Media: Kremlin’s Plan to Regain Control over Moldova

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Several German media have obtained a copy of the Kremlin’s plan to reorient Moldova from the West to Russia. The paper proposes concrete ways to achieve this goal. Russia is pursuing a strategic goal, i.e. to turn Moldova away from the West and return it to own sphere of influence, the German media WDR, NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Wednesday, March 15, citing a copy of the Kremlin’s plan for Moldova drafted back in the summer of 2021. The five-page document outlines specific ways to support pro-Russian sentiment in Moldova and prevent this country from turning to the West. The measures proposed in the strategy regarding Moldova affect Russia’s goals in the political, military, trade, economic and social spheres. According to the German media, this document, apparently, was developed by the same experts who developed the strategy for joining Belarus to Russia. Moldova is an important arena of rivalry with the West Kremlin experts in their strategy call Moldova an important arena of confrontation with the West. Moscow’s focus for the next ten years is proclaimed to be “suppression of attempts by external actors to interfere in the internal affairs” of this country. NATO is obviously meant to be the external force. The document emphasizes that attempts of the external forces to weaken the positions of the Russian Federation must be stopped. In parallel, it is proposed to involve Moldova in organizations under the control of Russia – the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). One of the ways to prevent “undermining Russian interests in the region” should be a lever of economic pressure - a reminder of “Moldova’s interests in the Russian market.” Kremlin experts call for strengthening pro-Russian sentiments in the political and economic elites of Moldova. As another measure, it is proposed to promote the expansion of education in Moldova in Russian, including distance education, and open branches of Russian universities in this country. As a result of this strategy, by 2030, a “negative attitude towards NATO” should take root in the society and political circles of Moldova ensuring a wide presence of the Russian media.