Moldova on Monday accused Russia’s embassy of engineering the escape of a pro-Kremlin lawmaker to the breakaway region of Transnistria just as he was about to be jailed over illegal political funding allegations.
The case of Alexander Nesterovschii, who could not be reached for comment, is the latest in which Moldova’s pro-European government has accused Russia of meddling in its political landscape. Moscow denies the allegations.
In a statement, the Russian embassy said the allegations of interference in the lawmaker’s case were unfounded and unacceptable. It said it had called on the Moldovan authorities to “refrain from provocative speculation.”
Moldova’s security service released a video which it said showed Nesterovschii entering the embassy in Chisinau on March 18, a day before a court sentenced him to 12 years in jail.
Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said earlier on Monday that three Russian Embassy employees had been declared persona non grata and been told they were obliged to leave the country “based on clear evidence on the conduct of activities contrary to their diplomatic status.” Russia’s Foreign ministry said on Monday it would hit back after Moldova expelled three of its diplomats, the RIA state news agency reported.
Nesterovschii was found guilty of illegally channeling 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 car with diplomatic plates that is also visible in the video 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 be a test of the popularity of the pro-EU government’s course.
On Tuesday, Moldovan authorities said they had detained Eugenia Gutul, a pro-Russian governor of Moldova’s Gagauzia region, on charges of illegal political funding as she tried to leave the country. Gutul 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.