Russia is planning a coup d’état in Moldova.

The President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, voiced this at a briefing on February 13, Newsmaker reports.

She also confirmed that it was the Ukrainian side that had conveyed to her Russian plans to destabilize the situation in the country and the preparation of force actions.

“[Russia’s] plan for the coming period includes sabotage involving people with military training, disguised as civilians, to carry out violent actions, attacks on government buildings and hostage taking,” Sandu said.

The president noted that with the help of opposition protests, Russia intended to carry out a coup d’état in Moldova and change the government in Chisinau.

“The documents received from our Ukrainian partners indicate the locations and logistical aspects of the organization of this subversive activity.

The plan also involves the use of foreigners for violent acts. For example, the materials contain instructions on the rules of entry to Moldova for citizens of Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Montenegro,” Maia Sandu pointed.

She reported that the security forces of Moldova are preparing to prevent these provocations and keeping the situation under control.

According to Sandu, the goal of these Russian actions is to “overthrow the constitutional and legitimate government in Chisinau” and establish an illegitimate pro-Russian one, “so that Russia can stop the process of European integration of the republic and use Moldova in the war against Ukraine.”

At the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, February 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence had intercepted the Kremlin’s plans to take control of Moldova. After receiving this information, Volodymyr Zelensky immediately transferred all the information to his counterpart, President Maia Sanda.

“Recently, I spoke with the president of Moldova, Mrs. Sandu, and informed her about what our intelligence managed to intercept: a detailed Russian plan to destroy the political situation in Moldova. A Russian document that shows who, when and as a result of which actions is going to break Moldova, the democratic order of this country and establish their control over it,” Zelensky said, European Pravda reports.

As previously reported, at the end of last year, Alexandru Musteata, Head of the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova, said that Russia plannrd to invade the country’s territory in 2023.