Kremlin planned to take full control of Moldova by 2030: journalists received a secret document
Russia’s Strategic Goals in the Republic of Moldova is the name given to a secret plan developed by the Vladimir Putin administration aimed at establishing full control over the country by 2023.
A group of international journalists from 11 European countries and the United States, including two Moldovan publications – the Dossier Center and RISE – got hold of a strategy for the political and economic subjugation of Moldova, created in the Kremlin in 2021.
The source who passed the strategy to journalists is confident that the document is genuine, and that some of its key points have been disseminated by pro-Russian politicians in recent years.
It is believed that it was prepared by the Russian Presidential Office for Border Cooperation together with the special services and the General Staff, which developed a similar plan for the annexation of Belarus.
The strategy was based on three spheres of influence: military-political, economic, and humanitarian.
The strategy set 2030 as the “deadline” for taking political control of Moldova and distancing it from its Western partners.
The main goals of the plan include:
- countering the influence of NATO and the EU on Moldova;
- involving Moldova in the CSTO and other projects under the auspices of the Russian Federation;
- “settlement” around unrecognized Transnistria with Russia’s participation;
- strengthening pro-Russian sentiments in society through propaganda and educational programs, and counteracting “Romanization.”
Economic pressure is also one of Russia’s main levers of influence on Moldova, so it planned to maintain gas supplies.
Another important task for the Kremlin was to prevent the restriction of Russian media in the republic and the creation of a network of loyal NGOs. However, in 2022, local authorities closed six Russian TV channels to protect citizens from disinformation.
By 2030, the Kremlin hoped to increase the number of Russian media outlets, preserve the status of the language of interethnic communication for Russian and “reduce the presence of third-country currencies” in settlements with Russia.
At the same time, when the strategy was created, Russia had no plans for military intervention, and its main goals were to put pressure on Moldova over the Transnistrian issue.
On March 12, clashes broke out between protesters and police in Chisinau, with 54 of them detained. The protests were organized by the pro-Russian Shor party.
Source: Dossier Center, RISE
