Moldova is prepared for possible Russian interference ahead of its October presidential election, the country's top diplomat has told RFE/RL. "That is a threat, but we have seen that threat diminish," Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said about Russian influence in Moldova. "But we are confident that our institutions are more resilient to be able to withstand this malign influence, and also our society is more resilient," Popsoi added in an interview with RFE/RL's Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak on August 31 on the sidelines of the Globsec security conference in Prague. The Kremlin has repeatedly indicated that it considers Moldova -- an EU candidate country -- a traditional sphere of its influence. Russian troops have been deployed since 1992 in Transdniester, a Moldovan breakaway region controlled by Russia-backed separatists.
