Russian attack on Moldova a 'high possibility,' Ukrainian official says


A Russian attack on Moldova "could be a high possibility," Igor Zhovkva, the deputy head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday.
His warning comes after Russian Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekayev said Friday that Russia plans to "take full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine" and open up land corridors to Crimea and to the Moldovan breakaway province of Transnistria, where Minnekayev claimed "that the Russian-speaking population is being oppressed."
Russian troops have been stationed in Transnistria since 1992.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Zhovkva's comments echoed concerns Zelensky expressed last Friday when the president said Ukraine "was intended only as a beginning" and predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends "to capture other countries" as well, according to Politico.
U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, who also appeared on Meet the Press, also weighed in on the question of whether Russia poses an imminent threat to Moldova. Russian forces, Finer said, "are a long way from cities like Odessa and certainly from Moldova. They have a lot of fighting still to do."
Moldova, however, appears to be taking the threat seriously, considering that Russia justified its original invasion of Ukraine as an intervention to protect the Russian-speaking inhabitants of a separatist region. According to Axios, "Moldova's Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to the country on Friday to express 'deep concern' over" Minnekayev's comments.
Moldova is not a member of NATO or the European Union.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Ottawa Treaty: why are Russia's neighbours leaving anti-landmine agreement?
Today's Big Question Ukraine to follow Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as Nato looks to build a new ‘Iron Curtain' of millions of landmines
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
How far would Russia go for Iran?
Today's Big Question US air strikes represent an 'embarrassment, provocation and opportunity' all rolled into one for Vladimir Putin
-
Are the UK and Russia already at war?
Today's Big Question Moscow has long been on a 'menacing' war footing with London, says leading UK defence adviser
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?
Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
How will the MoD's new cyber command unit work?
Today's Big Question Defence secretary outlines plans to combat 'intensifying' threat of cyberattacks from hostile states such as Russia
-
What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
The Explainer Speculation mounts that post-war taboo on nuclear weapons could soon be shattered by use of 'battlefield' missiles