Moldova has announced the conscription of reservists

The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova (RM) has announced the holding of exercises for reservists to familiarize them with the armament of the army. At the same time, the European Union announced the supply of a new batch of military equipment worth 40 million euros to Moldova. The EU ambassadors made the decision after the promise of the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, during his visit to Chisinau to transfer military aid of 60 million euros to Moldova. Former Defense Minister of the Republic of Moldova Vitalie Marinuta told NG that this is not enough to have an army with strong air defenses to withstand the attack. He does not hope for peace talks: “one of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine will violate them.” Meanwhile, the EU announced the allocation of another 1.2 billion euros to Moldova to strengthen the economy.

The European Union is preparing to send a new batch of non-lethal military equipment worth 40 million euros to Moldova.

The EU countries confirmed this decision on Tuesday. On that day, at a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels, the EU decided that non-lethal equipment would consist of infantry armored vehicles and an air defense system. We are talking about 33 “highly mobile tactical vehicles” that will replace similar Soviet equipment and provide better mobility for three infantry brigades.

The participants in the meeting of the EU ambassadors agreed that they would decide later whether to supply Chisinau with more anti-aircraft batteries worth 20 million euros, that is, lethal weapons (short-range air defense systems consisting of 8 rocket launchers and about 24 missiles). The National Army’s tactical Air Defense regiment system aims to ensure the coordination of radars and other military sensors with anti-aircraft missile batteries and other means of interception.

The EU ambassadors confirmed the assistance to Moldova two weeks after the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, announced during a visit to Chisinau a package of military assistance to the republic for 60 million euros. The authorities of the Republic of Moldova have repeatedly appealed to European partners to provide air defense systems.

Former Moldovan Defense Minister Vitalie Marinuta told NG that the European Union allocates a lot of money to his country, but it is not enough to buy the necessary amount of military equipment. “The Moldovan army must have a strong air defense system to repel possible Russian missiles. And we have allocated 0.55% of GDP for defense, by 2030, according to the new security strategy of the Republic of Moldova, it will be 1%. This is small when compared with the EU, where some countries raise defense contributions to 4-5%, and even more so with Russia. We need to arm ourselves to defend ourselves in case of an attack. But it can be. In Chisinau, they are worried that Russia will want to regain both Little Russia and Moldova, which were previously part of the Russian Empire. We have strong neighbors, Romania and Ukraine, who have strong armies, and we are friends with them, but we must rely on ourselves.”

He noted that the truce talks being conducted by Moscow and Washington are good. But Brigadier General Vitalie Marinuta believes that “one of the sides will violate this truce,” therefore Chisinau needs to be on its guard. And for this, “the army should be equipped with the latest weapons. Because what we have is outdated for a long time,” said the former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. He hopes for EU help, but not for the United States anymore.

The National Army of the Republic of Moldova is preparing for military action, which on Wednesday announced that it plans to hold exercises with reservists of the Armed Forces in May. According to Octavian Druce, head of the National Army’s Mobilization Resources and Personnel Management Center, the exercises will be held from May 15 to May 19 and from May 22 to May 26. In this regard, territorial military centers will invite reservists to clarify personal data, as well as to serve orders on participation in exercises. The purpose of the exercises is to test the skills of reservists and familiarize them with the equipment and weapons of the infantry of the National Army.

Previously, the EU provided financial assistance to Moldova in 2021 and 2022 in the amount of 47 million euros for the development of the republic’s defense capability. It provided assistance in equipping medical and engineering departments with modern equipment, as well as in strengthening the logistics, transport, communication, and information field. French President Emmanuel Macron then explained the need for military assistance to a neutral republic: “Moldova is on the front line.”

According to the Moldovan Constitution, the country maintains permanent neutrality, which prevents the republic from joining NATO. Meanwhile, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said earlier that “Moldova’s neutrality does not mean giving up the army and strengthening its defense capability.”

At the same time, the Council of the European Union agreed to allocate a loan of 1.9 billion euros to Moldova to support Moldova’s reforms and economic growth. According to the press release, the loan is the financial basis of the Growth Plan of the Republic of Moldova, presented by the European Commission in October 2024. He will support the Republic of Moldova in the period 2025-2027. Up to 385 million euros will be allocated in the form of grants, and the remaining amount will be concessional loans.

“Today we are helping Moldovans to promote key socio-economic reforms, boost the economy and accelerate the country’s accession to the EU. The new instrument will also strengthen Moldova’s resilience,” mitigating the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, said Adam Szlapka, Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Economic analyst Vyacheslav Ionita noted that “Moldova is going through one of the most difficult economic periods in recent decades.” He wrote on the social network that “stagnation in 2024 with a tiny 0.1% growth is a symptom of a much more serious problem: over the past five years, the cumulative economic growth has been 0.4%, which is an alarmingly low indicator, comparable to the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union.” In other words, the cumulative economic growth in Moldova over the four years of Maia Sandu’s rule amounted to 0.4%. Adjusted for inflation, this is a recession.

“The result of the systemic collapse of the main sectors of the economy: agriculture (-14.6%). The losses are estimated at 7 billion lei, which directly affects farmers’ incomes and the economic stability of rural areas. Industry (-3.4%). This decline resulted in losses of 3 billion lei, which indicates a deep crisis. A sharp drop in employment (-3.7%) – 40 thousand jobs were lost in the real sector of the economy, while the public sector grew by 7 thousand, which indicates an unstable direction of economic policy. Decrease in exports (-12.2%). The losses amounted to 493 million dollars, which negatively affected Moldova’s ability to maintain competitiveness in foreign markets,” the expert said.

According to him, these factors provide a “perfect storm” that calls into question Moldova’s economic future. “Excessive dependence on foreign aid and international loans has not ensured growth. Over the past four years, 3.4 billion euros have been poured into Moldova in the form of grants and loans without any tangible results for the economy,” the expert noted. He drew attention to the fact that, faced with harsh reality, the government continues to rely on promises of external financing, without having a clear strategy for reviving the economy.