Moldova’s pro-western government has resigned after 18 months in power following a series of economic and political crises that have engulfed the country in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, told a news conference on Friday that the “time has come for me to announce my resignation”, adding that no one could have expected her government “to manage so many crises caused by Russian aggression”.
Hours earlier, the government said a Russian missile had violated Moldovan airspace and summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest.
Moldova’s intelligence service said on Thursday that Russia was acting to destabilise the country, after the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Kyiv had intercepted a “plan for the destruction of Moldova” by Russian intelligence.
“Subversive activities with the aim of undermining the Republic of Moldova, of destabilisation and violating the public order were identified,” the country’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) said in a statement.