Luxembourg, 24 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - European Union foreign ministers approved a civilian mission to support Moldova against cyberattacks and wider efforts to foment unrest in the country.

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU witnessed "increased and continued Russian attempts to destabilize Moldova with hybrid actions," the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The mission is to help Moldova counter foreign interference and information manipulation as well as build up systems to detect and respond to subversive threats.

Headquartered in Moldova, the operation has a two-year mandate but does not yet have a mission head appointed for on-the-ground operations.

Photo: MIA archive