According to NewsMaker, as reported by Ukrinform, the incident occurred on Wednesday, August 12, at a press conference following a meeting of the Moldovan government.

The journalist began asking a question in Russian: "Mr. Nosatii, tell us…"

Before she could finish, the defense minister replied in Romanian: "I don't understand you."

The journalist then asked the same question in Romanian.

"With great pleasure. And thank you very much for speaking the state language — Romanian. You speak it very well," Nosatii said, before answering the question in Romanian.

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According to the biography published on the government's website, Anatolie Nosatii listed Romanian as his native language and noted that he also speaks Russian and English.

The minister's biography also states that he underwent four years of military training in Ukraine in the 1990s.

As Ukrinform previously reported, the Vilnius City Council will no longer accept applications and complaints submitted by residents in Russian.

Photo: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty