MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Moldova’s rejection of productive cooperation with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States will inevitably lead to impoverishment of its people, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoigu said in an interview with newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

"For us, this story [Moldova's withdrawal from the CIS] is no sensation. This process has been launched by [Moldovan President Maya] Sandu since 2021 and implemented in practice since March 2022 after Moldova applied to join the European Union," he said.

According to Shoigu, fuel shortages and rising prices at Moldovan gas stations "clearly demonstrate the consequences of Chisinau's refusal to engage constructively within the CIS and are capable of finishing off an already unstable economy and impoverishing the population. However, the interests of ordinary people, as has been repeatedly proven, are not a priority for the Moldovan authorities."