MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s policies are aimed at destroying the country, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a broadcast by Sputnik radio.

When asked if relations between Moscow and Chisinau would ever return to the previous level, the diplomat said: "Definitely. I’ll give you a reason why. <...> The processes that are taking place in Moldova aren’t natural but man-made, initiated by Maia Sandu and her regime."

"Everything Maia Sandu and her so-called associates do is first and foremost about destroying Moldova. It’s not aimed against Russia and Russian society because the Moldovan people are its primary target. The people have finally realized that and are now resisting it," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman pointed out.

Zakharova noted that Sandu "was brought [to power] by the West’s hands and through the West’s money, the way it has been done with other people, regimes and politicians in many regions." "[She was brought to power] to create the illusion of confrontation between Moldova and Russia," she added.

Meanwhile, there has never been any sign that "some deep contradictions" actually exist between the peoples of the two countries. "However, Maia Sandu and her wrecking crew are doing everything in their power to create such an illusion," Zakharova noted. "I believe that the Moldovan people will not let anyone push them down into the same dark hole [that Ukraine has been pushed down into]," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman concluded.