Moldova says Russia has no right to lecture on democracy

Russia has no right to lecture on democracy, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday, as tensions between the two countries have risen after Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region asked Moscow for help. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier in the week that the Moldovan government "is following in the footsteps of Kyiv" after Transdniestria turned to Moscow to help its economy withstand "pressure" from the Moldovan government, which the Chisinau administration dismissed as a propaganda event.