Overview
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a Jan. 16 advisory recommending Russians refrain from travel to Moldova, citing repeated discrimination and harassment.
- The ministry alleges Russian passport holders face humiliating searches on arrival in Chisinau and prolonged waits in the transit zone without basic services.
- It describes cases of stays exceeding two days, refusals of entry under pretexts it calls flimsy, deliberately protracted checks causing missed flights, and reports of border detention and criminal prosecution without convincing evidence.
- Moscow also says Moldovan authorities are ignoring consular requests, making assistance to Russian nationals effectively impossible.
- Outlets reporting the advisory said they could not verify the claims and had requested comment from Moldova, noting the tensions as the country pursues EU accession and has accused the Kremlin of election meddling.