The European Union (EU) has decided to send a civilian mission to Moldova to help the Eastern European country fight the growing pressure from outside, mainly the Kremlin’s efforts to destabilize the situation in the country, writes Politico.
In the statement released on Monday, the 24th of April, the officials confirmed that a series of reports indicate the Kremlin’s efforts to destabilize the situation in Moldova. The mission will focus on crisis management and aspects of hybrid threats, and help combat foreign information manipulation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced in February that Ukrainian security services had intercepted Russian plans to overthrow democracy and take control of Moldova. Moldovan President Maia Sandu later indicated that the plans included sabotage and violent actions by military personnel disguised as civilians.
Vlad Lupan, former Moldovan ambassador to the UN, and New York University professor said that the decision to send the mission to Moldova was made after it became clear that it would be very difficult for Moldova to fight Russian influence by itself. Lupan told Politico that the main task of the mission will be to demonstrate to citizens how
the EU rule of law and the basic principles of democracy, rather than Russian autocracy, create respectful and prosperous conditions.
Moldova has long been an ally of Moscow, and Russian troops are stationed in breakaway Transnistria. Sandu has repeatedly condemned the Kremlin for invading Ukraine and called for the withdrawal of Moscow’s forces from Moldova. Last June, EU leaders announced that both Moldova and Ukraine had become EU candidate countries.
However, Russia still has a great influence in Moldova – several popular Russian-language media operate in the country, and almost all the natural gas Moldova needs is imported from Russia. Following Moscow’s announcement of price hikes and supply cuts, Moldova turned to Brussels for help.
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