Russia taking over Moldova threatens Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, president Sandu says
If Moscow gains control over Moldova, the country could become a staging ground for an invasion of Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Sept. 22, local outlet NewsMaker reported.
Sandu made the remarks during a speech ahead of Sept. 28 parliamentary elections in Moldova.
“Today, I solemnly tell you that our sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and European future are under threat,” Sandu said.
She accused the Kremlin of spending vast amounts of cash to bribe hundreds of thousands of voters ahead of the elections. Sandu added that some individuals are being paid to sow chaos, commit violence, and intimidate the public.
Sandu urged citizens to resist any attempt by foreign powers to capture Moldova’s institutions. She warned that Russian domination would not only harm her country but also destabilize the wider region.
“All Moldovans will suffer; Europe will end at Moldova’s border; European funding will stop at the Prut River; freedom of movement could be curtailed,” she said.
“Our land could become a staging ground for an invasion into [Ukraine’s] Odesa Oblast. Transnistria would be destabilized,” she said.
Earlier on Sept. 22, Moldovan authorities arrested 74 people suspected of training in Serbia to organize mass unrest during the parliamentary elections. Officials say Russian security services orchestrated the operation and that the detainees have ties to pro-Russian Moldovan political parties and criminal groups.
Bloomberg reported that the Kremlin had developed a plan to interfere in Moldova’s elections to derail the country’s EU integration and weaken Sandu’s political position.
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