Moldova formally exits Russia’s post-Soviet CIS as Sandu signs withdrawal decrees

Moldova has taken a formal step toward leaving the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with President Maia Sandu signing decrees to withdraw from the bloc’s founding agreements, according to Newsmaker.

The CIS is a loose regional grouping created after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, bringing together several former Soviet republics. The bloc has long been criticized as a Russia-dominated structure with limited practical integration.

The decrees finalize Moldova’s withdrawal from the agreement establishing the CIS, its protocol, and charter, Newsmaker reports. The laws entered into force on 8 April.

Under the bloc’s rules, a country must give 12 months’ notice before leaving, meaning Moldova’s exit will take effect after a transition period once formal notification is completed.

Part of a longer political shift

The move formalizes a process that has been underway for several years.

Since 2022 and the full-scale Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Moldova has effectively ceased participation in CIS activities while gradually dismantling its legal ties to the organization. Dozens of agreements have already been scrapped, with more under review.

Officials in Chisinau have consistently linked the withdrawal to EU integration, presenting it as a necessary step to align the country’s legal and political framework with European standards.

Limited impact, political divide

The broader economic effect is expected to be modest, as trade with CIS countries is already handled largely through bilateral agreements, while Moldova’s exports have increasingly shifted toward the EU.

Still, the decision has drawn criticism from opposition figures, including pro-Russian politician Vladimir Voronin, who called it harmful for Moldovans working in Russia and warned of economic risks.

Breaking with a post-Soviet framework

Beyond the legal and economic aspects, the withdrawal marks a symbolic break. For Moldova’s leadership, leaving the CIS is part of redefining the country’s geopolitical alignment and reducing association with Russia’s sphere of influence.

At the same time, officials stress that cooperation with former Soviet states will continue through bilateral channels and other regional formats, even as Moldova exits one of the last institutional frameworks linking it to the post-Soviet bloc.

Ukraine in the CIS

Ukraine was one of the founding signatories of the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991 following the dissolution of the USSR, but it never ratified the CIS Charter and therefore was not formally a full member. 

After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine sharply reduced its involvement and withdrew from most CIS bodies. In 2018, it formally ended its participation in the organization’s statutory structures, completing a gradual disengagement from the post-Soviet bloc.