Moldovan police have detained the leader of the country’s pro-Russian Gagauz minority following the unexplained disappearance of two pro-Russian lawmakers accused of corruption, authorities said on Tuesday.
Evghenia Guțul, who is a fierce critic of the pro-EU government, was arrested at Chișinău International Airport as part of what officials say is an ongoing ‘criminal case’ into Russian interference in the country.
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu, who is pushing for Moldova’s accession to the European Union by 2030, has accused Russia of attempting to destabilize her government.
She has also warned of Kremlin-backed efforts to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions.
Guțul was elected as leader of the Gagauzia region in 2023 with support from a fugitive businessman, Ilan Shor, who was sentenced last year to 15 years in prison for his role in the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks.
Moldovan authorities have since accused Shor, now in exile in Russia, of financing pro-Russian political activities through his “Victory” bloc, which aims to secure parliamentary seats in elections later this year.
Guțul’s detention follows the unexplained disappearances of two other pro-Russian lawmakers and associates of Shor, Alexandr Nesterovschi and Irina Lozovan.
Nesterovschi vanished last week on the day he was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges, while Lozovan went missing ahead of a verdict in her case.
Since taking office, Guțul has often criticized Sandu’s government and has made frequent trips to Moscow, where she met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gagauzia, a region of 140,000 people in southern Moldova, is home to a Turkic-speaking, Orthodox Christian population that has historically favored close ties with Russia.
The region has had a strained relationship with central authorities since Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
