Putin’s Shadow Looms Over Moldova’s Vote on EU Membership
Pro-European forces in the former Soviet Republic are trying to counter a campaign by Russia to keep the tiny nation in its orbit.
Installations featuring the European Union flag in Chisinau. Moldova is part of a widening movement among former Soviet states to overcome pressure from Moscow and pivot westward.
Photographer: Andrei Pungovschi/BloombergAt the family plum orchard in the rolling hills northwest of Moldova’s capital of Chisinau, it’s easy to see why Zinaida Plamadeala is keen to ensure her country remains on its path toward European integration.
The company she runs with her brother, PDG Fruct, sells almost all its produce to the European Union, which Moldova has been in talks to join. Plamadeala, 33, now hopes enough of her compatriots will back future membership in a pivotal referendum on Oct. 20.