Moldovan President Maia Sandu, during a special briefing on Monday, February 13, accused Russia of allegedly preparing to carry out sabotage in the republic and asked the parliament to expand the powers of the special services.

“Attacks on Moldova are being prepared.

Plans for the near future include actions involving military-trained saboteurs who will attack some government buildings, taking hostages.

The so-called opposition wants to change power in Chisinau.

Parliament should adopt projects as soon as possible that will give the Information and Security Service and the Prosecutor's Office the opportunity to deal with risks to the country's security," Sandu said.

The head of state claims that the purpose of the mentioned "sabotage" is to overthrow the current government and "put the country at the disposal of Russia."

According to Sandu, the Moldovan special services confirmed the statement made last week by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Moscow intends to undermine the situation in the republic.

Moreover, according to the head of state, the energy crisis and large-scale opposition protests in the country are also part of the destabilization campaign.

The President added that the authors of the plan rely on the opposition Shor party and supporters of the oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc who left the republic, and citizens of Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro will be involved in anti-constitutional actions.

“Everyone involved in anti-state activities — outside elements, members of political parties and criminal gangs, and all those who defend them — must be held accountable,” she said.

Kyiv connection

Recall, on February 9, Volodymyr Zelensky, during a speech at the European Council, said that he had handed over to Maia Sandu a “plan for destroying the political situation” in the country.

“I spoke with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and informed her that our intelligence managed to intercept a detailed Russian plan to destroy the political situation in Moldova.

A Russian document that shows who, when and after what actions is going to break Moldova and the democratic order and establish their control over it, ”RIA Novosti quotes Zelensky.

Commenting on the situation, Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, noted that Sandu’s statements about alleged sabotage and a coup d’etat, which are based on Zelensky’s words, look ambiguous.

“If Ukraine provides intelligence information, it turns out that Ukrainian intelligence is working on the territory of Moldova and has more influence than the Moldovans themselves.

She decides what and when Moldovan citizens should do, believing that they are preparing a coup.

Very ambiguous and clumsy,” Olenchenko said.

The expert also recalled that Zelensky made statements about the need to ensure the security of Moldova.

“Independent experts suggest that Kyiv would like to involve Moldova in the same situation that exists in Ukraine,” the RT interlocutor added.

In turn, the deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, a member of the Civic Chamber of Russia, Nikita Danyuk, also noted that Sandu's statements about the impending "attack" on the country are an attempt to "turn Moldova into a second Ukraine."

“That is, to form the most Russophobic political regime, to turn the population against it,” the analyst emphasized.

He also suggested that for this it is necessary to provide additional powers to the special services.

They, according to Danyuk, will be engaged in identifying people, political forces who believe that Moldova is a hostage to Sandu's policy.

  • Protesters in Chisinau, November 13, 2022

  • © Vudi Xhymshiti

Usurpation of power

In response to Sandu's statement, the Shor party accused her of usurping power and called on the opposition to joint protests.

The vice-chairman of the party, Marina Tauber, said that Sandu would continue to violate and restrict the rights of the citizens of the republic due to growing dissatisfaction with the policies of her pro-European government and the desire to retain power.

In turn, the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS) of Moldova called the president's words irresponsible and demanded that the public be provided with evidence confirming them.

“Otherwise, such statements are a provocation aimed at drawing Moldova into a military conflict, whipping up hysteria in society, intimidating the opposition and intensifying political repression against all those who disagree within the country,” the party said.

In addition, the BCS called for the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early elections.

“The appointment of a new cabinet of ministers will not change the situation.

Numerous public opinion polls and conversations with residents of cities and villages across the country testify: citizens demand a complete change of power, ”TASS quotes the words of the executive secretary of the Socialist Party Vlad Batryncha.

New "anti-Russia"

It is worth noting that in early February, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the West was considering Moldova as a new anti-Russian project at the state level.

“Now Moldova is eyeing this role.

First of all, because they were able to put a president at the head of the country by quite specific methods, far from free-democratic, which itself is eager to join NATO.

Sandu has Romanian citizenship, is ready to unite with Romania and is generally ready for almost anything, ”said the diplomat in an interview with Russia 24 TV channel.

Lavrov also recalled that Sandu and her government refuse to resume negotiations in the 5 + 2 format (which includes Chisinau, Tiraspol, Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE and EU and US observers) on the Transnistrian problem and are preparing to resolve this issue by force.

Later, the director of the Second Department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexei Polishchuk, said that the West and Kyiv were pushing Chisinau to abandon the neutral status fixed in the country's Constitution.

“Some time ago, exactly the same thing happened with Ukraine itself, in the footsteps of which Moldova is being led today,” the diplomat stressed.

"Concentrate all power in your hands"

Political analysts interviewed by RT note that Maia Sandu is trying to stay in power and for this he resorts to methods that have already been tested by the Zelensky administration and the Ukrainian special services.

“Sandu uses the unfounded statements about the coup that Kyiv provided to her in order to activate the work of the special services, to suppress human rights activists and oppositionists.

She needs an advantage in the situation of the “ideal political split” that has now developed in the country, in which the forces of the government and the opposition are approximately equal,” Andrey Suzdaltsev said.

  • Police officers detain a participant in an opposition protest in Chisinau, October 30, 2022

  • RIA News

  • © Rodion Proka

In addition, Sandu openly plays along with the Zelensky administration with his statements, the expert added: “Ukraine initiated this informational stuffing, announcing a possible coup d'état and sabotage, because Kiev is very worried about Pridnestrovie with its huge ammunition that has remained there since the times of the USSR.

Ukraine is looking for any option to break through to these reserves.

For her, the destabilization of Moldova would be very helpful.”

RISS expert Oleg Nemensky also believes that Maia Sandu is trying to take advantage of the military-political situation in the region in order to stay in power.

“Moldova is in a serious political crisis, and these are Sandu’s attempts to concentrate all power in his own hands,” the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

He also expressed the opinion that the president might try to use the theme of the coup allegedly being prepared by Russia to resolve the Transnistrian issue.

“She obviously has intentions to solve it, and military operations on the territory of Ukraine create conditions for this.

But Sandu does not take into account that the consequences of such a step will be very ambiguous, so such a decision will not be made in Chisinau.

The accusations against Russia create an informational background for this,” he said.

According to Andrei Suzdaltsev, under these conditions, Sandu decided to try to limit the rights of Moldovan citizens through parliament and maintain her position.

In addition, the public fuss about the “Russian coup” is another appeal to the West for support, the political scientist believes.

“Sandu is trying to maintain the status quo, but it is not working, because stability in the country depends on Russian gas supplies.

There is no way out for Moldova now.

She could go to the side of Ukraine, but she will lose gas.

If he goes to the side of NATO and the European Union, he will again face energy problems.

Moldova is tied to energy.

This is primarily due to Transnistria, which is the industrial core of Moldova.

She has limited room for maneuver," he said.

Experts add that strengthening the special services of the republic, clearing the political field of the opposition and possible destabilization of the situation in Moldova is beneficial not only to Ukraine, but also to the collective West, which will receive another tool to contain Russia.

“For them, Moldova is of interest only as another potential enemy of Russia,” Suzdaltsev concluded.