Maia Sandu accuses Moscow of planning a coup in the Republic of Moldova, with fighters from Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro

“Forces outside the Republic of Moldova are planning to change the leadership in Chisinau through violent actions, with the aim of replacing the pro-European government with one loyal to Moscow”, said the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, in a briefing on state security on Monday.

Maia Sandu stressed that institutions in charge of security in Chisinau confirmed the Russian Federation’s plans to destabilize the Republic of Moldova which the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had also spoken of at the latest European Council. Plans to overthrow the government in Chisinau were intercepted by Ukraine and confirmed by the intelligence and security services of the Republic of Moldova.

The Russian plan involves attacks on state institutions and hostage-taking by fighters from Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro

According to the Moldovan president, the Russian plan involves para-military units of foreign fighters, in civilian clothes, which would have attacked state institutions and taken hostages, the actions being masked by protests of the pro-Russian opposition:

“The plan for the next period involves saboteurs with a military background, camouflaged in civilian clothes, to undertake violent actions, attacks on state institutions and take hostage. Through violent actions disguised as protests by the so-called opposition, the change of power in Chișinău would be forced”.

She said that the documents received from the Ukrainian partners show a good knowledge of the locations and logistical details needed to organize these subversive actions. “Also, the plan entails the use of people from outside the country for violent actions. For example, the documents contain instructions on the rules of entry into the Republic of Moldova for citizens of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro”, Maia Sandu said.

In carrying out the plan, its authors are counting on several internal forces, but especially on criminal groups such as the Shor party, on some veterans, former employees of law enforcement agencies, and on many people connected to the fugitive oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, Maia Sandu claims. She stated that the purpose of these actions is to change the legitimate government in Chisinau with one that would put the country at the disposal of Russia, to stop the process of European integration, and to use Moldova as an instrument in the war against Ukraine.

Maia Sandu called on the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to quickly adopt the laws that would provide the country’s Intelligence and Security Service and the Prosecutor's Office with the necessary means to fight more efficiently against national security threats. At the same time, President Sandu gave assurances that the state institutions are working to prevent these challenges and keep the situation under control.

It should be noted that on February 10, when Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița announced her resignation , both she, President Maia Sandu and the Prime Minister-designate Dorin Recean referred to the complicated security situation facing the Republic of Moldova.

Russian plans to attack Moldova, in focus since 2022. Moscow's hybrid war against Chisinau and the Chechens who are allegedly planning a coup

Maia Sandu has stated that Russia's plan is not new and that there have been attempts to destabilize the situation and undermine the state since the autumn of last year, but that they did not achieve their objective due to the prompt interventions of the security institutions, which thwarted attempts at violence. According to Maia Sandu, in the fall the focus was on the energy crisis, which was supposed to cause major discontent among the population and lead to violent protests.

However, Russian plans regarding an aggression against the Republic of Moldova have been kept a close eye on since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In March, images emerged of the president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, in front of a military map showing the Russian army’s directions of movement and targets, one of which was Transnistria. In April, the deputy commander of Russia's Central Military District, General Rustam Minakaev, said that if Russia gained control of southern Ukraine, it would get “another way out to Transnistria, where cases of oppression of the Russian speaking population have been recorded”.

In the fall of 2022, more and more elements had appeared suggesting that Russia was already waging a hybrid war against the Republic of Moldova , and later Maia Sandu explicitly said that her country was facing such a conflict. In December, the director of the Security Service spoke on the public television in Chisinau about Russia’s plans to invade the Republic of Moldova.

Most recently, the head of the Supreme Security Council of Ukraine, Alexei Danilov, said that Russia could organize a coup in the Republic of Moldova with the involvement of Ramzan Kadyrov’s Chechen fighters.