The pro-Western President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said on Monday that the country may withdraw the citizenship of its nationals who are called up and then go on to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The reason for this is because these individuals also possess Russian passports.
There are 200,000 individuals with dual Moldovan and Russian citizenship who reside in the separatist Moldovan territory of Trandniestria. Last Monday, Russia initiated a “partial” mobilisation to augment its soldiers in Ukraine.
Sandu said that there was a possibility that Russia may enlist some of those individuals to take part in the conflict.
“We are analysing the prospect of applying the procedure of withdrawing Moldovan citizenship for those persons who fight on the side of the aggressor,” Sandu added.
She said that “we are also looking at the prospect of making punishments tougher for Moldovan nationals who are serving in the ranks of the aggressor’s military forces,” adding that this is something that is being looked into.
She said that Moldova was undertaking negotiations with Moscow to avoid instances of its people being called up for military service.
Since the early 1990s, when pro-Russian rebels were able to seize the majority of the province from Moldovan rule as a result of an armed war, Russia has maintained a presence in Transdniestria with peacekeeping forces.