CHISINAU, September 25. /TASS/. Former head of Moldova’s Gagauz autonomy Irina Vlah, who now leads the Heart of Moldova party, has slammed the pro-Western government in Chisinau for dragging the neutral republic into an armed conflict.

"And they are the ones telling us about war? Those who have massively increased the defense budget over these past four years. Those who are buying weapons. Those who are receiving weapons and military experts from NATO. They are the ones lecturing us about war? They want to use our people as cannon fodder in foreign wars," Vlah said during her speech at a rally held in central Chisinau by the Patriotic Bloc. The participants demanded that the authorities respect the country's neutrality.

All opposition parties are criticizing the multi-million spending on military equipment during an economic crisis. The Moldovan public is concerned about the growing number of military drills and the increasing presence of foreign soldiers in the streets.

Earlier this week, the press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service did not rule out the possibility of EU or NATO contingents being deployed to Moldova to keep the republic in line with a Russophobic policy. The press bureau clarified that this could be done at the request of the country's President, Maia Sandu, if the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity loses the parliamentary elections on September 28. Provocations against Transnistria or Russian peacekeepers on the Dniester could also be used as a pretext to send foreign troops.

The Heart of Moldova party is participating in the elections as part of the Patriotic Bloc together with the Party of Socialists, the Party of Communists, and the Future of Moldova party. The bloc's leaders criticize the policy of confrontation with Moscow and advocate for the restoration of relations with Russia. The Patriotic Bloc is considered the main opponent of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) in the parliamentary elections, scheduled for September 28. Earlier this week, Moldova's Ministry of Justice initiated a procedure to disqualify The Heart of Moldova party from the elections, accusing it of campaign finance violations.