Moldova

Cobasna is a geopolitical MacGuffin. The village in Transnistria, a breakaway territory of Moldova, hosts what is widely believed to be Eastern Europe's largest ammunition depot, a relic of the Cold War secured by some 1,500 Russian troops.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Romania of occupying Bessarabia until 1940. She was angered by a Romanian Foreign Ministry announcement praising the replacement of the Moldovan language with Romanian in all Moldovan laws as a "restoration of scientific truth".

Deputies of the ruling party in Moldova have condemned what they term Russia's plans to regain control of the country after investigative media published a series of what appeared to be official Russian documents on how Moscow plans to maintain its influence in Chisinau and derail its relationship with the West.

A sign of that intention can be seen in the Kremlin's alleged intention to overthrow the current Moldovan government and incite unrest through protests in the country, an U.S. diplomat who recently visited Moldova told "The Daily Beast".

By replacing 'Moldovan language' with 'Romanian' in the country's constitution, Moldova's ruling party hopes to shore up its pro-European tilt.

Experts from the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe composed of independent experts on constitutional law, warned that new legislation strengthening the powers of Moldova's Information and Security Service's could have a negative effect on democracy in the country.

A combination of low prices and high quality is making Moldova an increasingly popular study destination for Asian and Middle Eastern students.

Just half an hour's drive from Ukraine's southern border, hundreds of Russian soldiers are guarding a large ammunition depot in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria.
This warehouse, these soldiers and this pro-Russian separatist region have been under increasing global surveillance in recent days, Slobodna Dalmacija reports, citing BBC.

War of Rumours

An old-Soviet tank keeps alive the memory of the Soviet Union in the breakaway region of Transnistria. Photo: courtesy of Cornelia Cozonac

CHISINAU - Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Wednesday she had had a productive telephone conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic about security aspects in Moldova and that Chisinau would continue to cooperate closely with Belgrade to prevent threats to Moldova's security.