Moldova's pro-Russian former president attacked Sandu for holding press conference on same day as Putin

Igor Dodon, the pro-Russian former president of Moldova and leader of the Socialist Party, has said that the country's leader, Maia Sandu, "on purpose" gave a press conference at the same time as Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

NewsMaker reports that Sandu held a press conference for journalists on Thursday, 19 December.

Dodon believes that she did it "on purpose" at the same time as Putin. 

"Maia Sandu, haven't you overstepped your bounds? Do you think you are a queen? I understand that you live in a different world," Igor Dodon said.

The former president said he would watch the Kremlin leader's press conference if possible.

The day before, when asked Vladimir Putin whether he would change his decision to invade Ukraine on a large-scale basis if he could return to February 2022, the Russian leader said that the so-called "special military operation" (SVO) – as Russian propaganda refers to the war against Ukraine – should have been launched even earlier.

After incumbent President Sandu's victory in early November's elections, Dodon called her the "president of the diaspora."

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin, said that Sandu could not be considered the country's president.