The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, told the Financial Times in an interview that the owner of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin planned to stage a coup in the country in early 2023 in order to remove her from power.
“The information we have is that this was a plan developed by Prigozhinʼs team. They wanted anti-government protests to turn violent. The situation is really dramatic and we have to protect ourselves," added Sandu.
According to her, Russia used various methods to bribe voters and protesters and continues to do so. For example, he illegally brings money into the country, distributes bank cards issued in Dubai, organizes the transfer of people to the Russian Federation through Georgia so that they can transport money, etc.
Moldovan special services discovered at least €20 million of Russian finances that appeared in the country for political purposes, but the real figure, according to Sandu, could be higher.
At the same time, the Russian Federation blackmailed Moldova, as the president says, with energy resources, cyberattacked, and threatened riots in the unrecognized Transnistria.
- 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. According to the US, Russia is working to weaken the Moldovan government, which seeks closer ties with the European Union.
- In March 2023, pro-Russian rallies were held in the capital of Moldova. The protesters, mostly of retirement age, took with them posters criticizing the current government and Orthodox icons. The Shor party, which openly sympathizes with Russia, also came to the rally.
- In October 2022, the Shor party was added to the US sanctions list as a movement associated with Ilar Shor, who was sanctioned by the US for organizing riots to undermine the democratic development of Moldova.