Russia Claims NATO Plotting Ukraine ‘Landing’, Moldova ‘O…

Russia has said it believes NATO is plotting a “landing” in Ukraine as part of a bid by the European Union to “occupy” Moldova.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed NATO military units were massing in Romania close to the Moldovan border and were also planning a “landing” in Ukraine’s Odessa region, according to TASS, Moscow’s state news agency.

Why It Matters

Moldova goes to the polls on Sunday in a critical parliamentary election. The vote is seen as a stark choice for the country between a path to EU membership or closer ties with Moscow.

What to Know

The Russian intelligence report said that the EU was “determined to keep Moldova within the framework of their Russophobic policies.”

“This is planned to be done at any cost, including the deployment of troops and the de facto occupation of the country. At this stage, NATO military units are concentrating in Romania near the Moldovan border. A NATO ‘landing’ is being prepared in Ukraine’s Odessa region to intimidate Transnistria. According to available information, the first group of career military personnel from France and Great Britain has already arrived,” the report stated.