CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldova is cutting the number of diplomats Russia can have in Chisinau, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, complaining about years of “hostile actions” by Moscow and noting a media report about possible spying kit installed on the embassy’s roof.
Relations between ex-Soviet Moldova and Russia have reached new lows as pro-European President Maia Sandu has pushed to bring the small country out of Russia’s sphere of influence, and strongly condemned Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
“We agreed on the need to limit the number of accredited diplomats from Russia, so that there are fewer people trying to destabilize the Republic of Moldova,” Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said at a cabinet meeting.
He said the Russian embassy had already been informed of the decision.
“For many years we have been the object of hostile Russian actions and policies. Many of them were made through the embassy,” he said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a weekly briefing that Moldova’s decision would “not go unanswered,” calling it “another step in the destruction of bilateral relations” between the countries.
Commenting on the report about the spying gear, Zakharova said: “The accusation of spying activities by employees of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau is unfounded. It is a fantasy which has nothing to do with reality.”
In his remarks, Popescu alluded to a media report by The Insider and television channel Jurnal TV about equipment installed on the Russian embassy’s rooftop that could be used for spying.
The report said that 28 satellite dishes, masts, and transmitting and receiving devices had been installed on the embassy and a neighbouring residential building used by diplomats and technical personnel.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas, additional reporting by Filipp Lebedev; Writing by Max Hunder; editing by Tom Balmforth and Tomasz Janowski)
