INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Moldova's intelligence service said Thursday that Russia was acting to destabilize the former Soviet country, following comments by
Ukraine's president that Kyiv had intercepted a plan by Moscow."SIS confirms that, both from the information presented by our Ukrainian
partner and also from our operative activities, subversive activities with the aim of undermining the Republic of Moldova, of
destabilization and violating the public order were identified," Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service said in a statement.Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky, addressing an EU summit earlier on Thursday, told EU heads of government that Kyiv had "intercepted the plan
for the destruction of Moldova by Russian intelligence.""This document shows who, when and how it is going to break the democracy of Moldova
and establish control over Moldova," he said, adding that he had immediately warned Chisinau of the threat.He added that Kyiv did not know
"whether Moscow indeed gave an order to follow that plan."In a statement, SIS said it could not give any more details "because there's the
risk of jeopardizing different ongoing operational activities.""We are reassuring Moldova's citizens that all the state's institutions
are working at full capacity and won't allow this kind of provocation," it added.Like many former Soviet territories, the country is the
backdrop for a tug-of-war between pro-Russian and pro-Western political currents, with President Maia Sandu's government firmly in the
latter camp.Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova applied to join the European Union just after Russia invaded Ukraine in
February.Russia maintains troops in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria."Our institutions are working to ensure the country's
security and are using all the informational help of partners to anticipate and prevent any attempts to undermine our state," said a press
release from Sandu's office.
