Moldova's parliament votes to leave the CIS
A look back at the vote of 2 April 2026, set beside the preceding day's reports of Russian claims and a deadly drone strike in Ukraine's regions.
What happened on 2 April 2026 in Moldova's parliament? Lawmakers approved the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The government argued that the organisation's core values and principles, including territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, were no longer respected. It pointed to Russia's actions in the region, among them the war against Ukraine and an illegal military presence on Moldovan territory.
The vote came as the war continued to shape events inside Ukraine. On 1 April 2026, the Russian defence ministry said its forces had taken full control of Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military denied the claim. It said its 3rd Assault Brigade still held a small number of positions near the front line.
The same day, a Russian drone strike killed four civilians in Zolotonosha, in Cherkasy Oblast.
The reports from 1 and 2 April 2026 came from different places, but the Moldovan government's stated reasoning for leaving the CIS referred directly to the war against Ukraine.
