The World Briefly

February 13, 2023

A Rock, a Hard Place

Moldova

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Moldova’s pro-European Union government collapsed over the weekend, after facing intense Russian pressure due to the war in Ukraine, Politico reported.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița announced Friday that she and her cabinet were stepping down after 18 months in office, citing there was not enough support for her government.

Shortly after her resignation, President Maia Sandu nominated Dorin Recean – another pro-EU figure – to replace Gavrilița. The nomination will be confirmed next week by the Moldovan parliament, where Sandu’s party has a solid majority.

The government’s collapse comes less than a year after the EU granted Moldova and Ukraine candidate status. Even so, the small country has found itself in a difficult position following Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine, just under a year ago.

It has been battling spiking inflation and public unrest about soaring energy costs – the country of 2.5 million people was 100 percent dependent on Russian gas before the war.

Sandu has accused the Kremlin of exploiting the energy crisis and spiraling costs to “bring instability to Moldova.”

Sandu, a pro-EU politician, said last month that a “serious discussion” was now underway in the country as a result of the war, including the prospect of joining a defense alliance.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told EU leaders during Thursday’s European summit in Belgium that Kyiv had intercepted Russian plans to “destroy” Moldova.

Moldovan officials confirmed they have identified “subversive activities” aimed at destabilizing the country.

This story originally appeared in the February 13, 2023 newsletter, Revolt of the Incas.