Prime minister of Moldova resigns amid tensions with Russia

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Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned Friday, 18 months after she was elected. Gavrilita had faced several crises during her time in office, including an energy shortage that began when Moscow reduced supply, spillover from Russia’s war in Ukraine, and rising inflation. Moldovan President Maia Sandu accepted the leader’s resignation and has named businessman and former minister Dorin Recean as the country’s prime minister-designate. Moldova was granted European Union candidate status last year and is working to achieve full membership.

Has Russia targeted Moldova? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday told European leaders that intelligence officials in Ukraine had intercepted Russian plans to destabilize Moldova. Zelenskyy reportedly shared the information with Moldovan officials but it was unclear whether Moscow had ordered the scheme to move forward. The Moldovan government said a Russian missile flew through its airspace on Friday before entering Ukraine.

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report in WORLD Magazine on how cutting ties with Russian energy is affecting the EU.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.