Moldova ends reliance on Russian gas, pivots to EU

Moldova is a tiny country at a fragile crossroads. It has hugely transformed in recent decades, from a hotspot for corruption and human, drug, and weapons trafficking to enacting important democratic reforms and applying for EU membership. Two opposite political factions, pro-EU and pro-Russia, are straining to take the country in different directions, with recent elections closely fought. Russia keeps trying to control Moldova through hybrid threats, interference, and warfare, just as it is launching similar actions against other countries in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the South Caucasus, and beyond. Moldova has been praised for its success in combating Russia’s influence in multiple ways. We look at how successful it has really been and whether Europe, especially Eastern European countries with a Soviet history, can learn anything from this.