Moldova says it has expelled three Russian diplomats following accusations that Moscow engineered the escape of a pro-Kremlin lawmaker to the breakaway region of Transnistria.
According to the Moldovan government, the Russian embassy helped pro-Kremlin lawmaker to the breakaway region of Transdniestria, Alexandr Nesterovschi, escape just as he was about to be jailed over illegal political funding allegations.
On Monday, Moldova’s foreign ministry said: “The decision of the Moldovan authorities is based on clear evidence of conducting activities contrary to diplomatic status on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said it would retaliate for the three expulsions, the RIA state news agency reported.
In an earlier statement, the Russian embassy said the allegations of interference in the Nesterovschi case were unfounded and unacceptable. It said it had called on the Moldovan authorities to “refrain from provocative speculation.”
On Monday, Moldova’s foreign ministry said: “The decision of the Moldovan authorities is based on clear evidence of conducting activities contrary to diplomatic status on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said it would retaliate for the three expulsions, the RIA state news agency reported.
In an earlier statement, the Russian embassy said the allegations of interference in the Nesterovschi case were unfounded and unacceptable. It said it had called on the Moldovan authorities to “refrain from provocative speculation.”
Organized escape
Moldova’s security service released a video which it said showed Nesterovschi entering the Russian embassy in the capital, Chișinău, on March 18, a day before a court sentenced him to 12 years in jail.
He was found guilty of illegally channelling money to a pro-Russian party associated with fugitive businessman Ilan Shor at local elections in 2023, as well as the 2024 presidential vote and a national referendum on Moldova’s EU aspirations.
Nesterovschi denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.
The security service said that on the day of his sentencing, he was driven in a white Mercedes Sprinter minibus with a diplomatic license plate to the Russian-backed Transnistria region that broke away from Moldovan control in the early 1990s.
“This type of activity is part of the mechanism of hybrid aggression directed against the Republic of Moldova,” Alexandru Musteata, director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, told a briefing.
Moldova’s government, which is trying to lead the formerly Soviet agricultural economy into the European Union by 2030, has repeatedly accused Russia of meddling and trying to destabilize it.
Moldova holds a parliamentary election this autumn that will test the popularity of the pro-EU government’s course.
Last week, Moldovan authorities said they had detained Evghenia Guțul, a pro-Russian governor of Moldova’s Gagauzia region, on charges of illegal political funding as she tried to leave the country. Guțul said the charges were politically motivated.
A court ruling then ordered her to be kept in custody for at least 30 days.
Police say that another lawmaker, Irinna Lozovan, who is facing similar charges, is hiding from law enforcement. Lozovan also said the charges were politically motivated.
He was found guilty of illegally channelling money to a pro-Russian party associated with fugitive businessman Ilan Shor at local elections in 2023, as well as the 2024 presidential vote and a national referendum on Moldova’s EU aspirations.
Nesterovschi denied the charges, calling them politically motivated.
The security service said that on the day of his sentencing, he was driven in a white Mercedes Sprinter minibus with a diplomatic license plate to the Russian-backed Transnistria region that broke away from Moldovan control in the early 1990s.
“This type of activity is part of the mechanism of hybrid aggression directed against the Republic of Moldova,” Alexandru Musteata, director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, told a briefing.
Breaking away from Russian influence
Moldova’s government, which is trying to lead the formerly Soviet agricultural economy into the European Union by 2030, has repeatedly accused Russia of meddling and trying to destabilize it.
Moldova holds a parliamentary election this autumn that will test the popularity of the pro-EU government’s course.
Last week, Moldovan authorities said they had detained Evghenia Guțul, a pro-Russian governor of Moldova’s Gagauzia region, on charges of illegal political funding as she tried to leave the country. Guțul said the charges were politically motivated.
A court ruling then ordered her to be kept in custody for at least 30 days.
Police say that another lawmaker, Irinna Lozovan, who is facing similar charges, is hiding from law enforcement. Lozovan also said the charges were politically motivated.
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