Clashes between police and protesters occurred today in the center of Chisinau. This was reported by a correspondent of the Russian Interfax agency on the spot, according to whom there were in particular scuffles after the police cordoned off the main square of the city, preventing demonstrators from reaching it. Initially, protesters blocked traffic on Chisinau’s main avenue and were heading towards the Grand National Assembly Square. The police blocked their access to the square.
The marching protesters then tried to make their way back towards the presidential office and parliament buildings. The police, the same source reports, parked several buses here, preventing them from reaching the buildings. The demonstrators were surrounded by the police. They were offered to move to the park outside the National Theater of Opera and Ballet to hold a rally there. The People’s Movement, which brings together various organizations including the Sor party, has already held a demonstration there on 19 February.
Moldovan police said they had foiled a plot by Russian-backed groups that had been specially trained to cause mass unrest. Moldovan police chief Viorel Cernauteanu told a news conference that an undercover agent had infiltrated groups of Russian citizens, who had been promised $10,000 to stage “mass unrest” to destabilize Moldova during a protest. in the capital, Chisinau.
More than 50 people were detained during clashes between police and thousands of anti-government protesters who were shouting slogans for the resignation of pro-Western president Maia Sandu. This was reported on its Telegram channel by the Moldovan police, cited by Russian agencies. Marina Tauber, deputy head of the opposition party Sor, said that among those arrested was the party’s honorary president, Valery Klimenko.