CHISINAU, January 11. /TASS/. Moscow has banned a number of Moldovan officials and journalists from entering Russia against the backdrop of actions by Chisinau that Moscow deems unfriendly, Moldovan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Igor Zakharov told TASS.

"More than ten people have been banned from entering Russia," Zakharov said. Among them he named Moldovan Presidential Chief of Staff Adrian Balutel, Presidential Foreign Affairs and Strategic Communications Adviser Olga Rosca, Moldovan Government Secretary General Artur Mizhu, Audiovisual Council member Ruslan Mikhalevsky, and Center for Strategic Communications and Combating Disinformation coordinator Alexander Manoli, as well as journalists from a number of Moldovan TV channels, news agencies and web portals.

On January 10, the Moldovan ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was issued a strong protest against the unfriendly actions of Chisinau. In particular, Moscow highlighted cases of the politically motivated persecution of Russian and Russian-language media, and discrimination against Russian citizens entering Moldova, as well as aggressive statements of an anti-Russian nature. Moscow also expressed concern over reports of plans to facilitate the training of the Ukrainian armed forces by NATO instructors in Moldova.

Last summer and fall, about three dozen Moldovan members of parliament from the pro-European Action and Solidarity Party of President Maia Sandu were banned from entering Russia. This measure was a response to Chisinau’s demand that the Russian embassy in the country reduce its staff by 45 people (to 10 diplomatic staff and 15 administrative, technical and other personnel). Chisinau explained its decision by the purportedly numerous unfriendly actions and alleged attempts by Russia to destabilize the internal political situation in Moldova.