Moldovan exports to Russia could be further limited, while cyberattacks and disinformation operations against Moldova could intensify. These are some of the sanctions that Russia could impose on Moldova after 45 Russian Embassy staff were told to leave the country, thinks Andrei Curăraru, according to whom the adoption of a diplomatic parity approach in relation to Russia has been a tough but necessary measure.
If Russia does decide to impose economic sanctions, this will not significantly affect our economy, as the share of exports to Russia has decreased considerably in recent years, notes the expert.
“It’s been a tough but necessary diplomatic measure. The Russian Embassy was caught engaging in subversive activity and Moldova had to react. There are not many options for how Moldova can react to a diplomatic scandal, and the chosen method has been to reduce the capability of the Russian Federation staff in the Republic of Moldova. There’s a saying that diplomatic staff are licensed spies with diplomatic immunity, and there’s not much you can do about it. The Russian Federation has exhausted its diplomatic instruments with which it could sanction Moldova. Exports could decrease. We can also witness pressure from the Russian Federation on its allies, primarily Belarus, to replicate such measures, because we still do some exports to Belarus. We also need to watch out for possible cyberattacks and disinformation operations”, said expert Andrei Curăraru in an interview with Radio Moldova.
“The message from Chisinau was that Russia’s interventions, especially since we have local elections ahead, are no longer condoned, and operations that were carried out in the past will no longer be possible, at least not under diplomatic cover. Often times, people who are advertised as cultural or economic diplomats perform dual functions, such as gathering intelligence or supervising operatives. Most likely, among the 45 staff there were people who performed such functions. An embassy in such a small country Moldova would do just fine with much fewer employees”, says Andrei Curăraru.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Chisinau’s decision as “an unfriendly gesture that will have serious consequences” on the bilateral relationship.
