Latest news with #Sandu
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Moldova's president condemns Russia's brutal strike on Ukrainian cities
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has condemned a large-scale Russian attack on Ukrainian cities and villages on the night of 24-25 May, stating that such actions do not reflect the behaviour of a country seeking peace. Source: Sandu on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: In her post, Sandu expressed support for Ukraine. Quote: "367 drones and missiles. At least 12 dead. Dozens injured. This is not the behaviour of a country seeking peace – it's a deliberate escalation and a brutal attack on innocent lives. Moldova stands with Ukraine. The world must respond with massive support for Ukraine." Background: Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has called for the "strongest international pressure" on Russia after the latest large-scale attack. Following the attack, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová stated that Russia is mocking the international community and the US's efforts to achieve peace. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys called for a strong response to the overnight large-scale airstrike on Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Sandu urges unhappy soldiers to take legal route to address pay dispute
The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has expressed concern that some SANDF members who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are threatening unlawful action to protest about allowances payable to them. The union said it had received several complaints from the South African National Defence Force members who were part of the Sadc mission. It said the SANDF had acknowledged the complaints and undertaken to investigate disparities in payments. 'It is with concern that Sandu has noted certain individuals deployed in the DRC threatening on social media unlawful actions to protest the issue.' The union acknowledged the concerns of the soldiers and assured all involved that the necessary legal means were available to address any payment concerns they might have. 'Under no circumstances will Sandu support any unlawful action to protest/raise payment concerns.' Sandu urged its members to register their concerns on the union channel (legal@ in order for the union to have facts to act upon in a legal and orderly way. Meanwhile, the DA says it has written to defence minister Angie Motshekga, requesting a detailed breakdown of the Sadc-funded allowances for troops, including how the payments are structured and where the remaining funds are being held. The political party said it was concerning that soldiers deployed to the DRC were reportedly receiving only R34,000 a month, despite Sadc allocating R108,000 per soldier. 'This discrepancy raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The South African government separately budgeted R5bn for the mission — funds meant to cover operational costs, including troop allowances,' the DA said. It said Motshekga must explain whether the remainder was being redirected, withheld, or simply vanished into a black hole of defence accounting. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Sandu urges unhappy soldiers to take legal route to address pay dispute
The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has expressed concern that some SANDF members who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are threatening unlawful action to protest about allowances payable to them. The union said it had received several complaints from the South African National Defence Force members who were part of the Sadc mission. It said the SANDF had acknowledged the complaints and undertaken to investigate disparities in payments. 'It is with concern that Sandu has noted certain individuals deployed in the DRC threatening on social media unlawful actions to protest the issue.' The union acknowledged the concerns of the soldiers and assured all involved that the necessary legal means were available to address any payment concerns they might have. 'Under no circumstances will Sandu support any unlawful action to protest/raise payment concerns.' Sandu urged its members to register their concerns on the union channel (legal@ in order for the union to have facts to act upon in a legal and orderly way. Meanwhile, the DA says it has written to defence minister Angie Motshekga, requesting a detailed breakdown of the Sadc-funded allowances for troops, including how the payments are structured and where the remaining funds are being held. The political party said it was concerning that soldiers deployed to the DRC were reportedly receiving only R34,000 a month, despite Sadc allocating R108,000 per soldier. 'This discrepancy raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The South African government separately budgeted R5bn for the mission — funds meant to cover operational costs, including troop allowances,' the DA said.
Russia Today
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Thousands march against pro-EU government in Moldova (VIDEO)
Opposition supporters have marched in Chisinau to protest Moldova's pro-EU government under President Maia Sandu. The rally, organized by the country's largest opposition group, coincided with International Labor Day, celebrated on May 1. According to the organizers – the Party of Socialists led by former President Igor Dodon – around 10,000 people took part in the march on Thursday. Demonstrators carried Moldovan and Socialist Party flags, banners with Soviet-era symbols, and posters with slogans against 'social genocide.' They also chanted in support of Moldova's sovereignty and a future free from foreign interference. In a promotional video ahead of the march, the organizers criticized the government for rising prices, mass emigration, and the loss of sovereignty, blaming foreign influence for the country's deepening problems. 'We will gather in Chisinau to remember that Moldova belongs to its people. This march is the beginning of our struggle for sovereignty, for neutrality, for national interests,' the Party of Socialists said in the message. Addressing the crowd, Dodon called the rally the 'informal start' of his party's parliamentary election campaign. An election is expected to take place in September. Dodon said the march was organized not only to celebrate Labor Day, but also to protest the country's political and economic direction. 'Moldova is going through difficult times. The country is sinking deeper into debt, people are becoming poor, young people are leaving en masse, and national wealth is being destroyed,' he stated. 'The current government has turned our homeland into a bargaining chip in other people's games and is dragging Moldova towards war. We say enough is enough!' Media reports suggest that the march remained peaceful, with no incidents or clashes. Moldova, a former Soviet republic wedged between Romania and Ukraine, has pushed for EU and NATO membership since 2020, when Sandu, a pro-Western leader and critic of Russia, came to power. One of Europe's poorest countries, Moldova has seen persistent accusations from Sandu's opponents, who claim her administration has caused economic and energy crises. Sandu was reelected last year, but her runoff win remains a point of contention. The Party of Socialists has opposed Sandu's reelection and refused to recognize her victory in last year's runoff. Last month, the party also accused her administration of 'an unprecedented act of spiritual terror' after a senior Moldovan Orthodox Church bishop was barred from traveling to Jerusalem for an Easter ritual.
Russia Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU aspirant aiding Kiev-linked terror plots
Ukrainian intelligence services continue to use Moldova as a staging ground for preparing terrorist attacks against Russia with the tacit approval of local authorities, Moscow's Federal Security Service (FSB) stated on Wednesday. The FSB was commenting on the arrest of three alleged Ukrainian agents in the central Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk, one of whom is a Moldovan national. According to the agency, the Moldovan citizen had used his minivan to smuggle bomb components from a Ukrainian intelligence contact, transporting them through Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. 'Moldovan territory and its citizens continue to be used by Ukrainian intelligence services — with the connivance of the [Moldovan President Maia] Sandu regime — for recruiting and training agents, supplying them with tools of terror, and subsequently sending them into Russia to carry out terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage,' the agency said in a statement. Last week, Russia deported a former Moldovan intelligence operative and barred him from re-entering the country for the next 60 years. According to the FSB, a Moldovan citizen identified as D. Rusnak entered Russia in 2024 to conduct espionage and subversive activities on behalf of his country's intelligence services. He allegedly began cooperating in 2020 with Kiril Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). President Sandu came to power in Moldova in 2020 and has actively pushed for NATO membership, a policy deemed antagonistic by Moscow. Moldova was granted EU candidate status by Brussels in 2022. Earlier this month, the FSB detained two individuals in the Russian city of Samara who were allegedly recruited by Ukrainian intelligence while in Moldova to orchestrate attacks against Russia, according to the FSB. One suspect said he was directed by a Ukrainian operative to photograph military sites, including a base, the Crimean Bridge, and a damaged railway ferry, before being instructed to plant an explosive at a water station in the city of Kerch. The second claimed he was recruited in January 2023 after serving in Ukraine's foreign legion. He reportedly received money to buy a car and was handed a bomb-laden battery in Moldova, allegedly in order to carry out attacks in Volgograd and Saratov.
