The Republic of Moldova should break the vicious chain of its isolation from the Euro-Atlantic world by strengthening the early warning and crisis management mechanisms against increasingly noxious attempts to disrupt the internal peace by different hybrid actions, said Moldova’s former Ambassador to the U.S. Igor Munteanu, being quoted by IPN.
According to him, the recent activity of groups of the so-called National Liberation Movement (NOD), which challenge Moldova’s legislation and urge, by collecting signatures, to restore the USSR by empowering the Russian Federation to freely modify the borders according to those that existed in 1945, is subversive and hostile and should be stopped. The timidity of the state bodies in these situations cannot be understood. It is evident that the resumption of the old Putinist narrative, according to which the dismemberment of the USSR was a catastrophe and the Russian “special operation” is the only way by which Western colonialism can be eliminated, is a definite attempt to destabilize political life in the Republic of Moldova. The authorities should know that the opponent works hastily on its project and is merciless.
Igor Munteanu noted it is evident that Russia will try to profit from the current government’s inexperience in security as from a field advantage by spreading chaos and despair among the citizens. “An honest assessment shows that the number of subversive actions during the last ten days doubled in a number of localities in the Republic of Moldova, increasing the danger. We must be concerned about the pro-Putin groups’ capacity to mobilize the population and to do harm by actions to disconnect critical infrastructure during the next few weeks as the Republic of Moldova is attacked there where there are no authentic reforms, where they dally or imitate superficial changes, keeping the status quo and the interests of kleptocratic groups (energy, transport, drinking water)”.
Igor Munteanu said the recent decisions to suddenly decrease the amounts of supplied gas were accompanied by the activation of the subversive movements. Moldova enters a very volatile period during which the Government cannot resort to experiments and covering of programmed failures. “Moscow is cynical when it pursues its goals and now that its military successes in Ukraine diminished, we should be bothered by any attempt to obtain success in a yet vulnerable state like the Republic of Moldova and are obliged to act strategically and overcome the lethargy that now characterizes the security and defense sector in general and with small exceptions”.
The former ambassador to the U.S. noted that in eight months of the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova remains in the same zone of fragility and external threats. “Moldova’s territory is crossed by cruise missiles that destroy the population and cities of Ukraine. Russia flagrantly violates the provisions of the Moldovan-Russian political treaty, while the officials hypothetically speak about presumptive response ”measures” as if someone automatically ensures the security guarantees that are not covered by the so-called neutrality. Sometimes, it seems there is shared psychosis, especially when these insist on “nonlethal assistance” or on obligations and guarantees that no one offered to us. We must go beyond the condemnation of the crimes committed by the Russian state in Ukraine. We need initiatives. We must set up air defense and early warning systems before the next cruise missiles enter our airspace,” concluded Igor Munteanu.
