Moldova’s former president Igor Dodon warns that his country risks being drawn into a potential war between the West and Moscow as the country’s current government builds up the military and moves closer to the EU and NATO.

The pro-Russian Dodon launches a sharp attack against EU plans for his homeland and warns that the country could be used as a battlefield in a future conflict with Russia.

— It is clear that Europe is preparing for war with Russia, says Dodon in an interview with the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti on Sunday.

The former president, who led Moldova between 2016 and 2020 and now leads the opposition against President Maia Sandu’s Western-oriented government, draws parallels to the situation in Ukraine.

— It is clear that in this situation, they strategically need certain countries nearby that they can use as platforms for war. They want to use Moldova as cannon fodder, as yet another country to use against Russia, he says.

Increased military spending in EU

Dodon’s statement comes after EU countries have dramatically increased their defense budgets since Russia entered Ukraine in 2022. The bloc has agreed to invest 800 billion euros by 2030 through the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative.

Several EU politicians have also warned of the “Russian threat” – claims that Moscow has consistently dismissed as “nonsense” and assured that it has no aggressive plans against the EU.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic with approximately 2.5 million inhabitants located between Romania and Ukraine, “absolutely does not need” to be drawn into such a conflict, Dodon emphasizes.

Military buildup in Moldova

The former president points to several signs that concern him. In recent years, Moldova has significantly increased its military budget, announced plans to build a new military base outside the capital Chișinău, and invested in expensive radar stations.

— All this is being done for a reason, Dodon states.

President Maia Sandu has painted a completely different picture of the situation. In a speech to the European Parliament earlier this month, she claimed that EU membership “is a matter of survival” for Moldova and accused Russia of having “unleashed its full arsenal of hybrid attacks” against the country.

EU candidate alongside Ukraine

Moldova was granted EU candidate status in 2022, at the same time as Ukraine. Sandu has also opened up to the possibility that the country could give up its neutrality and join “a larger alliance,” although she did not specifically mention NATO.

The Russian intelligence service SVR warned in July that NATO is shaping Moldova into a military “battering ram” against Russia. The intelligence service accused Sandu of having sold out the nation’s interests to the West and described her rule as a “comprador regime” – a term used for local leaders who are considered to serve foreign interests at the expense of their own country.

Moldova has since independence in 1991 tried to balance between the West and Russia, but the country has in recent years taken clear steps closer to the EU and away from Moscow’s sphere of influence.