What Will Russia Invade Next? Moldova 'Very Worried' As Putin Advances Near Borders

Moldova’s Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita on Sunday said she is “very worried” that Russia would invade her country next in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

“We are worried, of course. This is a risk, it’s a hypothetical scenario for now,” Gavrilita said in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.” “But if the [Russian] military actions move further into the southwestern part of Ukraine and toward Odesa, then of course, we are very worried.”

Gavrilita, who took office in August 2021, also warned other small countries to be concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, which began in February.

“This is a very difficult position not just for Moldova but for any small country, any country that relies on the rules-based international order,” she said, adding: “If a country can start an annexation war without any regard for, you know, international law, then in this sense nobody is safe, and I think that a lot of countries are worried.”

Russian forces entered Ukraine on Feb. 24 and aimed to take over the capital city of Kyiv. However, an initial defeat forced the Russian military to refocus its efforts on taking over the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas as well as securing a land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula. Should the Russian army succeed in doing so, it will gain access to Transnistria, a breakaway region in Moldova that is backed by Russia.

Moldova’s ties with Russia were recently called into question after the Russian Foreign Ministry accused it of sabotaging Moscow’s war efforts by not letting it bring modern weaponry to its forces in the breakaway region of Transnistria.

Moldova denied Russia’s accusations and noted that allowing Moscow to move its troops and ammunition within the country would violate its neutral status. Moldova also accused Russia of entering the country illegally, according to Balkan Insight.

Moldova’s fear of a possible Russian invasion heightened in March after a leaked photo showed Belarus President and known Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko pointing at Moldova on a battle map while addressing his security council. The map also showed troop movement plans and infrastructure targets in Ukraine.