Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Days after a Russian missile breached Moldovan airspace en route to a Ukraine target, the former Soviet country says it is in the Kremlin’s sights. President Maia Sandu confirmed reports by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia is working to undermine Moldova’s government, even as the U.S. State Department tamped down such threats. On Monday, Sandu called for new laws to help defend the country from what many see as an inevitable next step for Putin.
Zelensky raised the alarm when he told the European Union summit that Kyiv had “intercepted the plan for the destruction of Moldova by Russian intelligence.” He went on to say that the “document” shows “who, when and how it is going to break the democracy of Moldova and establish control over Moldova.”
Vedant Patel, State Department spokesman, said last week that their intelligence indicated no direct threat to the eastern European country, but Sandu said over the weekend that internal intelligence backed up by Ukraine documents pointed otherwise. “Documents received from our Ukrainian partners show documentation of the locations and logistical aspects of organizing these subversions,” Sandu said in a televised address. “The plan also involves the use of people from outside the country for violent actions.”