Moldova’s parliament this week reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which recently entered its second year.
On March 2, a majority of Moldovan lawmakers endorsed a statement branding Russia’s “special military operation” as unprovoked and illegal, calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
The endorsement, however, was far from unanimous.
Only 55 of the assembly’s 101 members backed the statement, highlighting persistent divisions over the government’s stance on the conflict.
Moscow, meanwhile, has yet to issue an official reaction to the parliamentary declaration.
With a population of some 2.5 million, Moldova sits between Ukraine to its northeast and NATO member Romania to its southwest.
Like Ukraine, Moldova existed as a Soviet republic before the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu speaks during the third ministerial conference of the Moldova Support Platform at the Ministerial Conference Centre in Paris, France, on Nov. 21, 2022. YOAN VALAT/Pool via Reuters
Protests Persist Despite ‘Russian Plot’ Claims
On Feb. 28, thousands took to the streets of the capital Chisinau–for the second time in 10 days–to decry rampant inflation and skyrocketing energy costs.Protesters also called on the pro-western government not to let the country be pulled into a widening conflict with Russia.
Some demanded the resignation of President Maia Sandu, who was elected in 2020 with the aim of bringing Moldova into the EU.
Sandu, for her part, has sought to portray the protests as part of a Russian plot to destabilize the country and bring down her government.
In mid-February, she accused Moscow of conspiring “to overthrow the constitutional order” with the aim of putting Moldova “at the disposal of Russia and stopping the European integration process.”
This would be accomplished, Sandu alleged, through “violent actions, masked under protests of the so-called opposition.”
She did not provide any evidence for the claim, which was reportedly based on intelligence provided by Ukraine’s security services.
Moscow has since denied the allegations, calling them “unfounded and unsubstantiated.”
On Feb. 21, Sandu met U.S. President Joe Biden during the latter’s recent visit to Warsaw.
At the meeting, Biden “reaffirmed strong U.S. support for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a statement released by the White House.
On Feb. 27, the Moldovan authorities expelled two foreign nationals from the country for engaging in “subversive activities.”
In a statement, Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service claimed that the pair–whose nationalities were not disclosed–sought to instigate “violent change” to Moldova’s constitutional order.
A view of toppled Pridnestrovian radio center antennas, also known as "Grigoriopol transmitter," following blasts near Maiac, Grigoriopol, in Moldova's self-proclaimed separatist Transdniestria region on April 26, 2022. Transdniestrian Interior Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Trouble in Transnistria
The Moldovan authorities aren’t the only ones to issue warnings of foreign conspiracies.On Feb. 23, Moscow claimed Ukraine was planning to attack the eastern region of Transnistria, which broke from Moldova more than three decades ago.
A slim enclave that runs along eastern Moldova, Transnistria shares a roughly 280-mile border with Ukraine. Since 1991, the region has been administered by Russia.
With a population of 470,000, mostly Russian-speaking Transnistria remains home to 1,000 to 1,500 Russian troops.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kyiv planned to stage a “false-flag” attack in Ukraine to be used as a pretext to strike at Russian troops in Transnistria.
In a statement, the ministry claimed the alleged plan by Ukraine posed a “direct threat” to Russian forces deployed in the enclave.
“The armed forces of the Russian Federation will adequately respond to the impending provocation of the Ukrainian side,” it declared.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by asserting Kyiv’s “respect for the territorial integrity of Moldova.”
“We believe the territory of Transnistria is the territory of the independent state of Moldova,” Zelenskyy told reporters on Feb. 24.
Chisinau, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the Moldovan authorities “do not confirm” the Russian allegations.
“We call for calm and for information to be received [by the public] from official and credible sources of the Republic of Moldova,” it said.
Further complicating the situation, Transnistria is home to massive weapons depots that reportedly contain vast amounts of Soviet-era munitions.
On March 1, Vladimir Voronin, president of Moldova from 2001 to 2009, warned that the depots could pose a security threat.
“Transnistria must not be touched categorically; those depots must not be touched either,” Voronin said in televised comments cited by Russia’s TASS news agency.
“The protection of those depots should be bolstered, and security measures should be tightened,” he added. “Transnistria cannot be provoked into doing anything extraordinary.”
According to Vadim Krasnoselsky, Transnistria’s Moscow-aligned leader, the enclave was subject to several acts of sabotage last year–including one that targeted the arms depots.
The Epoch Times was unable to confirm the assertions.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
