Ukraine’s EU bid “worse than Moldova’s,” says Russian intelligence service

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has claimed that Ukraine’s prospects for European Union membership are significantly weaker than those of Moldova.

In a statement, the SVR said that European officials and politicians have for years presented Ukrainians with “enticing pictures” of future accession to what it called the “golden billion,” promising prosperity, security, and economic well-being within the European Union.

“The reality, however, is completely different,” the statement said. It added that intelligence data indicated Ukraine’s prospects for European integration are “significantly worse even than Moldova’s,” which it said also faces obstacles to EU membership, including the unresolved Transnistrian conflict.

The SVR further claimed that, in informal conversations, EU officials and politicians from various European countries have indicated that Ukraine’s accession to the bloc is “completely excluded” in the current circumstances and “at least in the medium term.” It argued that Ukraine is not prepared for full integration into the “united Europe,” citing economic difficulties, corruption, and the ongoing armed conflict with Russia.

The agency also said that some European capitals fear Ukraine’s EU integration could strengthen right-wing political movements across Europe, referring to what it described as “primitive nationalism.”

According to the SVR, despite Ukraine’s lack of prospects for membership, EU officials continue to promote expectations of eventual accession. “Again and again, the mantra is repeated that Ukraine’s ‘bright future’ in the European Union is just around the corner,” it said.

The statement concluded by accusing European officials of misleading Ukrainians and claimed that the country is being positioned to serve as “cannon fodder in the struggle against Russia.”

By Vafa Guliyeva