Russia’s alternative attempts to improve its situation in Ukraine

In early February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi warned his neighbor about Russia’s plans to destabilize Moldova’s already complicated domestic political situation so that control of the country would fall into the hands of forces loyal to the Kremlin. A couple of days later, the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, also confirmed that such information had been received from the Ukrainian intelligence services, and accused Russia of sending saboteurs to escalate the ongoing protests in the country. Meanwhile, Russian officials have once again turned the narrative in the opposite direction, accusing Ukraine of planning to invade Transnistria, controlled by pro-Russian separatists.