Moldovan president: Russia plans crisis in breakaway Transnistria to sway elections in Moldova
Moldovan President Maia Sandu believes Russia may trigger an even deeper crisis in Transnistria, the Russian-backed breakaway region on the left bank of the Dnister, in an effort to destabilise Moldova ahead of this autumn’s parliamentary elections and influence voting there.
As reported by Moldovan news outlet Newsmaker, Sandu expects the crisis to deepen in the coming months.
"All these years, Russia has been using the residents of Transnistria and can provoke an even greater crisis at any moment if it suits its plans in Moldova. We can expect this crisis to deepen in the coming months, before the elections," Sandu said on Moldovan TV channel PRO TV.
The president also believes that Russia may try not only to bribe voters in Transnistria but also to blackmail the population by deliberately provoking instability in the region.
"Russia may promise assistance in exchange for votes on the right bank [i.e. Moldovan government-controlled territory]. We can expect all kinds of games," she added.
Meanwhile, Sandu said that the relevant state authorities are assessing the risks and will do everything possible to ensure this autumn’s elections are free and fair.
"We will do everything possible to ensure that the elections are genuine," Sandu stressed, noting that the situation in Transnistria remains unstable and that Chișinău is ready to support the population of the left bank of the Dnister, but first the Moldovan authorities must resolve "the main problem – the withdrawal of Russian troops".
"This is a key issue that we must resolve peacefully, because otherwise we will not be able to justify our financial support," Sandu concluded.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said in an interview with the Financial Times that Russia wants to deploy 10,000 troops in the separatist Transnistrian region of Moldova and establish a pro-Kremlin government in Chișinău.
In response, Sandu said she had "certain information" that Russia was preparing to expand its military contingent in Transnistria.