Moldova's Defense Minister Denies Understanding Russian
The Minister of Defense of Moldova refused to answer a journalist in Russian during a press conference, and when the NewsMaker correspondent repeated the question in the official language, he noted that it was pleasant to hear 'Romanian speech'.
Consensus
- The Minister of Defense of Moldova, Anatoly Nostaty, refused to answer a journalist's question during a press conference.
- The question was asked in Russian.
- Nostaty claimed he did not understand the Russian language.
- Nostaty's official biography on the government website lists Russian as one of the languages he speaks fluently.
- Nostaty studied at a military academy in Kyiv and later in Odessa.
- The incident occurred during a press briefing.
- The event drew public and media reaction.
- A similar incident occurred in 2024 during a parliamentary session, when Nostaty refused to communicate in Russian with a deputy from the opposition bloc.
Points of divergence
- When the journalist repeated the question in the state language, Nostaty said he was pleased to hear 'Romanian speech'. — tg_tass_agency
- The incident was linked to broader issues of Russophobia in the Baltic states, Ukraine, and Moldova, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry official. — vm
- A Latvian MP was removed from the parliament after speaking in Russian and criticizing discrimination against Russian speakers. — vm
- The Russian language was made optional in Moldovan schools in November 2014, following a proposal by then-education minister Maia Sandu. — vesti
Coverage (3 sources)
- Moldovan Defense Minister Refused to Answer Journalist in Russian During Press Conference, and When Correspondent... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Head of Moldova's Ministry of Defense pretended not to understand Russian at briefing — Вечерняя Москва
- Moldavia Defense Minister pretended not to understand Russian, despite resume — Вести