Sandu: Russia Plans Transnistria Crisis to Influence Moldova Elections

Moldovan President Maia Sandu believes that Russia may provoke an even greater crisis in Transnistria in order to destabilize the situation in Moldova ahead of this fall's parliamentary elections and influence the voting on the left bank of the Dniester.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to NewsMaker.md.

“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.

She also expressed the opinion that Russia may try not only to bribe voters on the left bank of the Dniester, but also to blackmail the population by deliberately provoking instability in the region.

The president added that Moscow “may promise assistance in exchange for votes on the right bank.”

At the same time, the head of state assured that the responsible state structures are studying the risks and will do everything possible to ensure that this fall's elections are free and fair.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that the elections are genuine,” Sandu assured.

She noted that the situation in Transnistria remains unstable and that Chisinau is ready to support the population of the left bank, 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 said.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia is attempting to deploy up to 10,000 troops in Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria and hopes to use political interference to enable the buildup, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean warned.