Influential Russian presidential advisor Nikolai Patrushev voiced unprecedentedly aggressive rhetoric against Moldova, saying the country may “cease to exist” in an an interview given to Komsomolskaia Pravda and broadly circulated in the Russian media. 

Patrushev blamed the pro-EU authorities in Chisinau for the ongoing energy crisis in Moldova that followed Gazprom’s cut off of gas supplies on January 1. This sparked a humanitarian and economic crisis within the pro-Russian separatist Transnistria region within Moldova, which relied heavily on Russian gas both for its own use and to produce electricity for the rest of the country. The move is seen as an attempt by Russia to destabilise Moldova ahead of this year’s general election. 

Speaking to Komsomolskaia Pravda, Patrushev said Moldova may “cease to exist as a state,” if it continues the “aggressive anti-Russian policy”.

“I do not exclude that the aggressive anti-Russian policy from Chisinau will lead to the fact that Moldova will either become part of another state or will cease to exist. In this situation, we can look at the example of Ukraine, where neo-Nazism and Russophobia led the country to collapse, and this long before the special military operation," Patrushev said, using Russia's preferred term for the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin's influential adviser claimed that Ukraine will also cease to exist as a state as early as 2025 and said that it will not be among the priorities of the new US president, Donald Trump.

The Russian official ruled out a role for the European Union in the negotiations on the settlement of the war in Ukraine, arguing that officials in Brussels have lost support from several EU member states (including Romania).

He placed Romania among the group of EU countries also including Austria, Slovakia and Hungary that supposedly seek better ties with Moscow in contrast with the policy conducted by Brussels.

"The EU leadership, for example, has long lost the right to speak on behalf of many of its members, such as Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Romania and several other European countries interested in stability in Europe and adopting a balanced position towards Russia," Putin's representative argued.

By listing Romania along with the other three countries,  Patrushev implied he expects an imminent win for ultranationalist presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, known for his anti-EU and anti-Nato rhetoric, for whom Moscow has expressed its appreciation. After Romania cancelled last year’s presidential election, the vote will be held on May 4, and polls indicate strong backing for Georgescu.