Moldova's Foreign Minister: Russia attempting to overthrow democratic government in Chișinău

Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi, has stated that the country faces numerous threats from Russia on its path to EU membership.

"The Russians are learning and adapting, and they’re trying to use the democratic process against us … to topple the democratic government in Moldova," noted Popșoi in an interview with AP. 

He said that Chișinău knows that the Kremlin plans to invest "a lot of energy and financial resources" into their efforts to achieve their goals, including through the bribery of Moldovan citizens, via their proxies.

The minister also acknowledged that the situation in unrecognised Transnistria remains tense, and he fears that speculations about the region’s stability could negatively impact investments in the country. 

At the same time, he highlighted Moldova's progress in ensuring energy security, where the country is "quite independent or has alternatives and can choose where to buy gas and electricity."

Popșoi also emphasised that a significant number of Moldovans still live under the influence of Russian propaganda, which made "a bogeyman out of NATO." 

"But that doesn’t stop us from cooperating with our NATO partners and building resilience in our armed forces," Popșoi pointed out.

Earlier, Alexandru Musteață, Director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), stated that Russia would attempt to interfere in the presidential and parliamentary elections and provoke social conflicts in Gagauzia and Transnistria to compromise Moldova's EU accession.

At the same time, Mihai Popșoi warned that Russia would continue its hybrid warfare in 2024 on the eve of the presidential elections and the referendum on the country's accession to the European Union.

Prior to this, it was reported that European states were discussing how to strengthen military support for Moldova, which is facing destabilisation by Russia.