Republic of Moldova: government resigns
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has tasked her security advisor Dorin Recean with forming a new government after the government led by Natalia Gavriliță resigned on Friday. Gavriliță's pro-EU government had been under pressure for months due to massive increases in energy and food prices. What role are pro-Russian forces playing here?
Moscow has a hand in events
Sociologist Sorin Ioniță writes in Contributors that Russia is trying to weaken the country with the help of fugitive oligarchs:
“Chişinău's European course is being undermined by Russia, which is trying to destabilise the country amid the economic crisis: ... Throughout 2022 this has been happening openly, there have been manipulations and paid protesters. ... This has seriously weakened the Gavriliţă government and led to the announcement of the necessary change in Chişinău. The sabotage and illegal political financing from abroad are being steered by the three fugitive oligarchs [Vlad Plahotniuc, Ilan Şor and Veaceslav Platon], all of whom have complicated relations with each other and are more or less closely linked to the Russian secret services.”
Sabotage hasn't worked so far
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned about a detailed plan by Russia to take control of the Republic of Moldova. RFI România voices doubts:
“Would the installation of a pro-Russian government in Chișinău translate into a breakthrough on the front for Russia? And how close are we to this scenario? We don't know exactly what the document quoted by President Zelensky contains, but the danger of a Russian advance into Transnistria and Moldova is much smaller now than it was in the spring of last year. ... At the beginning of last autumn there were ongoing street protests in Chișinău orchestrated by pro-Russian forces using paid demonstrators. But even that didn't work.”