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Russia Threat | How does Moldova stand up to Putin’s machinations?

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Russia Threat |  How does Moldova stand up to Putin’s machinations?

The Republic of Moldova is Ukraine’s tiny neighbor – and within sight is Vladimir Putin. But Brigitta Trebel of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung says the Moldovan government has so far held firm against Russia’s activities.

Meanwhile, winter in Moldova seems to be over forever. After this year of crisis, this was not only a change of season, but also a political success for the reform-oriented government of the Labor and Solidarity Party (PAS) in the capital, Chisinau, and the country’s president, Maia Sandu. The outlook was still bleak in the fall of 2022: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine had radically changed Moldova’s security situation as well. If Russian forces succeed in southern Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova could become a focus of Russian ambitions at any time.

The dramatic drop in Russian gas shipments to Moldova has produced Moscow’s desired results: the Moldovan government has suddenly had to manage an energy crisis and imminent supply shortages. Threefold price hikes and up to 35 percent inflation — higher than in war-torn Ukraine — have worsened the social situation of low-income groups.

Brigitta Trebiel heads the office Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Chişinău (Republic of Moldova). He previously worked as a doctor of Eastern European history and political scientist at the Foundation in Ukraine. The Konrad-Adenauer Foundation is a think tank that is ideally close to the CDU and works, among other things, for European understanding.

The pro-Russian opposition party led by oligarch Ilan Shor exploited fears of increasing instability. With Russian help, it organized and financed anti-government protests in Chişinău, sometimes with up to 6,500 participants. In mid-February 2023, Maia Sandu announced for the first time the extent of the Russian hybrid war in Moldova. You talked about Russian plans for a violent change of power.

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The energy and security crisis has put so much pressure on the government in Chişinău that actual and urgently needed reform projects, particularly in the judicial sector, can only be treated as a minor issue and have been further delayed. So Moldova can look back on a winter filled with multiple crises, each one of which was difficult to overcome.

Moldova is on the right track

Precisely for this reason, the first positive interim conclusion can be drawn: the dreaded lack of energy can be avoided. The government, with the help of the European Union, has drawn up contingency plans for critical infrastructure and built new supply infrastructure with neighboring countries and Western partners. Long-term change: Moldova is already far from complete dependence on Russian energy supplies, and energy independence should be achieved in the next five years.

With the help of European financial aid, it was also possible to cap high energy prices, at least for the low-income population groups in Moldova. Even the anti-government protests in Chişinău did not lead to a nationwide protest movement. Ilan Schor and his supporters could in no way create an atmosphere in Moldovan society that would favor the overthrow of the government or the president.

Brigitta Trebel: Moldova has made progress, Eastern European historian writes. (Source: Philip Boehm)

President Maia Sandhu has taken a clear stance on security issues. It condemned the Russian attack on the neighboring country and has been striving ever since to consolidate its steadfastness. To this end, the government has initiated reforms to its security forces and has continued to combat hybrid threats in the country. Already in March, the Moldovan police detained people with Russian passports. They are suspected of allowing the violence to escalate on behalf of Russia, especially during the protests.

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The prospects of the Republic of Moldova also contribute to the positive conclusion after this winter of crisis, since the status as a candidate for the European Union gives the country prospects for long-term development. This is urgently required for the country’s economy, which is still underdeveloped. In addition, democratic reforms are now more urgent, as the judicial reform envisaged by the government is an essential part of the negotiations with the European Union.

The pro-Russian regime

The successful crisis management in the current Moldovan government headed by Prime Minister Dorren Resin also shows that the ministries and authorities are able to function despite limited financial and human capacities. After a year of war, the neighboring countries Ukraine and Moldova are getting closer to each other. The Ukrainian side expresses its gratitude for the great solidarity of Moldova with the Ukrainian refugees.

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Destroying the Crimean Bridge makes no sense? Warning of Ukraine’s attacks on Putin’s symbol of power

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Destroying the Crimean Bridge makes no sense?  Warning of Ukraine’s attacks on Putin’s symbol of power
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The Crimean Bridge is a symbol of power for Putin – and a tempting target for Ukraine. But a Ukrainian intelligence expert recommends a different strategy in the war.

