Chisinau woke up this Sunday armored from end to end. There were members of the state security forces in each of the corners of the capital. The deployment responds to the escalation of tension that has been brewing in the country in recent days and the massive march called by the main pro-Russian parties.
After walking down the city’s main avenue, politicians and protesters gathered in front of the city’s National Opera Theatre, just a few meters from Parliament. They called for the resignation of Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, and urged the government to pay citizens their gas and electricity bills for the winter months.
“We need a government that does something for poor people. Does anyone know how much money Moldovan citizens earn per month? I will tell you. Some charge as little as $100 a month. $300 a month is already a good salary for a Moldovan. Do you know how much they pay for their bills? 400 or 500 dollars a month and they are still cold at home,” said one of the spokespersons for the demonstration.
But Irina, a resident of the city who is watching the protest from outside, assured that the bill is not as high as the policy said. “I live in a two-room apartment in the center of Chisinau and I pay $150 a month for gas, water and electricity. Only the biggest houses and offices can pay bills of up to 300 dollars”, declared Irina.
The Shor Party, led by politician and businessman Ilan Shor, was one of those who called the protest. Shor was not present, as he fled Moldova in 2019 after the election of the president. In October 2022, Washington sanctioned the oligarch for corruption and for his interference in favor of Russia.
Moldova’s political upheaval began last week with the resignation of the now former prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita. After her resignation, the authorities announced Russia’s alleged plans to destabilize the country. The same Friday that Gavrilita resigned, two Russian missiles crossed Moldovan airspace and, this Tuesday, it remained closed for two hours for security reasons.
In his first statements as head of government, Dorian Recean, who was supported by the Moldovan Parliament on Thursday with 62 of the 101 votes, questioned the country’s neutrality, enshrined in the constitution. Maia Sandu’s former national security adviser, Recean was elected prime minister to address security concerns stemming from fears of a Russian attack.
“We must not confuse defense with neutrality. Neutrality does not give us guarantees in the event of aggression”, declared Dorin Recean, who added that there could come a time when neutrality “no longer works”. President Sandu was the first to propose abandoning military neutrality. Since she took office in June 2021, both she and the ruling pro-EU majority have vindicated the need to consolidate Moldova’s defensive capabilities, an idea that gained traction on February 24, when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
Chisinau is now considering whether a constitutional change will be necessary to join “a bigger alliance,” Maia Sandu said when asked about Moldova’s possible NATO membership, a response that the pro-Russian opposition did not like.
This week, in the midst of an increase in tensions, a tank has been seen on the streets of the Moldovan capital. Public opinion in the country is divided between those who are nervous about the possibility of being attacked by Russia and those who, after a year of war in the neighboring country, no longer even want to talk or hear about the conflict.
“We have been packing our suitcases for a year to flee the country,” says Olesea R., a 35-year-old resident of Chisinau who has just arrived in the country after spending four days abroad. She assures that both she and her husband follow the news closely, because they do not rule out that Putin will do with them the same thing that he did with Ukraine.
Among the Kremlin’s plans to destabilize the country would include the massive protests planned by the pro-Russian political parties, like the one that took place this Sunday. Maia Sandu accused Russia last month of using “external saboteurs” to plot a coup d’état and overthrow its Government for the European Union.
