Moldova turns back plane carrying pro-Russian activists
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The incident came a day after the US, Britain and Canada warned of a Russian “plot” to influence Moldova’s presidential election.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CHISINAU – The authorities in Moldova and an opposition politician said on June 14 that aviation officials had denied landing permission to a flight carrying pro-Russian opposition activists bound for the capital Chisinau.
According to the authorities in Romania, its neighbouring country, the flight from Armenia was redirected to an airport near the Romanian capital Bucharest.
Moldovan pro-Russian MP Marina Tauber announced the incident in a post on Telegram.
“Chisinau airport refused to allow a flight from Moscow via (Armenian capital) Yerevan carrying participants in the congress of the Moldovan opposition political bloc ‘Victory’ to land,” she wrote. “The aircraft was diverted to Bucharest.”
Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a Facebook post on June 14 that low-cost carrier FlyOne failed to “notify (flight) schedule changes three days in advance as required by law”.
A source at Otopeni airport near Bucharest confirmed to AFP that an aircraft with 174 passengers on board landed there on the morning of June 14. Once there, the plane was checked following a bomb threat that turned out to be a false alarm, the source added.
Videos posted by Ms Tauber on Telegram show passengers getting off the FlyOne flight for identity checks.
The incident came a day after the United States, Britain and Canada warned of a Russian “plot” to influence Moldova’s presidential election
In late April, Moldovan pro-Russian opposition parties gathered in Moscow to announce the formation of the “Victory” political bloc, ahead of the presidential election and a European Union membership referendum in October.
Moldova, led by pro-European President Maia Sandu, frequently accuses the Kremlin of interfering in its internal affairs.
Ms Sandu has accused Moscow of trying to stoke tensions in the former Soviet republic of 2.6 million people.
In the run-up to Moldova’s presidential election on Oct 20, in which Ms Sandu is seeking a second term, the political situation has been especially tense.
Wedged between war-torn Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova has been an official candidate to join the EU since June 2022, just months after Moscow launched its invasion
