since Russian troops invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Moldova, a former Soviet republic of about 2.6 million people, has sought closer ties with its Western partners. Last June, the European Union granted him candidate status to join the bloc, on the same day as Ukraine.

Moldova’s national intelligence agency warned in December that Russia could launch a new offensive this year aimed at creating a land corridor through southern Ukraine to the breakaway Moscow-backed region of Transnistria.

Transnistria broke away after a civil war in 1992, but is not recognized by most countries. It stretches about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the eastern bank of the Dniester River to the border with Ukraine. Russia has a contingent of around 1,500 soldiers there who act as “peacekeepers”.