Dumitru Minzarari
Dr. Dumitru Minzarari is a Lecturer in Security Studies at the Baltic Defense College. Before this, he was a research associate with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, covering Russia’s domestic, foreign and security policies. Dr. Minzarari also had tenures both as a fellow and visiting scholar with the research division of the NATO Defense College in Rome. He received a PhD in political science from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and an MA in international affairs from Columbia University in New York. Previously, he worked as the Secretary of State (for defense policy and international cooperation) with the Moldovan Ministry of Defense; held expert positions in OSCE field missions in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan; and worked with a number of think tanks in Eastern Europe.
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Articles by Dumitru Minzarari
Chisinau Has More Work to Do in Convincing Citizens to Support European Integration
Moldova’s ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) is setting the stage to hold a national referendum on the country’s EU membership this fall, on the same day as the...
Moldova Reduces Russian Embassy Staff in Lead-Up to Busy Electoral Season
On August 18, the Russian Foreign Ministry banned entry to the country for 20 Moldovan officials, 18 of which come from the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) (Radio...
Moscow’s Mixed Signals About Its Strategic Intent in the Black Sea
On August 5, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense declared that all ships traveling to Russia’s Black Sea ports or the Russian-occupied territories will be considered “military carriers.” Specifically, this designation...
Gagauzia Elite Reveal Strong Signs of Russian ‘Capture’ in Moldova
The Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) government in Moldova is confronted with the largest popular dissent during its mandate, as thousands of people have gathered over the past few...
Moldova Shows Modest Revisions on National Defense and Security
A key debate has emerged in Moldovan and European media surrounding how the European Union’s granting of candidate status to Moldova has affected the republic’s national security and regional affairs....
War in Ukraine, Public Pressure Compel Moldovan Authorities to Review National Defense Policy
While Ukraine is engaged in an all-out effort to convince its Western partners to increase and speed up weapons assistance so that it can defend itself more effectively against Russian...
Moldova’s Fragile Defenses: Impaired Neutrality and Deceptive Hopes
It is unusual for the Moldovan Ministry of Defense to publicly disavow statements of top officials from the United States. Yet this is exactly what the ministry did on its...
Security Incidents in Moldova’s Transnistrian Region: Pretext for Escalation or Smokescreen?
Following the start of Russia’s large-scale military re-invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, concerns arose about the role that the Transnistrian region of Moldova could play in the Kremlin’s war...
Neutrality With No Guarantees: The Evolution of Moldova’s Defense and Security Policies
Executive Summary Moldova has been discounting and underfunding its defense and security sectors for the past three decades, despite having over 10 percent of its territory under Russian control. Today,...
Moldovan Government Lacks Strategy to Deal With Effects of Russia-Triggered Security Crisis
On January 27, during an interview with Moldovan public radio, Prime Minster Natalia Gavrilita revealed her cabinet’s intention to adjust the 2022 state budget and increase the funding for the...
The Kremlin’s Logic of Threats and Strategic Ambiguity
The December 7 video-conference between Presidents Joseph Biden of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia raised many questions, as both sides were scarce with details. The official read-outs...
Moldova’s Enduring Political Crisis: A Showcase for Russia’s New Model of Foreign Aggression
A precarious political standoff continues unabated in the Republic of Moldova, where the Russia-funded Party of Socialists (PSRM) desperately clings to power while trying to obstruct the conduct of snap...
Year 2020 in Review: The Scorched-Earth Political Strategy of the Pro-Russian Ex-President Dodon
In a recent interview, the Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that Moldova’s president Maia Sandu had more than enough domestic challenges demanding her attention than requesting the withdrawal of...
Moldovan Presidential Elections: An Effective Challenge to Populism
On November 20, the Moldovan Central Electoral Commission validated the results of the country’s recent presidential elections, officially giving a victory in the second round (November 15) to Maia Sandu...
