Russia makes ominous warning about ‘next victim in hybrid war’ | World News

Russia’s foreign minister has issued an ominous warning to nearby country Moldova, alluding that the small country would be the ‘next victim’ of a war.

Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that Moldova was ‘putting itself in harm’s way’ in its aspirations to join the European Union.

He added: ‘In fact, Moldova is destined to be the next victim in the hybrid war against Russia unleashed by the West.’

Mr Lavrov went on to suggest that the ‘situation’ in Moldova could have been resolved with the Kozak Memorandum, which was removed by Moldova’s president in 2003.

The memorandum was a plan proposed by Russia that wanted to ‘solve relations’ between Transnistria, a breakaway region in Moldova, and Moldova itself.

Moldova’s foreign ministry issued a heated statement in response to Mr Lavrov’s claims.

‘Russia’s statements, whether today or on previous occasions, are part of the series of hostile actions that the Russian Federation has been trying to implement towards our country over the past 30 years,’ they said.

‘Fortunately, throughout this time, the partner states in the West have been by our side, helping us to successfully overcome these threats.’

Landlocked between Nato member Romania and war-ravaged Ukraine, the small eastern European country has for decades been in a precarious geographical and political position.

But its pro-Western ruling party is now facing a more sophisticated threat, which could derail its plans to join the European Union in the next 10 years.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova even told Metro.co.uk Russia has deployed the same tactics it used in Donetsk and Crimea before the invasion in February 2022.

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