US concerned about Russia's alleged 'coup' attempts in Moldova
What's the story
The United States (US) on Tuesday voiced serious concern over suspected Russian plans to stage a coup in Ukraine's ally Moldova.
The spokesperson for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, offered US support to the Moldovan government in this matter.
His reaction comes after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of destabilizing the country's administration to prevent it from joining the European Union.
Context
Why does this story matter?
For a long time, the Moldovan government has accused Russia of inciting unrest in the country, including protests in Chișinău, by stationing troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria in the east.
On Monday, the US also warned citizens in Russia to leave immediately.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), on the other hand, has accused the US of training terrorists to attack Russian targets.
Statement
It's certainly a page of Putin's playbook: US security official
While reacting to Sandu's claims, Kirby said, "Deeply concerning reports. We absolutely stand with the Moldovan government and the Moldovan people."
He didn't verify the claims and reports around the coup. However, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin is capable of trying such a move.
"We haven't seen independent confirmation, but it's certainly a page right out of Putin's playbook," he said.
Moldova
Moldovan President accused Russia of coup
On Monday, Sandu said that Russia attempted to plot a coup against the Moldova government in order to use the Eastern European country in its invasion of Ukraine and prevent Moldova from joining the EU.
Sandu corroborated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure in Brussels last week that Russia would use to "break the democratic order" of Moldova.
Russia
Russia denied allegations, blamed Ukraine for stirring tension
Russia refuted the allegations of a coup, claiming that such assertions are absolutely "unfounded and baseless."
Its foreign ministry also accused Ukraine of inflaming tensions between Russia and Moldova.
Notably, Russia's state media has been amplifying comments from Moldova's political opposition that Kyiv was attempting to drag Chisinau into a conflict with Russia ever since Sandu issued the statement.
Development
Russian forces advancing into Ukraine's territory
The latest war of words comes as the Russian defense ministry said that its forces broke Ukrainian forces' resistance and advanced two kilometers to the west in four days.
There was however no word on which part of the massive frontline, which spanned several Ukrainian regions, had moved.
According to Ukrainian officials, troops are defending the frontline in Donetsk and have retaken certain positions.