The Kremlin was going to increase its influence in Moldova, but its plans are falling apart: media unveiled a high-profile investigation

The administration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has developed a strategy for the political and economic subjugation of Moldova. The plan was created back in 2021 and is designed for 10 years. However, the Kremlin's plans to "absorb" the state are failing.

The Dossier Center and a group of international journalists from Ukraine, the United States, Germany, Poland, Belarus, and Sweden stated this in an investigation. The aggressor country's plan, titled "Strategic Goals of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova," implies a special status for Transnistria, strengthening Russian propaganda in the media and forcing the country to participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Tto neutralize the Republic's policy that contradicts the Kremlin's interests, Russia intends to use Moldova's dependence on Russian imports.

Thus, over the next 10 years, the Kremlin planned to counteract the influence of NATO and the EU on Moldova and force the country to participate in alliances with Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The plan was to discredit theNorth Atlantic Alliancein the eyes of the country's residents by 2025.

Putin also wanted to prevent the Moldovan authorities from excluding Russia from the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and from maintaining a Russian military base on unrecognized territory.

Another important task for the Kremlin was to prevent the restriction of Russian media in Moldova. However, the plan failed: in 2022, the country's authorities closed six Russian TV channels to protect citizens from disinformation. The Russian Federation wanted to strengthen its influence in the Republic by creating non-governmental organizations that would become alternative propaganda channels or bases for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

Moscow's next step was to increase the electorate of pro-Russian Moldovan politicians, to foster pro-Russian sentiment among Moldovan elites, and abandon the policy of Romanization (possible unification with Romania).

It was also planned to increase exports of services and goods from Russia and lobby the interests of enterprises in Transnistria and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.

"The document makes it clear that in 2021, the presidential administration was not preparing for military intervention in Moldova. The main goals of the President's Administration in the military sector concerned Transnistria - officials wanted to manually manage the conflict in Transnistria, using it as a lever of pressure," the article says.

According to experts interviewed by the organization, Russia's goal is to ensure that Moldova has no control over its foreign policy.

It is worth noting that the U.S. intelligence agency said the day before that pro-Russian forces were organizing protests in Moldova to try to foment a fabricated uprising against the Moldovan government. They aimed to form a more pro-Russian administration in Chișinău.

Washington believes that Russia is working to weaken the Moldovan government, which is seeking closer ties with the European Union.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, on February 23, Russia accused Ukraine of allegedly preparing to invade occupied Transnistria. The aggressor country's Foreign Ministry threatened to consider such a scenario an "attack on Russia." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation "a cause for concern."

According to ISW analysts, Moscow is preparing false flag provocations in Transnistria and Belarus to engage them in a war against Ukraine.

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