The Moldovan parliament has voted to close the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Chisinau, Reuters reports. The measure is seen as another step to limit Russian influence in the country and was adopted a day after the Russian ambassador was summoned in connection with new drone incursions that Chisinau has deemed unacceptable, News.bg reports.
A total of 57 deputies in the 101-member parliament supported the decision. President Maia Sandu's ruling pro-European Action and Solidarity Party has a majority in the legislature.
The government justified its decision with concerns that the center could be used to spread messages and narratives that threaten Moldova's national security. However, due to legal restrictions, it will continue to operate until July 2026. The topic of its closure has been discussed for months.
Elected president in 2020, Maia Sandu has consistently defended the country's course towards joining the European Union by the end of the decade. It condemns Russia's war in Ukraine and accuses Moscow of attempts to destabilize and manipulate public opinion in the former Soviet republic, located between Ukraine and Romania.
Culture Minister Cristian Jordan said that since 2021, the government has not received clarity about the center's activities, as it has not implemented a single joint project or public event.
For their part, opposition parties with pro-Russian positions criticized the decision, stressing that the authorities have not presented a single specific case of illegal activity.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry first called for the center to be closed after a series of drone incursions into Moldovan airspace earlier this year. On Wednesday, the ministry also condemned the latest incident in which six Russian drones entered the country, calling it a "serious violation of Moldova's sovereignty and a direct threat to national and regional security."
Russian Ambassador to Chisinau Oleg Ozerov questioned the authenticity of one of the drones displayed at the foreign ministry and suggested that the case was intended to further worsen already tense relations between Moscow and Chisinau.
Russia, for its part, accuses Moldova of pursuing a "Russophobic" policy directed against Moscow. In recent months, the two countries have expelled each other's diplomats, with the last such case in April.