In brief

• Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned that Russia will make new attempts to destabilize Moldova in the coming months.
• Sandu said Russia opposes Moldova's EU membership bid more than any other country and criticized Moldovan politicians she sees as backing Moscow.
• She previously claimed Russia tried to use Moldova as a platform against Ukraine and the EU, a plan voters thwarted at the polls.

Warning after National Security Council meeting

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Russia will soon make another attempt to unsettle the country and give the impression that it is unstable (Sandu warns of new Russian attempts to destabilize Moldova – Ukrinform) (M. Sandu perspėja dėl naujų Rusijos mėginimų destabilizuoti Moldovą – Bernardinai.lt) (Maia Sandu perspėja dėl naujų Rusijos mėginimų destabilizuoti Moldovą – LRT). She spoke after a session of the National Security Council.

Russia's opposition to EU bid

According to Sandu, no other country is as opposed to Moldova's aspiration to join the European Union as Russia. She said Moscow does not want Moldova to develop and pointed to Moldovan politicians who, in her view, support Russian actions.

Calls for rapid response

Sandu stressed that Moldovan authorities must be prepared to act without delay to block Moscow's efforts to destabilize the country. She said such attempts could come in the coming months and later, aimed at hindering Moldova's path to the EU. She added that the state must be prepared to protect stability and peace.

Earlier claims about Belarus scenario

Sandu has previously accused Moscow of trying to turn Moldova into a second Belarus, using its territory against Ukraine and the European Union.