Title: Kremlin Moves to Disrupt Moldova Amid EU Integration Plans
Moscow is engineering an information campaign to destabilize Moldova, according to intelligence assessments. The primary goal, analysts believe, is to impede Chisinau’s pursuit of European Union integration.
The Institute for the Study of War analyzed information from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) dated December 23. The SVR claimed that Moldovan President Maia Sandu is drafting a plan for a military operation against the breakaway region of Pridnestrovye (Transnistria). Moscow swiftly warned that such an action would trigger a war.
Russian media outlets, including Z-publishers, assert that Sandu’s plan is a response to Russia’s refusal to supply gas via Ukrainian territory. Reports suggest that the Kuchurgan power plant could be targeted. However, Moldovan officials deny these allegations.
"The Kremlin has a long history of using gas and energy blackmail to foment instability in Moldova," said Doriin Recean, Moldovan Prime Minister. "By creating panic and mistrust, they aim to undermine our government’s pro-Western agenda. Moreover, they could be setting the stage for a false-flag operation in Pridnestrovye."
This isn’t the first time the Kremlin has attempted to influence Moldovan politics.arlier reports suggested Russia intervened in Moldova’s election process.
Experts caution that any new conflict in Transnistria, under the pretext of Sandu’s alleged plans, could spark a wider crisis, potentially drawing in neighboring Ukraine.
Article originally published on Dialog.UA.