Moldova’s Presidential Elections Influenced by Heavy but Discreet Russian Involvement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent lengthy interview (Komsomolskaya Pravda, October 14) stirred deep concerns in the Republic of Moldova. Local media outlets underlined, in particular, Lavrov’s accusation that the...
Moldova’s Degrading Sovereignty Amid Coronavirus Spike
Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Cristina Lesnic held an ad hoc videoconference, on July 14, with Richard Tibbels, the European Union’s representative in the 5+2 talks on the Transnistrian...
Moscow-Dependent Moldovan Government Turns Blind Eye to Russian Military Activities in Transnistria
On February 13, the breakaway Transnistria region’s representative to the Joint Control Commission (JCC) demanded that Russian “peacekeeping” forces be augmented from the current size of over 400 personnel to...
Amid Economic Pressure, Moldova’s Pro-Russian Government Looks for Alternatives
The Moldovan government, controlled by pro-Russian President Igor Dodon, is starting the new year with major economic concerns. A key agenda for officials is to ensure Dodon’s victory in the...
The Socialist Party Tries to Derail Justice Reform in Moldova, Topples the Government
Today, on November 12, the pro-Russian Socialists’ Party of Moldova (PSRM) dismissed the reformist government in Chisinau led by Maia Sandu (Deutsche Welle—Romanian edition, November 12), following a no-confidence vote...
Moldovan Government Losing Grasp Over Transnistrian Negotiations
Moldovan President Igor Dodon had an informal meeting, on November 3, with Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the Russia-backed separatist region of Transnistria (Europalibera.org, November 4). Dodon is a pro-Russian...
The New Wave of Russia’s Surreptitious Offensive in Eastern Europe
The Kremlin has reason to celebrate as Russian foreign policy recently registered several significant successes across Europe’s East. First, following almost three decades of resistance, Belarus ostensibly agreed to a...
Diplomacy Through Proxies: Moldova as a Testbed for Russia’s New Foreign Policy Tool
Moldovan authorities engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity over the last few weeks. This consisted of a particularly dense web of exchanges between Chisinau and Moscow, with only a...
New Moldovan Government Handing Control Over Security Services to Pro-Russian President Dodon
Moldova is hosting (on June 24) a European Parliament delegation led by David McAllister, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. The European visitors aim to “take stock of the...
Moldovan Political Crisis Brings Great Opportunities but Also Serious Risks
Note to readers: Moldova is presently facing perhaps its worst political crisis in almost three decades. As a result of the complex and fast-moving developments surrounding this volatile situation, The...
Growing Populism Trumps Geopolitical Concerns in Moldova’s Parliamentary Election
On Sunday, February 24, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova voted for a new parliament (Cec.md, February 24). Although the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) assessed...
US Retreat From Afghanistan Opens New Strategic Opportunities for Russia in Central Asia
President Donald Trump’s voiced intention to reduce the United States’ military presence in Afghanistan has triggered a rush of Kremlin activity in Central Asia (see EDM, February 14). Russia sees...
Russia Perfecting Its Elections Interference Toolkit in Moldova
There is a growing perception that, in their efforts to undermine the US-built international rule-based system, Russia and China pursue quite different strategies. While Russia usually plays the role of...
Russia Refocuses Its Efforts on Drawing in Moldova
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, on July 11, appointing Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak his “Representative for the development of commercial-economic relations with the Republic of Moldova” (Pravo.gov.ru,...
Moldovan Armed Forces Train for Hybrid Warfare the Wrong Way
In its latest display of mission readiness (in mid-October 2014), the special forces brigade “Fulger” (Thunderbolt) of the Moldovan Ministry of Interior provided a massive show of force by conducting...
Lukashenka’s Moldova Visit Raises Hopes for Temporary Solution to Russia’s Agricultural Ban
After the Russian Federation banned, in July 2014, the import of a large list of Moldovan agricultural products, Moldovan businesses have continually looked for solutions. In particular, Belarus has become...