Kiev – The Russian regime warned of a „devastating retaliatory strike” if Ukraine attacks the Russian-annexed Crimea peninsula or the Crimean bridgehead again. The reason: There is speculation in Russia that Ukraine may be planning a major attack – on the occasion of “Victory Day,” which Russia marks on May 9 with an exhibition of captured military equipment. A simultaneous attack on the bridge connecting the peninsula to mainland Russia, It would be humiliating Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This was announced by a Ukrainian military intelligence officer in the British newspaper in April Watchman To: “We will destroy the bridge in the first half of 2024” The destruction of the bridge, which has already been attacked twice, is “inevitable.”

Now a Ukrainian intelligence expert is explicitly warning against destroying the Crimean Bridge. This is not out of fear of Putin’s revenge, but because he considers this a waste of Ukraine’s already scarce military resources.

A tempting war target: the Crimean Bridge has been attacked repeatedly – ​​as happened here in October 2022. © Uncredited/AP/dpa

“What will the destruction of the Crimean Bridge bring us?” Warning against wrong tactics in the Ukraine war

“What will the destruction of the Crimean Bridge bring us?” asks Ivan Stupak, a former employee of the Ukrainian Internal Intelligence Service. Interview with Ukrainian News Agency Union. Destroying the Crimean Bridge will be complex and difficult. The bridge was repeatedly damaged in previous attacks, but has since been restored. „It’s not doing well.”

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Stupak believes that future attempts to destroy the bridge would be a waste of energy. Especially since Russia has now responded: it is clear that Putin’s army is no longer using the bridge for military purposes.

A Ukrainian open source agency recently found using satellite images that far fewer trains pass through the Kerch Bridge than in the past. Instead, Russia is now increasingly using land routes into the annexed areas of eastern Ukraine to supply the front lines of the Ukrainian war.

The head of Ukrainian domestic intelligence, Wasyl Malik, said in March 2024 that Russia would no longer use the Crimean bridge to deliver weapons. Trains that passed the bridge now transport only people and consumer goods.

The Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula to Russia, was damaged several times during the Ukraine war.
The Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula to Russia, was damaged several times during the Ukraine war. © Konstantin Mihalchevsky/Imago

In the war against Russia, Ukraine should attack other targets instead of the Crimean bridgehead

Ukrainian military expert Stupak recommends in an interview with Union Therefore, no more missiles and ammunition are wasted on attacks on the Kerch Bridge. Instead, the Ukrainian military should attack Russian targets whose destruction would be of greater benefit. Stupak cites „headquarters and depots” as examples, as well as air defense complexes, aircraft and airfields.

For example, if Ukraine destroyed a Russian S300 anti-aircraft missile complex, this would directly help Ukrainian defense: Russia could then immediately shoot down fewer Ukrainian planes and drop fewer missiles on soldiers, “meaning we don’t lose.” Any military or military forces.” Civilians. This is a great added value. This is also a direct effect.” Because they meant to “destroy Putin’s money.”

Experts recommend launching attacks on Russian fighter planes instead of the Crimean bridge

The Ukrainian expert said that the most important thing for Ukrainian defense in the war against Russia is the destruction of Russian fighter planes carrying high-explosive glide bombs. As a result of Russia’s use of so-called FAB bombs, the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka fell, which could now be repeated in the currently besieged city of Chasiv Yar.

The military expert warns that FAF glide bombs will penetrate Ukrainian defenses “like can launchers.” Therefore, Ukraine must destroy Russian combat aircraft directly where they are stationed or when they approach Ukraine. Stupak said that would be a „great advantage and opportunity to stop the Russian advance,” unlike the elaborate attacks on the Crimean bridge.

The latter, Stupak sees, are primarily PR campaigns “for Facebook”: “There will then be likes, memes and reposts for two days,” “But what will it bring us and how will it affect the situation at the front?” Decisive. (SMU)

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Trump’s trial in the documents case has been postponed indefinitely

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Trump’s trial in the documents case has been postponed indefinitely

As of: May 8, 2024 at 7:28 AM

While things are getting more uncomfortable for former US President Trump in court in New York, he is having success in Miami: Proceedings there in the documents case probably won’t begin before the election in November.

