President Sandu said that the “Wagnerians” were preparing a coup in Moldova

The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, claims that the Russian PMC “Wagner” headed by Evgeny Prigozhin was behind the demand to overthrow the current government of the country, which has been talked about since the beginning of the year. Sandu told about this in an interview published on Friday by the British newspaper Financial Times.

According to Sandu, the now deceased Prigozhin participated in the planning of the coup d’état. “According to the information we have, this was a plan prepared by Prigozhin’s team,” the president of Moldova said, adding that the conspirators were planning to make mass anti-government protests in the country turn into clashes.

Maya Sandu believes that pro-Russian forces in Moldova will continue to be financed by Moscow to destabilize the country, receiving money through “carriers”. She said that Moldova’s special services tracked down at least 20 million euros, which Russia allegedly brought to the country for political purposes, but the real figure is apparently even higher. “The situation is really dramatic, and we must protect ourselves,” the president emphasized.

There are no comments from the Russian authorities on these statements by Sandu yet.

As noted by the Moldovan service of Radio Liberty, the interview took place at a time when EU leaders were discussing in Granada the prospects of joining the European bloc of the Republic of Moldova and other countries of Eastern Europe. Maia Sandu said in a Spanish city that EU acceptance is the best way to ensure Moldova’s security.

On November 5, general elections to local authorities will be held in Moldova. According to the publication of the Financial Times, in some areas of the country, the ruling Sandu party found itself in a difficult position, including in the capital, Chisinau. According to Sandu, she has evidence that Moscow is trying to achieve the success of pro-Russian forces in the regional elections, in order to then strengthen it in the presidential elections next year and the parliamentary elections in 2025, writes the Russian service of the BBC.

• Information about the Russian plan to overthrow pro-Western power in Chisinau was first made public by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who stated that this plan was intercepted by his country’s special services. Then Maya Sandu confirmed the existence of the plan. In response, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Sandu’s assertions were completely unfounded and unsubstantiated. The Russian agency simultaneously accused Ukraine of inciting tension and trying to drag Chisinau “into a tough confrontation with Russia.”
• Information that PMC “Wagner” participated in the preparation of riots in Moldova had already appeared earlier – with reference to a secret document of the US Ministry of Defense. The document, which was seen by a Radio Liberty correspondent in April, stated that Russia continued its attempts to destabilize the situation in Moldova, despite the fact that its intentions were disclosed by the country’s authorities.