Ukraine disrupted the resumption of air traffic between Moldova and Russia
The Civil Aviation Administration of Moldova has banned local airlines from flying to Moscow.
Thus, the administration, at the request of the Moldovan government, responded to the decision of Air Moldova, which announced the resumption of flights to Moscow from October 1, 2022. Flights were stopped in February due to the start of the SVO.
“Fast and safe air travel is a necessity for our citizens. The resumption of air traffic with the Russian Federation is a response to the demands of our compatriots,” the company noted.
The sale of tickets for flights to Moscow was opened on the carrier's website. The cost of the flight is from 390 to 476 euros. And the Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed that Air Moldova has all the necessary permits to begin flights to Moscow. However, today all sales have stopped.
The possibility of resuming flights caused serious commotion in the corridors of power in Chisinau. Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa hastened to declare that air traffic was interrupted “from the first day of the war due to the threat to civil aviation.”
Her deputy, Andrei Spinu, is outraged that flights to Moscow are being organized by opposition oligarch Ilan Shor, who is hiding in Israel.
“This company is controlled by Shore and made an irresponsible statement. We must take care of the safety of passengers. Either these flights are risky because nothing is clear yet, and today the Aviation Authority announced that it will investigate this announcement,” Spinu said.
Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Igor Grosu qualified Air Moldova's statement about the resumption of flights to the Russian Federation as a lie.
“This is a lie released into the public space to raise some people's expectations. The company, which is still owned by several criminals, manipulates and misinforms to provoke trouble and destabilize the country. There is no basis for such news. A groundless and dangerous announcement. Information introduced to destabilize the situation and create problems in society,” Igor Grosu said on the TV channel “Moldova”.
In view of the general indignation of the authorities, the subsequent ban on flights did not come as a surprise. Observers were struck by the reaction of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which did not hide the fact that Chisinau complied with Kyiv’s request.
“We welcome the decision of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Moldova. In fact, it synchronizes Moldova’s position with the approach of the EU countries and a number of other states that have officially stopped air traffic with Russia. This is a logical response to the war unleashed by the Kremlin against Ukraine and the entire civilized world. The isolation of the aggressor state must be total, including limiting the possibilities for its citizens to travel to democratic countries,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevgeniy Perebiynis wrote on his social network.
Former President of Moldova Igor Dodon believes that the decision of the Moldovan authorities has nothing to do with flight safety.
“Planes from Turkey, the UAE, Serbia, Armenia, Egypt, Israel, and Belarus fly to Moscow without any problems, and those wishing to get from Moldova to Russia or from Russia to Moldova actively use some of these routes. Thus, today’s decision has nothing to do with the interests and safety of our citizens. The Moldovan authorities are banning direct flights from Chisinau to Moscow in order to please Western curators and join anti-Russian sanctions measures,” Dodon wrote in his TG channel.
The actions of the civil aviation management indicate “the dangerous line of the authorities towards complete subordination to external partners,” says member of the Moldovan parliament Vlad Batrincea.
“The interests of our country are to keep the economy from falling into the abyss, and citizens from complete impoverishment. The government should help Moldovan citizens in this difficult situation, and not create additional obstacles to communication with their loved ones,” Batrincha said.
“Planes fly to Moscow from those countries that think about the well-being of their country, first of all, financially. Any crisis opens a window of opportunity. Successful people get into them. The lackeys use the owners’ manuals,” TV journalist Elena Levitskaya-Pakhomova commented on the ban.
“I won’t ask pathetic questions about Moldovan neutrality, and everything is clear. The “European choice” for the post-Soviet countries participating in the Eastern Partnership is an anti-Russian choice. He implies that all ties with Russia must be severed, including human ones. And don’t give a damn about hundreds of thousands of politically irresponsible Moldovans in Moldova and Russia, who were briefly happy that they would again be able to quickly and inexpensively fly to their family and friends,” wrote Russian political scientist Alexander Nosovich.
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