Chisinau

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic has refuted in the strongest terms a statement by Moldovan President Maia Sandu about potential involvement of Serbian citizens in subversive actions aimed at destabilising Moldova, according to alleged Ukrainian information about Russian plans.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again threatened Chisinau, saying that "the West has already set its sights on the Republic of Moldova to play the role of the next Ukraine" and that Maia Sandu "is ready, practically, for almost anything, including an alliance with Romania", reported the "Romania Journal", quoting the Moldovan television TVR.

The Metropolis of Chisinau and All of Moldova, widely known as the Moldovan Orthodox Church, asked the government on Monday not to recognise same-sex couples' partnerships as legal or bring in legislation to protect LGBT couples' rights in line with a recent European Court of Human Rights ruling.

The Central Electoral Commission in Moldova, CEC, has sanctioned the Ilan Shor Party, depriving it of the right to receive allocations from the state budget for the first six months of this year.

It comes at a moment of great uncertainty and heightened tensions between Tiraspol and Chisinau stemming from Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Roots in language row

A famous photo of a striker guarding a factory in Tiraspol

Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu said on Wednesday that she does not understand why Russia imposed a new embargo on Moldovan fruits on August 15, as her country's goods meet EU quality standards that are higher than Russian standards.

Moldova has received a batch of over a million potassium iodide pills from Romania to help in the event of a nuclear accident, in the context of the fighting in Ukraine at the Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant.

Instability Ahead

A Moldovan deputy for the pro-Russian Socialist Party, Alla Dolinta, resigned on Wednesday from parliament and from the Socialist Party of Moldova, PSRM, because of the party's stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"For over four-and-a-half months, in a neighbouring state, Ukraine, which is essentially my home because my parents were born there, is at war," she said.

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.