War spills over to Moldova
Sandu has repeatedly expressed concern about Moscow's intentions towards the former Soviet republic and about the presence of Russian troops in the breakaway Trans-Dniester region. Over the past year, Russia's war on neighboring Ukraine has repeatedly caused security concerns in Moldova. Especially in the first months of the conflict, debris from Russian missiles landed on Moldovan territory after traversing the country's airspace. Moldova also suffered power outages after Ukraine halted electricity exports over Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure. In early February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested that Moldova is the new "anti-Russian project" and declared that the West had now "set its sights on the Republic of Moldova to have the role of the next Ukraine."