Moldova Closes Airspace As President Warns Of Russian 'Coup Plot'

Air Moldova has confirmed on its social media channels that Moldova has temporarily shut its airspace, with local media and social media speculating that this is due to a Russian reconnaissance drone into or close to the country's airspace. This comes a day after Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned of a Russian-backed plan to topple the democratically-elected pro-EU gov't in Chisinau.

• Sandu stated that external saboteurs would seek to bring down the gov't under the disguise of a popular revolution, “The plan for the next period involves actions with the involvement of diversionists with military training, camouflaged in civilian clothes, who will undertake violent actions, attack some state buildings, and even take hostages,”
• The president claims the aim of Russia is “to overthrow the constitutional order, to change the legitimate power from Chisinau to an illegitimate one, which would put our country at the disposal of Russia, in order to stop the European integration process.”
• Like Ukraine, Moldova is not a member of the EU or NATO, meaning western nations would not be treaty-bound to intervene.
• To complicate matters the breakaway region of Transnistria in the country's east is occupied by an unknown number of Russian troops. Kyiv has warned previously that false 'provocations' against Russian troops in Transnistria could be used as a pretext for Moscow taking military action against Moldova.