Russian Foreign Ministry Expressed Protest to Moldova’s Interim Attorney

The Russian Foreign Ministry has officially protested against the deportation from Moldova of the Sputnik Moldova’s head, Vitaly Denisov. This is stated in a message published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. “On 13 September, the Attorney of the Republic of Moldova in the Russian Federation Sergey Goncharenko was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Ministry protested to him in connection with the unjustified and provocative decision of the Moldovan authorities to expel from the country the head of the Sputnik Moldova news agency V.A. Denisov. The Russian side considers this step as part of the anti-Russian campaign launched by the official Chisinau,” the statement said. The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the Moldovan side “stop politically motivated persecution of Russian-language media resources and comply with international obligations in the sphere of free speech and media and ensuring the rights of journalists.” “Another hostile step by the Moldovan authorities will receive an adequate response from the Russian side,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed. The day before, on 13 September the head of Sputnik Moldova Vitaly Denisov was expelled from Moldova. Now he is banned from entering the country for 10 years. “The decision to deport the foreigner was taken due to his interference in the internal affairs of Moldova, which poses a threat to the information security of our country,” the Inspectorate General for Migration said in a statement.