Moldovan President Maia Sandu has formally enacted legislation withdrawing the country from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), marking a decisive step in Chisinau’s gradual disengagement from Russian-led structures. According to Moldovan media, the decrees were signed and published on April 8, entering into force immediately, with authorities set to notify the organization as part of the formal withdrawal procedure.

The decision follows a parliamentary vote on April 2, when 60 deputies backed the move in its final reading. The process targets key legal pillars of Moldova’s membership, including the 1991 founding agreement, its protocol, and the 1993 CIS statute. Once the required notification and notice period are completed, the bloc will be reduced to eight member states, among them Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and others. Turkmenistan will remain an associate participant.

Officials in Chisinau argue that the CIS no longer reflects its founding principles. They point to violations of territorial integrity and sovereignty, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine, past military actions against Georgia, and the continued presence of Russian troops on Moldovan territory. As Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi put it, the country is already “in the process of denouncing” the agreements that underpin its affiliation, adding that this will end Moldova’s legal status as a member, even though participation has already been suspended in practice.

The withdrawal is part of a broader geopolitical shift. Since Sandu came to power in 2020, Moldova has steadily distanced itself from post-Soviet frameworks and deepened ties with the European Union, which granted it candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks in 2024. Chisinau has avoided CIS summits and systematically dismantled agreements linked to the bloc. Of the 283 CIS-related accords once in place, 71 had been terminated by early 2026, with dozens more under review.

Economic data underscores this reorientation. By 2025, CIS countries accounted for just 5.9 percent of Moldova’s exports, compared to 67.5 percent directed toward the EU, now its main trading partner. Additional steps have included withdrawing from the 1992 Bishkek visa agreement, a move that primarily affects travel arrangements with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, while bilateral visa-free regimes remain in force with other states.

The CIS itself was established in 1991 in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, initially bringing together 11 former republics to manage the transition and maintain cooperation. Over time, however, its cohesion has weakened. Georgia left the organization after the 2008 war with Russia, while Ukraine, though never formally ratifying membership, gradually withdrew following the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Donbas.

Analysts view Moldova’s exit as part of a wider reconfiguration across the post-Soviet space rather than an isolated move. Parallel integration efforts, such as the Eurasian Economic Union, have developed alongside the CIS, while some countries are exploring closer ties with the EU. Armenia, for example, has begun its own EU accession process despite remaining within Eurasian structures, highlighting what one observer described as the erosion of a single “center of gravity” in the region.

While the CIS is expected to continue functioning, Moldova’s departure delivers another political blow to the bloc, reinforcing the shift of several former Soviet states toward alternative alliances and strategic directions.