
Russia may provoke crisis in Transnistria ahead of Moldova's elections, Sandu warns
"All these years, Russia has been using the residents of Transnistria and can provoke an even greater crisis at any moment," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
"All these years, Russia has been using the residents of Transnistria and can provoke an even greater crisis at any moment," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
The unrecognized region, located in eastern Moldova along the Ukrainian border, has faced growing energy shortages since January, when Russian gas giant Gazprom halted deliveries to the territory.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that Tiraspol rejected the EU's financial assistance allegedly due to conditions attached to the aid package. He attributed the decision to Russian influence.
Moscow funneled a total of $39 million in a scheme led by a pro-Russian oligarch aimed at influencing election results by paying ordinary citizens to vote against closer ties with the West, the country's national police chief said on Oct. 24.
Moldova's Security and Intelligence Service is conducting a search on the premises of the Moldovan Parliament due to an investigation into a case of Russian espionage, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's Moldovan Service reported on July 31.