The trial of former US President Donald Trump in the case of seizure of secret state documents was supposed to begin on May 20. But as the Florida judge in charge announced in a letter, the start of the proceedings will be postponed. Elaine Cannon explained that this was due to the open legal questions due to the large number of applications. No new date has been set.

For special prosecutor Jack Smith, the decision is a setback. The process is unlikely to begin before the presidential election in November, in which Trump is expected to run again as the Republican Party’s nominee.

Secret documents kept in a private villa

The 77-year-old was charged federally in the documents case last year. In this case, he is accused of illegally storing highly sensitive information from his presidency. In August 2022, FBI federal police searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and seized several sets of documents classified as top secret that he had not turned over to the National Archives as required. It is said to have included military plans and information about nuclear weapons.

Trump is also accused of trying to destroy evidence in the case. On the most serious charges, he faces up to ten years in prison.

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Trump pleaded not guilty at the impeachment hearing that took place in Miami last year. His lawyers are still trying to avoid the proceedings. Among other things, they rely on Trump’s immunity as president. They say keeping the documents as personal records was an official act of the president.

Does the judge delay the proceedings?

Judge Cannon, who is in charge of the documents process, was appointed by Trump. Critics accuse it of prolonging the process and processing requests in slow motion. As justification for delaying the start of the trial, Cannon wrote that setting a trial date at this point would be “unwise.” There are a lot of open legal questions that still need to be clarified. It will take proper preparation and time to fully and fairly address this issue in order to present this case to a jury.

A total of four cases are against Trump

For Republicans, the decision is considered a success. He is currently facing charges in a New York court in connection with secret payments to a porn actress. That’s why he regularly spends long hours in the courtroom.

In total, Trump is currently facing four criminal proceedings: In addition to the trial in the documents case and the secret money case in New York, there is also an election fraud trial at the federal level and another in the US state of Georgia.

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Donald Trump: Trump’s trial in the documents case has been postponed until further notice

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Donald Trump: Trump’s trial in the documents case has been postponed until further notice

The official start of the trial of the former US President Donald Trump The case surrounding the taking of secret government documents has been postponed indefinitely. The presiding judge, Eileen Cannon, announced in a letter on Tuesday that the previously scheduled start of the trial on May 20 had been cancelled. The reason for this is the open legal questions. Therefore, the process is unlikely to begin before the presidential elections in November.

Last year, a grand jury agreed to indict Trump. the Indictment Against Trump includes 37 points; 31 of them fall under the Espionage Act, America’s espionage law. The former president is also charged with, among other things, participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. Trump is the first former (or sitting) president to be indicted at the federal level.

Illegal storage of confidential documents

In this case, Trump was accused of illegally storing highly sensitive information since his presidency (2017 to 2021). In August 2022, FBI federal police searched Trump’s villa in Florida and seized several sets of documents classified as top secret. Trump is also accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation: he is said to have tried to hide material from surveillance cameras and take boxes of documents with the help of employees.

Trump is also said to have carelessly kept secret documents and opened them on his property in Florida. The Justice Department posted photos of boxes stacked around the toilet, including the marble floor of one of Trump’s bathrooms. They have almost reached the Pleiades. Trump also appears to have shown two documents to other people without proper security clearance; It contained plans for an attack on Iran and a military map.

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The responsible judge sees legal issues that still need clarification

Judge Cannon, who is in charge of the documents process, was appointed by Trump. Critics accuse it of prolonging the process and processing requests in slow motion. As justification for delaying the start of the trial, Cannon wrote that setting a trial date at this point would be “unwise.” There are a lot of open legal questions that still need to be clarified. It will take proper preparation and time to fully and fairly address this issue in order to present this case to a jury.

The current decision is considered a success for the Republican Party, as it is trying to delay the start of the trial as much as possible in the context of the presidential election campaign. Trump currently has to answer in a New York court regarding hush money payments to a porn actress.

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