ISTANBUL

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov on Monday claimed that hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens living in Russia were denied the opportunity to participate in Moldova’s parliamentary elections, alleging that Chisinau provided only two polling stations across the Russian Federation.

“From what we see and know, we can confirm that hundreds of thousands of Moldovans were deprived of the opportunity to vote in the Russian Federation due to the fact that only two polling stations were open to them, which, naturally, was insufficient and could not allow everyone to vote. This is something we can simply state,” Peskov told reporters at the Kremlin, cited by the state-run Tass news agency.

He further accused the Moldovan authorities of blocking engagement with Moscow, which he said makes any discussion of a settlement in the breakaway region of Transnistria nearly impossible.

“Regarding a settlement, it’s a very, very complex issue. With the current Moldovan leadership as our counterpart, of course, it’s very difficult, almost impossible, to talk about it right now. I’m referring to a Moldovan leadership that effectively rules out dialogue with the Russian Federation,” he said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that while the situation in Transnistria remains “quite calm,” the risk of provocations cannot be excluded.

“We see that the situation there is currently quite calm. But at the same time, of course, the threat of provocations cannot be ruled out,” Peskov noted.

On the election results themselves, Peskov said Moscow would refrain from issuing any formal reaction until political forces in Moldova clarified their positions.

“Well, first, the Moldovans themselves should probably figure this out. As far as we know, some political forces are declaring their disagreement and are talking about possible election violations. It would be wrong for us to make any unfounded assessments here. Assessments should be made later, after we understand how the political forces themselves have defined their positions on these elections,” he said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secured a fresh majority in the parliament, winning 50% of the vote, according to preliminary results from the Central Election Commission. With more than 99% of the 1.6 million ballots counted, voter turnout stood at over 52%.

The pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, led by former President Igor Dodon, gained 24% of the vote, while the Alternative bloc, led by Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban, received 7%.