CHISINAU, Moldova — On Friday, John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, made a surprise announcement at a White House press briefing. U.S. intelligence, he said, had determined that the Kremlin was plotting to topple another European democracy. 'Russian actors, some with current ties to Russian intelligence, are seeking to stage and use protests in Moldova as a basis to foment a manufactured insurrection against the Moldovan government,' Kirby declared.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin’s geopolitical ambitions for Moldova go far beyond such protests.
Moldova, not much larger than Maryland, has a population of about 2.6 million. In the early months of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it absorbed 430,000, more per capita than any other country. Moldova's incredibly weak economy — it is one of Europe's poorest countries — is generally seen as a major liability should Russia's war bleed over its borders.
But Belarus and Moldova are on very different trajectories. Where Belarus has grown more beholden to Moscow as it consolidates its authoritarianism, Moldova has joined Ukraine in moving away from Russia’s orbit and towards the West. Russia doesn’t let its ex-Soviet bloc states drift away easily; typically it blames the U.S., NATO and the EU for engaging in the sort of internal interference in which it specializes itself.
“Obviously, Russia is co-financing these protests and attempts to destabilize the country,” Recean told Yahoo News. “They are looking to recruit tough guys in order to attack police, in order to attack government buildings and companies and make these kinds of provocations that would lead to destabilization.”
Moscow, as per the document, seeks the “neutralization of attempts to limit the activities of Russian and pro-Russian media in Moldova,” “the creation of a network of NGOs promoting the development of Russian-Moldovan relations” and the expansion of opportunities for Moldovan students to receive education in the Russian language.
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