The Russian Foreign Ministry considered the expulsion of a diplomat from Moldova a disruption of the settlement in the PMR

The expulsion of the Russian co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) for the management of the peacekeeping operation in Pridnestrovie, Alexander Andreev, is aimed at undermining the process of resolving the situation around the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). This was announced on April 3 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

"Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov is being openly discriminated against. He entered the republic in October 2024 and is still unable to carry out normal activities prescribed by the Vienna Conventions. And this is not the whole list of what the Moldovan authorities are doing," Zakharova said at a briefing.

According to her, Russia has refrained from large-scale retaliatory steps until recently, realizing that they will hit "precisely the citizens of Moldova" and everyone who is interested in maintaining "good-neighborly" relations with the Russian Federation.

Visibility mode: mass protests began in Moldova against the arrest of the head of Gagauzia

The authorities in Chisinau are trying to destroy the opposition before the situation in Ukraine is resolved.

Earlier, on April 2, the Moldovan opposition held a rally against the expulsion of Russian diplomats at Chisinau airport. The demonstrators held Russian and Moldovan flags, as well as banners with the words "Power to Sandu — for a while! Moldova and Russia are friends for centuries!", "Moldova with Russia!" and "Sandu is the enemy of Moldova!".

On March 31, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova declared three employees of the Russian Embassy persona non grata in the republic. The relevant document was handed over to the Russian diplomat. It claims that the staff of the diplomatic mission allegedly conduct activities contrary to their diplomatic status in Moldova.

Later that day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Moldovan authorities' decision to expel Russian diplomats from the republic was part of Chisinau's anti-Russian course.