Sergey Guneev
Moldovan officials are growing increasingly concerned that Transnistria’s request for “protection” from Russia is a sign that Russia is preparing to interfere in Moldova’s presidential election and European Union referendum later this year, a top Moldovan official told The Daily Beast.
Transnistria, the Russia-backed breakaway region in Moldova, held a special congress earlier this week to request “protection” from Russia. It’s a move which alarmed many that it could be part of an effort to give a green-light to Russia to continue executing on its territorial ambitions, lean on its troop presence of 1,500 in Transnistria, and possibly annex the region.
And while some Moldovan officials have said that the move was just a propaganda stunt, rather than inviting Russia to conduct a land grab, the move is part of Russia’s sweeping hybrid war against Moldova’s pro-western government, Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States, Viorel Ursu, warned in an interview. It’s an influence campaign aimed at spreading fear and chaos, which will only increase as Moldova’s elections and its EU referendum—a creep westwards Russia has long detested—loom large this year, Ursu warned.