In a interview with FRANCE 24, Moldova's minister of internal affairs said that Moscow was attempting to "reinstall a pro-Russian government" in Moldova, and that "Russian interest groups" and "fugitive oligarchs" were behind recent protests calling for the resignation of the pro-Western President Maia Sandu. "There is clear evidence that these so-called protests were financed, that the transportation of people to Chisinau [was] being truly organised, very well targeted, in clear places and clear timing with clear instructions. And [in] the media space, there is clearly pro-Russian propaganda, there is [a] clear pro-Russian narrative. If you look into the investigations about the cyber attacks, many of the IP addresses were coming from Russia," Ana Revenco said.
Speaking to FRANCE 24's Elena Volochine in Moldova's capital Chisinau, Revenco also said that joining the European Union is "the only chance and the only choice we have if we want to live in a world where all choices are made freely”.
"Russia never gave up on its plan to keep Moldova under its control," Revenco added. "But the more we steadily continue our path towards European integration, the more aggressive and the more abusive are the actions of Russia", she said, vowing that Moldova will "resist".
Among the obstacles to Moldova's accession to the European Union are endemic corruption, as well as Transnistria, a breakaway territory within Moldova that has housed Russian troops for decades, sparking fears that Moscow's war could stretch beyond Ukraine's borders and expand the conflict to eastern Europe. "Demilitarisation has to start immediately," Revenco said of Transnistria.
