Before invading Ukraine, the Kremlin worked out a stagey for politically and economically subduing Moldova and members of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation actively communicated with the custodian of the “Moldovan department” of the FSB, IPN reports, with reference to the international journalistic investigation “The Kremlin’s Plan for Moldova”.
In a comment for IPN, RISE journalist Vladimir Thorik, co-author of the investigation, said the objectives of this strategy were thought up in the same Kremlin department that prepared the plan of absorption of Belarus.
“The Kremlin’s strategy for Moldova turned out to be more delicate: the administration of President Vladimir Putin plans to maintain the country’s dependence on Russian gas, to impose the Russia language, to create in Moldova a network of NGOs controlled by the Kremlin, to continue the campaign to discredit the North Atlantic Alliance and the Romanian influence, to increase the pro-Russian electoral pool, to cultivate Moldovan public and political personalities in circles loyal to Russia,” stated Vladimir Thorik.
The co-author of the investigation noted that the document was designed by the same Presidential Directorate for Crossborder Cooperation that worked out a similar plan for annexing Belarus to Russia. It was thought up in 2021 with the involvement of the General Staff of Russia and Russian intelligence services, FSB, SVR and GRU.
“The strategy was written by mates from the “Moldova department” of the Kremlin, which is already known owing to the “Kremlinovici” investigation and was led by colonel of the Foreign Intelligence Service Igor Maslov. Owing to mobile phone bills, we saw that the employees of this department, in the midst of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is in 2022, actively called Moldova’s custodian at the FSB, general Dmitry Milyutin,” said the investigative journalist.
According to him, the current Russian authorities planned to extend their influence on the Republic of Moldovan in three area: military-political, economic and humanitarian, while the objectives of the strategy are classified into three periods: short term (until 2022), medium term (until 2025) and long term (until 2030).
In a comment for the authors of the investigation, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that Russia could be interested in increasing the state of uncertainty, fear and anxiety and also the spirits of protest among the population.
“From military viewpoint, they [Russian authorities] now do not have the necessary resources and circumstances to take serious steps [against Moldova]. They cannot attack from Transnistria. They cannot ensure sufficient coordination,” considers the Moldovan Premier.
