Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi has stated that Chișinău will take action in response to Russia’s holding presidential elections in unrecognised Transnistria [a breakaway state, internationally recognised as part of Moldova].

Popșoi noted in an interview with European Pravda that this is a recurring issue that the Moldovan authorities have faced before.

The minister stated that during the previous elections in Russia, as many as 24 polling stations were opened in the occupied Transnistrian region of Moldova. This time, they have announced plans to set up six.

"We have summoned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s Russian ambassador to express our strong protest to this.

We will take corresponding measures in the immediate future," Popșoi said.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov over reports of unauthorised polling stations opening for the sham presidential election in Russia.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry authorised the setting up of a polling station for the Russian presidential election only on the territory of the Russian Embassy in Chișinău.

Russia's sham presidential election is scheduled to take place on 17 March, however, a three-day voting period (15-17 March) was introduced for the first time this year, while voting in the Russian-occupied territories commenced ahead of schedule.

Russia's "elections" are not genuine elections in the democratic sense, as there is no real competition, and incumbent President Vladimir Putin is expected to secure the desired result through administrative resources and the repressive machine.