Moldova is going on alert after the appearance on Tuesday of a video that seems to show part of Moldova as Russia’s next target.
In the video, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key Putin ally, stands in front of a map that shows unrecognized Moldovan breakaway state Transnistria as no longer part of Moldova.
Transnistria, which is internationally recognized as part of Moldova, is located in a narrow land area between the Dniester river and the border with Ukraine.
The Moldovan ambassador to the US told Fox News on Wednesday that his nation is shoring up border defenses in preparation for a potential invasion from Russia or Belarus.
"The country is prepared [for] any kind of scenarios, including the very worst-case scenario," Ambassador Eugen Caras said. “So we will be defending what's to be defended."
Caras added that Belarus told his country’s foreign ministry that Moldova was placed mistakenly on the map. The clarification occurred after the Belarusian ambassador to Moldova was summoned to explain the video.
"From what I understand, the ambassador said that there was a mistake on behalf of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus," Caras said.
He described Moldova as “very vigilant” and “very concerned” about the potential for a military attack at some point in the future.
"We are very concerned with this situation. We condemn this," Caras said. "One cannot be sure 100 percent of the next phase. Will we be targeted or not? As of today, it seems that we are not a target."
While they do not feel that an invasion is imminent, Moldova is preparing to defend itself along its border.
Moldova has neutrality build into its constitution and has not previously shown interest in joining NATO. However, Caras said the invasion of Ukraine could cause the country to change its position in the future as it alters the “perception in the people's mind of the security situation.”