MOSCOW

Moldova’s recent presidential election cannot be regarded as “democratic and fair” due to “widespread manipulation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov criticized Chisinau for not providing enough ballots for Moldovans residing in Russia, leaving hundreds of thousands unable to vote.

“We can assess these elections objectively. Hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens living in Russia, indeed, several hundred thousand, were denied the opportunity to cast their votes,” Peskov said.

“Unlike those Moldovan citizens working in European countries, a substantial portion of the population could not participate in the election. Naturally, this affected the outcome, calling the fairness of the process into question.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova highlighted on Oct. 9 that Moldovan authorities allocated only 10,000 ballots for two polling stations in Russia, limiting the half-million-strong Moldovan diaspora’s participation in the election.

Residents of the breakaway Transnistrian region are also said to have been restricted from the vote, and Peskov said Moldova has not shown a “constructive approach” to possible settlement efforts.

Commenting on accusations of Russian interference in Sunday's run-off election, in which incumbent Maia Sandu received 55.35% of the vote, Peskov dismissed them as baseless, noting that such claims lacked any credible evidence.

The spokesman also addressed reports suggesting the potential involvement of South Korean troops in the Ukraine conflict, attributing such rumors to efforts by Kyiv and its Western allies to draw in more countries.

On allegations from US media regarding North Korean soldiers in Russia, Peskov pointed out that Washington itself acknowledges a lack of confirmation. “I won’t comment on this, as American officials consistently add that they have no final confirmation,” he said.

Peskov also denied as “fake” any reports linking Russian military intelligence to explosives sent to the EU via courier services.