Poland bans pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from territory

Poland has banned pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from its territory for five years, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing her of helping Moscow interfere in Moldova's parliamentary elections.

Moldova holds a high-stakes parliamentary election on Sunday that could determine the fate of its bid to join the European Union, amidst what officials have described as a Russian campaign to sway the vote and sabotage the EU accession plan.

Poland has been a staunch supporter of Moldova joining the EU, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Chisinau alongside French and German leaders in August in a show of support for Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu and her allies.

"Irina Vlah, a Moldovan politician who is assisting the Russian Federation in interfering with preparations for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, will be banned from entering the territory of the Republic of Poland," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Russian Federation is interfering in an unprecedented and illegal manner in political processes, including, in particular, preparations for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova."

Moscow denies meddling in Moldova's affairs and says Chisinau is stoking anti-Russian sentiment for political purposes.

Vlah is the leader of the Heart of Moldova Republican Party and one of the leaders of the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc.

Canada and Lithuania have already banned Vlah from their territory.

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