Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented to TASS on Oct. 12 on the new military strategy adopted by Moldova for the 2025-35 decade, saying: “This is the continuation of a rather confrontational line in respect of our country, the unfriendly line. From our point of view, current leaders of Moldova make a serious mistake.
“They believe the line of building up relations with Europe implies full antagonization of Russia. One country has already made such a mistake. It did not bring any good to this one country,” emphasized Peskov, clearly referring to Ukraine. Contrary to the narrative in Western press, Russia had responded militarily in 2022 to the deterioration of Moscow-Kiev relations, after a Western-backed coup in 2014 overthrew Ukraine’s elected government.
The “Military Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2025-2035” was approved by Moldova’s government under the leadership of pro-EU President Maia Sandu on Oct. 8. “The document, published on the cabinet’s website, warns the conflict in Ukraine could ‘spread to Moldova,’” reported Sputnik. Among other points, it claims that “the Russian Federation will not abandon its hostile actions towards Moldova,” and views Russia as its major strategic threat. The document calls for “raising the strength of the National Army by a third"; “includes a gradual increase in defense spending to 1% of GDP"; and “foresees the modernization of the armed forces and a transition to NATO standards.”
Russian Ambassador to the republic Oleg Ozerov told Izvestia on Oct. 9: “Our country does not threaten Moldova’s security in any way. We respect its sovereignty, neutral status and territorial integrity in strict accordance with the 2001 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The observance of these principles by both sides and the rejection of confrontation with Russia is the key to stability and prosperity for the Republic of Moldova. We urge the Moldovan side to refrain from reckless steps that carry the risk of unintended escalation.”
