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WASHINGTON, March 10 (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that people with ties to Russian intelligence are planning protests in hopes of overthrowing the Moldovan government, according to the White House.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said intelligence indicated that some actors with ties to Russian intelligence were trying to stage and use the protests in Moldova as a basis for fomenting an insurgency against Moldova’s new pro-Western government.
Kirby said intelligence indicated another group of Russian actors would provide training and help create demonstrations in Moldova, which gained EU candidate status in June, the same day as war-torn neighbor Ukraine.
The release of Moscow’s alleged malign operations in Moldova is just the latest example of the Biden administration loosening restrictions and making intelligence findings public amid the bitter war in Ukraine. The U.S. government said it wanted to highlight plans to target Russia’s misinformation and other campaigns so that allies would be sober about Moscow’s intentions and that Russia would think twice before acting.
“As Moldova continues to integrate into Europe, we believe that Russia is pursuing options to weaken the Moldovan government, with the ultimate goal possibly seeing a more Russia-friendly government in the capital,” Kirby said.
Kirby also pointed to recent Russian efforts, which he said were aimed at spreading disinformation about Moldova’s overall stability. He singled out the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim last month that Ukraine had been planning an invasion of the Moscow-backed separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova. He called the behavior “baseless and false” and said the claims “created unfounded panic”.
The White House released the intelligence shortly before Biden’s upcoming meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Several anti-government protests have taken place in the capital Chisinau in recent weeks, organized by a group calling itself the People’s Movement and backed by members of Moldova’s Russia-friendly Shor party, which has 101 six seats in the legislature. The group also plans to hold a protest on Sunday.
The leader of Shor’s party, Ilan Shor, is a Moldovan oligarch currently in exile in Israel. Shor is on the U.S. State Department sanctions list for working on Russian interests. Britain also placed Shor on the sanctions list in December.
On Thursday, Moldova’s national anti-corruption agency said officials conducted car searches of Shor party “couriers” and seized more than 150,000 euros ($160,000) in an effort to identify organized crime groups suspected of illegally funding the party.
The money, which was stuffed into envelopes and bags denoted in at least two different currencies, was earmarked for “transportation costs and the costs of those attending protests organized by the party,” the agency said. Three people were detained.
The Sauer party also organized a series of anti-government protests last fall, which shocked Moldova as it grapples with a severe energy crisis after Moscow cut gas supplies. Around the same time, the Moldovan government asked the country’s constitutional court to outlaw the Sauer party, while anti-corruption prosecutors claimed the protests were partly financed with Russian money.
Meanwhile, Transnistria, which has close ties to Moscow and hosts the Russian military, claimed on Thursday that it had thwarted an assassination attempt on its president allegedly organized by Ukraine’s state security services. Officials claimed Ukraine’s SBU security service ordered the assassination attempt, but provided no evidence. The SBU refuted the allegation, saying it “should be viewed solely as a well-orchestrated provocation by the Kremlin”.
Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is often at the center of Moscow’s struggles with the West. Once part of the Soviet Union, Moldova declared independence in 1991. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe with a population of about 2.6 million and has historical ties to Russia but wants to join the 27-nation European Union.
The push-pull relationship has intensified since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Sandu met with President Biden last month when the U.S. president was visiting Poland to celebrate the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has provided Moldova with $265 million in emergency aid since Russia invaded Ukraine to help it cope with the economic, energy and humanitarian crises caused by the war. The government has asked Congress to approve an additional $300 million for Moldova.
Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials do not believe there is an immediate military threat from Moldova, but the White House is releasing the finding in hopes of stopping Russia before it advances its plans. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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