Recent developments in Moldova, fueled by pro-Russian actors and echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, are raising concerns about potential future aggression by Russia, the U.S.-based think tank, Institute for the Study of War (ISW), stressed in a recent report.
The People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, a pro-Russian autonomous region within Moldova, appealed to the Moldovan Parliament to grant special legal status to the Russian language as a means of interethnic communication.
This appeal, according to an ISW analysis, “is likely part of Kremlin efforts to set information conditions to blame Moldova for discriminating against Russian speakers and justify future Russian aggression in Moldova as necessary to protect Russia’s ‘compatriots abroad’,” ISW wrote.
Yevgenia Gutsul, the Moscow-affiliated Governor of Gagauzia, accused the Moldovan government of being “Russophobic” and predicted resistance to the initiative. Gutsul’s statement to the Kremlin-controlled TASS agency underscores the narrative being crafted by pro-Russian forces within Moldova, portraying the government as hostile to Russian speakers.
Furthermore, Sergei Lavrov’s comparison of Moldova to Ukraine and Armenia during a radio interview with Russian state media further adds to the escalating tensions. Lavrov suggested that Moldova, like Ukraine and Armenia, is being coerced by the West into aligning with NATO or even unification with Romania.
Moreover, Lavrov’s criticism of Moldova and Armenia's moves towards the West, coupled with warnings of potential future conflicts with Russia, reflects a broader strategy of Russian interventionism in the region. Russian officials have explicitly threatened Armenia over its outreach to the West, suggesting that similar consequences could befall Moldova if it continues down the path of Western integration.
ISW’s assessment aligns with Lavrov’s comparison of the Moldovan government to its Ukrainian and Armenian counterparts, viewing it as part of a broader Kremlin strategy to destabilize Moldova, undermine its democratic institutions, and prevent its accession to the European Union.
This appeal, according to an ISW analysis, “is likely part of Kremlin efforts to set information conditions to blame Moldova for discriminating against Russian speakers and justify future Russian aggression in Moldova as necessary to protect Russia’s ‘compatriots abroad’,” ISW wrote.
Yevgenia Gutsul, the Moscow-affiliated Governor of Gagauzia, accused the Moldovan government of being “Russophobic” and predicted resistance to the initiative. Gutsul’s statement to the Kremlin-controlled TASS agency underscores the narrative being crafted by pro-Russian forces within Moldova, portraying the government as hostile to Russian speakers.
Furthermore, Sergei Lavrov’s comparison of Moldova to Ukraine and Armenia during a radio interview with Russian state media further adds to the escalating tensions. Lavrov suggested that Moldova, like Ukraine and Armenia, is being coerced by the West into aligning with NATO or even unification with Romania.
Moreover, Lavrov’s criticism of Moldova and Armenia's moves towards the West, coupled with warnings of potential future conflicts with Russia, reflects a broader strategy of Russian interventionism in the region. Russian officials have explicitly threatened Armenia over its outreach to the West, suggesting that similar consequences could befall Moldova if it continues down the path of Western integration.
ISW’s assessment aligns with Lavrov’s comparison of the Moldovan government to its Ukrainian and Armenian counterparts, viewing it as part of a broader Kremlin strategy to destabilize Moldova, undermine its democratic institutions, and prevent its accession to the European Union.
“ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin is likely trying to destabilize Moldovan society, attack Moldova’s democratic government, and prevent Moldova’s accession to the European Union,” the think tank noted.4/ Pro-Russian Moldovan actors continue to set conditions to justify possible future Russian aggression in Moldova as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov compared Moldova to Ukraine and Armenia.
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) April 20, 2024
Source: ISW
More In Politics MORE...
