Moldova

The head of Moldova's Audiovisual Council, Liliana Vitu, defends the government's tough action against Russian media in the country.

A few days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Kyiv authorities closed all their border crossing points along the country's 400-kilometre boundary with the breakaway region of Transnistria.

Supply routes were disrupted and the prices of imported goods rose immediately.

"Not only will we lose useful economic relations with our partners in the East due to the Russophobic policy we are pursuing together with the West, but we also risk losing some of our territories," Dodon announced on Telegram, reports TASS.
He assessed that, as a result, Moldova could disappear as an independent state.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The Council of the EU has approved Ukraine and Moldova receiving candidate status

Yesterday, the Council of the European Union approved Ukraine and Moldova receiving candidate status.

This was announced on Twitter by the President of the Council Charles Michel.

The European Council, the body comprising the heads of state or government of the EU member states, was expected on Thursday to grant candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldova, according to an internal document of the European Council seen by Balkan Insight.

"When it comes to the future of the EU, we are obviously looking for solutions that imply a repetition of history", believes diplomat and analyst of international relations Zoran Milivojevic. According to him, the statements of the President of the European Commission should be interpreted in that key. Ukraine's membership in the EU - on the front line towards Russia.

Moldovan president Maia Sandu on Sunday promulgated the Informational Security Law, which will ban the broadcast in Moldova of Russian TV news and political analysis.

The law, designed to counter Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine, says that the ban will still apply after the expiration of the state of emergency established in Moldova after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Moldova pays large sums of money for Russian gas - and the country's intentions to join the EU have been known for years.

Several events dedicated to the LGBT community in Moldova are taking place this week under the name Moldova Pride 2022 despite fierce opposition from socially conservative and Church elements.

The director of Moldova's National Anti-Corruption Centre, Iulian Rusu, announced on Monday evening the seizure of oligarch Ilan Shor's assets in the country.

"The seizures applied by the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency reached the amount of 1.5 billion lei [about 75 million euros]. These are properties from Moldova," Rusu told TV8.