Over 4.1 million gather at Grand Mosque on 29th night of Ramadan    Myanmar earthquake death toll climbs to 144    Zelenskyy says new US draft minerals deal 'significantly differs,' rules out treating aid as a loan    Sudanese army says it has cleared final RSF positions in Khartoum    Trump renews push to acquire Greenland    Interior minister visits Grand Mosque operations center    Saudi Arabia prepares over 19,000 mosques and open-air prayer grounds for Eid Al-Fitr prayers    Reef Saudi bazaar celebrates rural heritage with traditional crafts and strong public turnout    World's largest barbershop opens at Clock Towers Center in Makkah to serve pilgrims    Saudi non-oil exports jump 10.7% in January    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    OMODA&JAECOO Accelerate Global Expansion JAECOO J8 records strong first month orders in Saudi Arabia, J5 prepares for launch    LOT - The Value Shop makes its grand debut in Hafar Al-Batin    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Disney's Snow White film tops box office despite bad reviews    NewJeans announces hiatus after setback in court battle    George Foreman, heavyweight champion and cultural icon, dies at 76    Court rules against K-pop group NewJeans in record label dispute    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



We want Russia to come, say Moldova protesters
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 20 - 02 - 2023

Beneath Moldova's soaring parliament building, a parade of its most precarious file slowly past — bused in by the thousand from across the country, each with their private tale of poverty and frustration.
"We're a laughing stock — the government is mocking us," Ala tells me. Capped in a blue woollen hat, she thrusts her wide pale face close to mine, and says: "There are people with four or five children who literally have nothing to eat."
Energy bills here now consume more than 70% of household income, according to Moldova's president. Ala tells me they swallow half of her pension. "When we elected this government, they promised to raise salaries and pensions, but so far we haven't seen a penny," she said.
Sunday's protests, organized by Moldova's pro-Russian Sor party, are being closely watched by governments across Europe and beyond. Most protesters traveled to the capital city Chisinau by bus, with their costs reportedly covered by the Sor party.
Days before the gathering took place President Maia Sandu warned that Russia was plotting to send military-trained saboteurs into the country, disguised as civilians, to topple her pro-Western government.
Russia has said the accusation is an attempt by Moldovan authorities to distract attention from their own social and economic failures.
Moldova, strategically located on the border with Ukraine, and harboring its own pro-Russian breakaway region, is dependent on Russian gas.
Last year Moscow cut its supply to Moldova by half, putting pressure on the government in Chisinau, as it seeks to hold together its Romanian and Russian-speaking populations.
Protests over the rising price of gas and electricity began last autumn.
Speaking at a public briefing last Monday, President Sandu said that Russia had already attempted to destabilize the situation in Moldova via the energy crisis, which she said "was expected to cause major discontent among the population and lead to violent protests".
The plan now, she said, involved "diversionists with military training [...] who would undertake violent action, carry out attacks on buildings of state institutions or even take hostages".
57 people from nations friendly to Russia — including a group of Serbian football fans and several boxers from Montenegro — were denied entry to Moldova in the past few days, after checks by security services.
And Moldova's airspace was unexpectedly closed for several hours this week.
"It's very clear that Russia is an aggressor state," Rosian Vasiloi, head of Moldova's border police, told the BBC. He said the threat had existed since Feb. 24, when the Ukraine war began, but he emphasized that it was "different now; it's a mix of threats from inside and outside Moldova".
As long as Ukraine continues to fight, and wins the war, he believes the risks for Moldova are lower. "If Ukraine falls, Moldova is next," he said. "But I'm not afraid."
Since the war began, President Sandu's government has tried to diversify the country's energy sources, and wean it off dependence on Russian gas, but attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure and the cost of importing electricity from Romania hasn't made that easy.
She has said the alleged Russian plot would rely on "internal forces" such as the opposition Sor party, and has called for parliament to pass tougher security laws.
Marina Tauber, Sor's general secretary, who led Sunday's protest outside parliament, said that her party is not opposed to the EU and wants good relations with all sides.
But there are those in her party who admit they would welcome Russian intervention.
Orhei — an hour's drive north of the capital Chisinau — is a Sor stronghold where we meet party Councilor Iurie Berenchi. "We're not afraid," he told me, "Because if Russia wanted to take Moldova, they'd do it in half a day."
When asked if she would welcome that, Berenchi is unequivocal. "In my personal opinion, yes," he said. "With Russia we'd be much better off than we are now."
Many people in Chisinau see closer ties with the West as a way to secure Moldova's independence and democracy at a critical time. President Sandu's party has a solid majority in parliament.
But the view from the crowd outside that parliament on Sunday was different, and there's the risk the pressure could widen the splits in Moldova's diverse society.
The risk is clear when Ala and her friends were asked whether they believe Russia wants to infiltrate Moldova, as their president fears. "Yes, let them come!" they shout. "We want them to come here. We want to be part of Russia!" — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.