Serbia and Montenegro have asked Moldova for a clarification of statements made by Moldovan President Maia Sandu about information she said she received from Ukraine regarding Russian plans to carry out destabilizing actions with the participation of citizens of Serbia and Montenegro.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on February 14 denied that any Serbian citizens would take part in subversive actions aimed at destabilizing Moldova and ordered Serbia's ambassador to Moldova to request clarification of Sandu's statement.
"We request the Moldovan side to provide us with all the information it has in this regard. Until now, the Republic of Moldova has not communicated such messages to us," Dacic said.
Montenegro also asked Moldova for clarification of Sandu's statement and said it had not yet received a response.
The demands came the same day that Moldova closed its airspace for one hour to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation, the country's Civilian Aeronautic Authority said in a statement. No further details were given.
Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu said that the information that Sandu shared was obtained from the Ukrainian intelligence service and that it was being checked.
In a phone call with Dacic, Popescu added that so far there had been no examples of involvement of Serbian citizens and all information would be exchanged by the security services, according to the Serbian Foreign Ministry.
Sandu said on February 13 that she had received documents from Ukrainian intelligence that showed Moscow was planning actions against her country and that instructions were discovered for citizens from Serbia, Russia, Belarus, and Montenegro to enter Moldova to carry out the plan.
The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations, calling them "completely unfounded and unsubstantiated." It said in a statement that such claims were an attempt to raise tensions between Moscow and Chisinau and draw Moldova "into a tough confrontation with Russia."
Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said he had no information that individuals from Montenegro were planning to destabilize Moldova.
"We will try to get in touch with their cabinet for additional information. If necessary, our security services will carry out additional checks. If they have any more information, we are ready to hear it," Abazovic said.
He also said that such statements should not be linked to the policies of the Montenegrin government, which he said was 100 percent in compliance with EU sanctions against Russia and had helped Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.
Moldovan authorities further angered Serbia on February 13 by barring 12 Serbian soccer fans who were planning to attend a match in Tiraspol, the capital of the separatist Transdniester region, from entering the country.
Moldovan border police said the 12 Serbs were denied entry because they did not have the necessary documents and could not justify the purpose of their trip.
Russia maintains troops in the breakaway region of Transdniester, where Sheriff Tiraspol is based.
Andrian Cheptonar, a member of parliament representing Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), said on Moldovan television that saboteurs could have arrived in Chisinau this week under the guise of Serbian soccer fans.
He said initially Serbian fans were to be allowed into Moldova, but now the game will be played without fans in the stadium, thanks to efforts of the Moldovan Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) that began long before the information from Ukraine.
The Moldovan Football Federation announced that the UEFA Europa Conference League match between Sheriff Tiraspol and Partizan Belgrade will take place in Chisinau on February 16 without spectators. The federation apologized to fans for the inconvenience and said in a statement it would allow refunds for tickets purchased.
Partizan said in a statement to RFE/RL it was informing fans that entering Moldova and attending the match is not possible and asked them not to travel. It added that the fans who were denied entry personally organized the trip.