As Bakhmut’s war rages in Ukraine, and Russia prepares to launch a major new military action, there is another country that fears Moscow may become the next center of its expansionist ambitions: Moldova. Struggling with a series of problems aggravated by the occupation on its borders, the nation is now dealing with alleged intervention attempts by Vladimir Putin, allegedly carried out by an oligarch close to the Kremlin.
The former Soviet republic continues to host thousands of Ukrainian refugees every day, according to UNHCR data, which is roughly one million, or more than a third of its population of 2.6 million. Adding to the migration crisis is the energy crisis, which, by a decision taken by Gazprom, was exacerbated by the sharp decline in gas supplies from Russia, which led to a spike in prices and, as a result, to an increase in general discontent. In this incandescent climate, President Maia Sandu, after accepting the resignation of pro-EU prime minister Natalia Gavrilita, accused Moscow of trying to destabilize the nation by supporting acts of violence disguised as opposition protests.
The president then spoke openly of the “energy blackmail”, referring to Gazprom’s maneuver to block gas supplies, which created a rapid inflationary spiral inside the country and exceeded Europe’s highest figure of 34% in the days following the event. Sandu later announced that local authorities would confirm the alleged conspiracy, which was first condemned by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week. Kiev alleges that Russian military leaders intercepted a series of communications that included a covert plan to invade Transnistria, a sort of pro-Russian outpost on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, on the Donbass model.
Transnistria is a small secessionist enclave with its capital in Tiraspol not recognized by any UN country (not even Moscow) born of an armed uprising after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. There are currently 1,500 soldiers. The Russians were stationed in what was a de facto independent state. These soldiers were sent as peacekeeping troops after the uprising, again with the consent of Chisinau (Moldova’s capital), but with a commitment to leave the country a year later. It’s 30 and they’re still there.
This sparsely populated land strip, less than 200 kilometers long, is very important for the Kremlin, both geographically and strategically, as it is part of the shortest link between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea and is located right within it. As Geopop reports, it’s in the Cobasna region, the largest arsenal of weapons and ammunition in Eastern Europe, in a Soviet-era region with explosive counts in excess of 20,000 tons. The annexation of Transnistria could allow Russia to control Moldavia and Romania and create a bridgehead for possible further expansion in the region. It is beneficial for Moscow, because its existence prevents Chisinau from requesting to join NATO, since the organization’s charter stipulates that prospective members will not suffer from regional problems internally.
According to the information revealed by the Ukrainian and American intelligence, the Trojan horse on the Kremlin’s Moldovan chessboard would bear the name of the Jewish oligarch Ilan Shor, who was very active among televisions and duty-free sales in the country. , insurance and football teams. The man was the author of the so-called “scam of the century”, a massive multibillion-dollar scam against three national banks in 2014, for which he was sentenced to a period of house arrest. After his sentence ended, Shor entered the world of politics by founding the Sor Party, a powerful populist party formation that was born to attract a large portion of pro-Russian voters and fuel discontent with the country’s leadership. From 2020, it has completely entered the Western domain, especially after Moldova was given the green light to join the EU.
Shor is accused not only of having close ties to the Kremlin, but also of taking a salary from Russia’s Federal Security Service in an effort to erode consensus for the Sandu presidency and bring Chisinau back under Moscow’s wing. Doubts about the oligarch figure were further fueled after his visit to the Russian State Duma last September, where he was described as “trusted partners” by international leaders Leonid Slutsky, chairman of Shor and his party’s Russian affairs committee. Ears of the US Treasury Department, which succeeded in issuing a fine within a month after placing Shor at the top of a list of 12 people accused of supporting “Russian destabilization campaigns in Moldova”, reported by Radio Free Europe.
According to the U.S. Treasury, “Shor worked with Russian figures to form a political alliance that could lift him to the top of the Moldovan parliament”, and when this goal was achieved, the oligarch would respond by “issuing various legislative acts in the country.” The interests of the Russian Federation”. In the first phase of President Sandu’s term of office for 2020-2021, this initiative faltered under the blows of the majority of the electorate’s agreement to reconcile with European institutions, but the crises triggered by the Ukraine conflict gave new strength. A front similar to the influence of Moscow.
“The only way forward for the new Moldovan government is to disconnect from Russian energy sources” and “find new energy sources from reliable European partners,” said Dionis Cenusa, visiting researcher at the Eastern Europe research center in Vilnius. To achieve this, support for Chişinău came from Romania, which provides the equivalent of 30% of the country’s energy needs and 70% of its electricity needs, jeopardized by the geographical location of the country’s two largest power stations in Transnistria. This allowed Sandu to save time and alleviate energy expenditures of Moldovan families, which reached 75% of disposable income by the end of 2022. To the anchor initiated by Bucharest should be added the financing plan of more than EUR 145 million programmed by the EU; this is a medium to long term solution that could restart the Moldovan economy, but it is still in the approval phase.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
