“Russia wanted to capture Odesa and Mykolaiv and go to Moldova. But thanks to the Ukrainian people and the army, this plan did not work. We are grateful to our Ukrainian friends for preventing them,” President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, told Report's Eastern Europe bureau.
According to him, Russia has other problems in Ukraine: “We do not see a direct threat at the moment. Our Ukrainian friends are keeping them busy on the eastern front, so they have other problems. Currently, they are building fortifications for defense.”
Igor Grosu said that Russia didn’t hide its intention to invade Moldova: “They don't hide it, I know. This was their original plan. They wanted to capture Odesa and Mykolaiv and go to Moldova. But thanks to the Ukrainian people and the army, this plan did not work. Now they have other problems. So I don't see a direct threat. However, this does not mean that we should not prepare and strengthen our defense capabilities.”