Moldova Ready To Defend Itself After Map Shows Country Is Next Possible Russian Target

Moldova is prepared to defend itself if Russia or Belarus decided to invade the former Soviet Republic, the Moldovan ambassador to the US said Wednesday.

Ambassador Eugen Caras told Fox News that Moldova is prepared for "any kind of scenarios, including the very worst-case scenario," and they will be defending "what's to be defended."

His comment came a day after a video surfaced that showed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has called himself the “last dictator” in Europe, standing in front of a map. The wartime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin stood in front of the map that appeared to show a planned attack from southern Ukraine into Moldova that borders Ukraine and Romania, reported New York Post.

The Belarusians told Moldovan officials that the placement of Moldova on the map was a "mistake," said Caras. According to him, a deputy-level foreign minister summoned the Belarusian ambassador to Moldova to the Foreign Ministry and was asked to clarify. Caras said that from what he understands, the ambassador said that "there was a mistake on behalf of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus." He shared that Moldova was not in a state of panic, but they "are very concerned with this situation," and they "condemn this."

Caras said that one cannot be "sure 100% of the next phase," but his country is "very vigilant." He added that the Moldovan defense forces were "prepared" and that there was not an "imminent threat" of invasion.

Apart from Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria opposed a United Nations resolution on Wednesday condemning the invasion by Putin’s troops.

Caras said that Moldova has been accepting refugees from Ukraine since it was attacked by Russia a week ago. He shared that the latest figures of people crossing into Moldova are "around 114,000 people."

Meanwhile, Dorina Baltag, a postdoctoral researcher, wrote on the London School of Economics’s European Politics and Policy blog that Russia’s invasion “has prompted heightened concerns in Moldova." She noted that some of these worries relate to the Ukrainian refugees and the humanitarian situation. But some are also "due to Transnistria, the Russian-backed breakaway region” between the Dniester river and the Ukrainian border.