"Ukraine CANNOT SUSTAIN ITSELF. Alongside the Americans, we are the ones keeping it afloat, not only its army but also the functioning of its ENTIRE state administration," Viktor Orban said.

“By interfering with religious and societal relations, they’re sidelining a minority group that represents hope for unity beyond geopolitical divides. Religious leaders like Archbishop Markell are crucial for building bridges across borders, shaking hands across ideological divides, and preserving cultural and religious roots”, Dr Rainer Rothfuss, German geopolitical analyst and consultant and AfD MP, told Sputnik.

“We are calling on the international community to pay attention to these events and to provide their assessment to these outrageous actions [crackdown on Archbishop Markell] of the Moldovan authorities," Russian Ambassador-at-Large Gennady Askaldovich said.