Moldovan Official Suggests Abandoning Military Neutrality

The recent Russian bombardment of neighbouring Ukraine has caused some officials in Moldova to argue that the country should abandon its neutral military stance to ensure that it is better defended.

Moldovan soldiers at a training course on November 15. Photo: Moldovan Defence Ministry/Facebook

Presidential security adviser Dorin Recean told a security conference at the Moldovan Defence Ministry on Tuesday that the country needs to change its neutral military stance in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We must understand that this neutrality in our constitution does not necessarily mean we have to be defenceless. On the contrary, we should commit and invest more to defending ourselves and be part of a larger defence infrastructure,” Recean said.

According to the constitution, Moldova is a militarily neutral country, and has been since 1994. Pro-Russian political forces in the country want Moldova to retain this status, arguing that NATO membership would trigger a military response from Russia.

Recean’s statement comes after three Russian-fired missiles flew over Moldova last month, hitting targets in Ukraine.

Moldova experienced temporary energy blackouts due to the heavy bombing of Ukraine, which was targeted by 100 rockets on Monday, mostly aimed at critical energy infrastructure.

“These transformations we see now also encourage us to pull society behind us. We need society’s support for these new requirements of the day,” urged Recean.

The US ambassador to Chisinau, Kent Logsdon, told the security conference that the Russian missile strikes were one more example of the Kremlin’s brutal and inhumane targeting of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

“We saw yesterday that the effect could be felt on this side of the border when we see blackouts around the country. However, thanks to Moldovan experts around the region, electricity services were quickly restored,” said the US diplomat.

Backing Recean’s statement, the German ambassador to Chisinau, Margret Uebber said that neutrality does not prevent Moldova from preparing to defend its territory.

“That is why Germany supports Moldova’s efforts to build up and strengthen its defence capacity through the delivery of military equipment, assisting in developing military infrastructure, education and training,” Uebber said.

Several large cities in Moldova, including Chisinau, went dark for several hours on Monday due to the automatic disconnection of the electricity system caused by Russia’s intensive bombing of Ukraine.