Romania Pushes NATO on Securing Black Sea Area in Response to Russia’s Militarization of Crimea
After meeting consistent Ukrainian military opposition in Luhansk and Donetsk, following a largely non-violent annexation of Crimea, Russian planners seemed to have reassessed Ukraine’s resolve to directly resist the Russian...
Ukraine Taking Drastic Measures to Diminish the Risk of an ‘Odessa People’s Republic’
At the end of July, Ukrainian border guards reported three instances of reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from Transnistria violating Ukrainian air space (korrespondent.net, August, 1). The drones were seen...
Russia Likely to Review Its Strategy Toward Moldova
In his July 11 video blog address to the nation, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev offered a number of video sequences portraying the day-to-day activities of his government. One of...
Moldova Sending Confusing Signals Amid Open Russian Threats
On May 19, speaking on a talk show aired on Noroc TV, Moldova’s Prime Minister Iurie Leanca made a number of revelations about what he referred to as the current...
Crimea Crisis Exposes Severe Deficiencies in Transnistria Negotiations Format
After the swift annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation, multiple anxious voices warned that a similar fate is being prepared for Transnistria, the Russia-backed secessionist region of...
The Gagauz Referendum in Moldova: A Russian Political Weapon?
Referendums are not always simply an instrument of democracy, but can be a manipulative tool of politics. Regardless of regime type, political leaders in the past have invoked the will...
Ukraine: Survival of the Steadiest
The decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government in Ukraine to suspend its Association Agreement with the European Union last November was perceived by many as a geopolitical victory for Russia and...
EDM analysts cited in Eurasia Review article
Jamestown analysts Roger McDermott, Vladimir Socor, Pavel Felgenhauer, Georgiy Voloshin, Richard Weitz, and Dumitru Minzarari were cited in an article by Ariel Cohen in Eurasia Review.
EU-Moldova Association Agreement May Yield Huge Political Windfall for Filat’s Party
As Moldova’s pro-European parties in parliament attempt to prevent snap elections by negotiating over a new government, the country seems to be finally inching away from a political cliff (Prime.md,...
Moldovan Politics Begin to Resemble Post-Orange Revolution Ukraine
As a series of political crises rumbled through the European Union and the United States, Moldova’s own recent political earthquake has barely registered in the West. Yet, trapped in the...
New Year with Old Burden: Political Limbo and Unclear Purpose to Haunt Moldova in 2013
Three key political trends shaped Moldova’s political landscape during the last year. First of all, there has been an observable erosion of purpose and unity in domestic politics, affecting the...
Russia Is Building Diplomatic and Military Tools to Prevent Western Resistance to its Eurasian Union
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent remarks about Russia’s efforts to “re-Sovietize” the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have apparently touched a nerve with the...
Russia’s Aggressive Policies in Transnistria Reveal Severe Limitations of EU’s Approach to Conflict Resolution
Adding to a recent series of worrying Russian actions that have exposed serious faults in the Transnistrian conflict resolution process (see EDM, October 25), Moscow has now declared its intention...
Russian Military Developments in Transnistria Worry Moldovan Officials
The temporary thaw in the usually icy relations between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria has apparently come to an end. A warning signal was sent by the Russian...
Soft Power with an Iron Fist: Putin Administration to Change the Face of Russia’s Foreign Policy Toward Its Neighbors
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s talk at the Russian Foreign Ministry on September 3, when he powerfully stressed the need for his country to strengthen and consolidate its “soft power” (mid.ru,...
Russia Plays Spoiler in the Most Recent 5+2 Talks
The veil of uncertainty obscuring the results of the latest official “5+2” talks on Transnistrian settlement, which took place on July 12-13 in Vienna, is getting thinner as new details...
The Kremlin Politically Fortifies Its Military Presence in Transnistria
On June 4, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin met in Moscow with Nina Shtansky, the “foreign minister” of Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria. To justify why the meeting bypassed...