Kremlin Spokesman Peskov Warns Chisinau Not to Repeat Ukraine's "Mistake"

Days after PAS's September 28 parliamentary election win, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on October 12 that "the current leadership of Moldova, in our view, is making a serious mistake," issuing a veiled warning that cited Ukraine's post-2014 trajectory. Moldovan officials dismissed the remarks as an attempt to intimidate the incoming pro-EU government. Igor Dodon, leader of the defeated pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc, separately claimed the election had been stolen and led protests outside parliament, while pledging his bloc would still "restore dialogue with the Russian Federation."