Putin backs Moldova's new government amid political turmoil

Supporters of the former government camp outside the interior ministry in Chisinau, Moldova, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Moldova's police chief on Wednesday dismissed six officers who publicly backed a rival government, reflecting a continuing power struggle that has heightened political tensions in the impoverished ex-Soviet nation.(AP Photo/Roveliu Buga)

An elderly woman walks by a line of riot policemen standing outside the government headquarters in Chisinau, Moldova, Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Moldova's police chief on Wednesday dismissed six officers who publicly backed a rival government, reflecting a continuing power struggle that has heightened political tensions in the impoverished ex-Soviet nation.(AP Photo/Roveliu Buga)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly backed Moldova's new coalition government, which has been locked in a power struggle with a rival group amid a surge in political tensions in the ex-Soviet nation.

In an interview with the Mir television station in Russia, Putin on Thursday lashed out at the previous Moldovan government which has refused to cede power to the new authorities creating a political deadlock.

The new coalition government in Moldova includes the pro-Russia party of President Igor Dodon and the pro-Europe ACUM group, while the previous authorities are dominated by the Democratic Party, controlled by powerful oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc.

Putin says "we are certainly supporting President Dodon" and his coalition who want to "get rid of those people who have usurped power in Moldova."