Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

This is the fifth floor.

The fifth floor, you knowssonous.

To me, Ikeye, the fifth floor, Farnak Amidi, Sobert.

This is the fifth floor at Farnak Amidi Sobeth. This is the fifth floor at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world.

I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.

Let me take you to Moldova. Moldova is a landlocked country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania.

It's one of Europe's poorest countries and it gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In September this year, Moldovans will vote for their new government.

Like other ex-Soviet countries, Georgia, for example, Moldova is torn between pro-Western and

pro-Russian factions, and pro-European politicians and observers are worried that Russia

will be trying to influence the outcome of these upcoming elections.

Why does Moldova matter to Vladimir Putin?

And what will the election results mean for the region?

Natasha Matuhina from BBC Monitoring is here to tell us more.

Natasha, welcome to the vet floor.

Hello. Thank you for having me. So, Natasha, tell us more. Natasha, welcome to the bed floor. Hello. Thank you for having me.

So, Natasha, tell us more about Moldova. Who's in power at the moment and what is going on in the

political scene of the country right now? Faranak, you were right to say that Moldova is located

between Romania and EU, a NATO country, and Ukraine,

another former Soviet Republic, which is fighting a Russian invasion. So whatever happens in Moldova

is defined by its geographic location.

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