safety risk to civilians. The incident transpired against the backdrop of the 2023 Chinese balloon incidents. Foreign citizen entry bans Fearing infiltration of foreign saboteurs and Russian agents, Moldovan authorities limited entry of citizens of Serbian, Belarusian, and Montenegrin citizens into the Moldova, preventing the entry of some 1,000 Serbian soccer fans, and a Montenegrin boxing team. Amid suspicions of saboteurs among Serbian fans, the Moldovan authorities ordered the match between FC Sheriff Tiraspol and FK Partizan as part of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs to be played behind closed doors. Responses The Russian foreign ministry labelled the allegations as "completely unfounded and unsubstantiated" and blamed Ukraine for trying to worsen relations between Moldova and Russia. On February 21, Russian president Vladimir Putin revoked his 2012 decree that called for a peaceful resolution to the issue regarding Transnistria. The U.S. White House's national security spokesman described the allegations ad "deeply concerning". See also 2016 Montenegrin coup allegations 2021 Ukrainian coup d'état attempt allegations References February 2023 events in Moldova February 2023 events in Russia Moldova–Russia relations Events affected by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 2020s coups d'état and coup attempts Coup d'état attempts in Europe