Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova renewed her condemnation of Moldova’s restrictions on its citizens in Russia by opening only two polling stations for them to vote in their country’s parliamentary elections.

In an interview with the Novosti agency on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, she said:

“What is happening in Moldova, especially regarding the new elections, is no longer just a theater of absurdity. It has become a global festival of mockery, meant to astonish the world by the depths to which a country claiming democracy can sink.”

She pointed out that Russia has been and remains fully prepared to open a sufficient number of polling stations to enable Moldovan expatriates to exercise their voting rights, provided that Moldovan authorities submit the necessary official request. She affirmed that Moscow is ready to ensure “safe and appropriate conditions” for holding the vote according to constitutional regulations.

Zakharova sharply criticized Moldovan President Maia Sandu, noting that she “mocks her country’s law, the law in general, the people, and the very concept of democracy.” She considered that restricting the number of polling stations abroad constitutes a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of Moldovan citizens residing in Russia, estimated to number in the tens of thousands.

According to Moldova’s Central Electoral Commission, the country’s Foreign Ministry proposed opening only two polling stations in Russia—one in Moscow and another in Saint Petersburg—before the upcoming parliamentary elections, a move that almost repeats the scenario from the presidential elections in fall 2024.

The Electoral Commission had recommended opening five centers in Russia (in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Surgut), but the Moldovan Foreign Ministry agreed to only two centers in Moscow, citing “security considerations”—a justification Russia completely rejected and considered a political pretext targeting voters sympathetic to Moscow’s policies.

Zakharova previously described this measure as an “insult to Moldovan voters,” turning the elections into a “propaganda show” with no place for transparency or fairness. Estimates indicate that thousands of Moldovans in Russia may be deprived of voting due to geographic distance and the scarcity of polling stations, raising concerns about voter will manipulation and shrinking democratic space.