Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of using “saboteurs” disguised as civilians to stoke unrest amid a period of political instability, echoing similar warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile baselessly accused Kyiv of planning its own assault on a pro-Russian territory in Moldova, where Moscow has a military foothold. Then on Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence accused Ukraine of “preparing an armed provocation” against Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria “in the near future,” state media TASS reported. No evidence or further details were offered to support the ministry’s accusation, and it has been rubbished by Moldova. Transnistria was not recognized internationally, even by Russia, but Moldovan forces left it a de facto breakaway state.

Source: CNN February 27, 2023 07:32 UTC