[Newsweek] Moldovan authorities have rejected reports of a mass "protest" in the capital city of Chișinău. They again accuse Moscow of attempting to "destabilize" the former Soviet state.
Footage of crowds gathered in Chișinău on Sunday was reported as significant anti-government protests by Russian state media. There have been several demonstrations in recent weeks in the Moldovan capital, supported by the pro-Kremlin Shor Party.
But Andrei Spinu, secretary-general for the Moldovan presidential office, wrote on Telegram on Sunday that "what happened today in the center of the capital is not a protest. "We have to say bluntly, it was yet another failed attempt by Russia to destabilize Moldova," Spinu added.
On Sunday, Moldova's police said officers had made several arrests of people who had been promised financial rewards to organize "mass disorder" and destabilize the capital, according to the Associated Press. Further arrests were separately made for "questionable behavior" and carrying prohibited items, the outlet reported on Sunday. The protests were believed to have been orchestrated by the pro-Kremlin Shor Party.
Four bomb threats were also called in on Sunday. The police said they were an "ongoing part of the destabilization measures" against Moldova's government.
On Friday, White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said that "Russian actors, some with current ties to Russian intelligence, are seeking to stage and use protests in Moldova as a basis to foment a manufactured insurrection against the Moldovan government.
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