Moldova expels 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staffers

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 26 Jul 2023 by Alex Teddy
On July 26 Moldova made the announcement, saying it was due to unfriendly acts. They have been given until August 15 to leave, which is generous and suggest that they are not suspected of spying; seven days would be the usual time frame to depart under those circumstances. Notably it did not say ''activities incompatible with diplomatic status'', which is diplomatic speak for ''spying.'' The Russian ambassador was summoned. Russia was accused of seeking to destabilize the country. A Moldovan TV channel said the 28 antennae on the Russian Embassy could be utilized for espionage.  The Shor Party is a pro-Russian party in Moldova. A significant minority of Moldovans are russophones and seek closer ties to Moscow. Russia troops have been in the breakaway region of Transnistria since 1991. Moldova says the region is occupied by Russia. Some Russians have said that the Russian minority in Moldova needs to be ''liberated''. Relations between Moldova and Russia are at an all-time low. Russia is bombarding Ukrainian ports on the Danube very close to Romania but also close to Moldova.  Russian diplomatic representatives will be limited to 10 diplomats plus 15 support staff. That is because it is the number of people Moldova has at its embassy in Moscow. Moldova's stated policy is to join the EU. It is a candidate member of the EU. Moldova pointedly does not seek NATO membership. That would be too provocative of Russia. Most Moldovans speak Romanian and can obtain Romanian, and therefore, EU citizenship. Half of Moldovans are working in Western Europe. After Ukraine, Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. 

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