This letter to the editor of the Financial Times points out Moldova’s strong linguistic connection to Romania – and the hangover of a Stalinist myth that the country belonged in the Soviet sphere of influence at least from a cultural perspective.

According to the report “Tensions grow over Moldova clashes” (April 9), “most Moldovans speak Moldovan, a language closely linked to Romanian, but a big minority speak Russian and other Slav languages”. Moldovan is, in fact, Romanian.