The United States believes that individuals connected to Russian intelligence are planning to organize protests in Moldova to overthrow the government and install a pro-Russian government.
This was reported by CNN with reference to unnamed representatives of the White House.
According to them, the US believes that Russia is trying to weaken the Moldovan government, which seeks closer ties with the European Union. Washington also sees signs that individuals connected to the Russian government may be preparing anti-government demonstrations in Moldova.
The American side believes that Russia contributes to the spread of disinformation about stability in Moldova. One of the examples is the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense that Ukraine was allegedly planning an invasion of Transnistria. US officials stressed that these accusations are "unfounded, false and cause unwarranted alarm."
Although CNN does not name the names of its interlocutors, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, commented on the issue of Moldova at a briefing on Friday, reports Bloomberg.
"We are confident in Moldova’s democratic and economic institutions and their abilities to respond to these threats, and of course we will continue to provide robust support," he said, adding that the US had provided Moldova with intelligence about possible unrest.
The White House also promised to impose sanctions on those involved in Russiaʼs destabilization campaign in Moldova and to get congressional approval of a $300 million energy aid package for Chisinau.
- On the evening of February 23, Russia announced that Ukraine had stepped up preparations for an "invasion of Transnistria" in response to an alleged Russian offensive from the territory of the "PMR". The Russian Federation allegedly records "a significant accumulation of personnel and military equipment of Ukrainian units near the Ukrainian-Transnistrian border, the deployment of artillery at firing positions, as well as an unprecedented increase in the flights of unmanned aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the territory of the PMR."
- On February 20, 2023, in an interview with Die Welt, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Russia plans to change the government in Moldova, and he warned the countryʼs president, Maya Sanda, about this. Moldova and Russia do not share a border, so Zelensky suggested that the Russians could use the airport in Chisinau to transfer their troops. Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Rechan confirmed Zelenskyʼs statement.