Denis Dermenji is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.
Moldova has rejected a Russian request for polling stations in the breakaway Transdniester region, another sign that countries on Russia's periphery are committed to countering Kremlin influence.
Priests from the Russian-led Moldovan Orthodox Church are joining a rival church based in neighboring Bucharest. The defections indicate the groundswell of anti-war sentiment among Moldovans and the widespread frustrations with the Russian Orthodox Church's "promotion of pro-Russian interests."
In August, Moldova kicked out 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, citing fears of Moscow's efforts to "destabilize" the country. But among the diplomats remaining in Chisinau, a new investigation by RFE/RL has found that many of them are linked to Russian intelligence agencies.