More than 300 people from the Republic of Moldova were trained in Russia to cause mass disorder, acts of vandalism and to attack law enforcement during the protests, Chisinau authorities report.
The revelations were made three days before a presidential election and a pro-EU referendum, and follow other such actions that law enforcement officials have uncovered over the past two years, particularly since the outbreak of mass Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Around 100 searches were carried out, 1.6 million lei (Moldovan) were confiscated, and four people are under preventive arrest, announced the head of the General Police Inspectorate, Viorel Cernăuţeanu.
He explained that since June until now teams of 20 people have been sent to Russia regularly to a rest base to be trained on how to proceed, what objects and tactics to use to create disturbances, including how to extract weapons from law enforcement during protests that would have degenerated.
These protests would have been organized either to challenge the removal of some candidates from the electoral race by the Central Electoral Commission, or for the alleged falsification of the elections.
In his turn, the head of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), Alexandru Musteata, stated that the fugitive oligarch Ilan Şor, through his Russian foundation “Eurasia”, financed the travel of some young people to Moscow, under the pretext of camps, in order to be trained in how to make homemade explosives, how to operate drones or how to blow up ATMs to create an atmosphere of panic. These camps had foreign coordinators and instructors from several countries.
The vote on Sunday is considered crucial for the future of the Republic of Moldova, and Russia has been accused several times of interference and hybrid actions in an attempt to prevent the pro-European direction of the country.
The publication Deschide.md from the Republic of Moldova obtained a video recording in which MP Marina Tauber, one of the main spokespersons of the fugitive Ilan Şor, talks about the money coming from Moscow to pay pro-Russian propagandists. In the recording, Marina Tauber explains why payments have not been made for certain periods, but also that the money will be doubled for the “campaign months”.
Chisinau warns that Russia organizes illegal transportation of voters to the polling stations in Moscow
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chisinau warns that there are signals that in Russia they would try to organize transports with voters to give the impression of crowding at the two polling stations that will be opened in Moscow for the presidential elections and the pro-European referendum on October 20. Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi points out that this is illegal.
“Unfortunately, we have signals, including in the public space, that the Russian Federation would try to organize the transportation of voters, which is illegal according to the Electoral Code of the Republic of Moldova. If this is confirmed, we will have to take action. (..) Depending on the situation that will be created, the measures will be imposed by the electoral body”, Minister Mihai Popşoi declared on Wednesday, on Radio Moldova.
Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a statement saying that it “took note with concern” of the information appearing in the public space about attempts to organize the illegal transportation of voters to the voting stations in the Russian Federation.
“We believe that the purpose of these attempts is to question the legitimacy of the election. In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs draws the attention of the Russian authorities and any entities about the inadmissibility of attempts to endanger the electoral process through actions contrary to the law and intended, artificially, to induce the impression of crowds at the voting stations within our Embassy in Moscow”, said the MFA from Chisinau.
According to the NewsMaker publication, some voters from the Republic of Moldova would have been registered, without consent, to vote in Russia. They are not in the electoral list in the localities where they have their domicile and they notified the Central Electoral Commission. The CEC found that most of these voters requested to vote in the October 20 election in Russia, but the voters claim that they have not registered abroad and do not intend to travel to Russia on October 20 to vote.
16 polling stations opened in Romania
16 polling stations will be opened in Romania, three of which are in Bucharest. “The responsible authorities of the Republic of Moldova will ensure the smooth conduct of the presidential elections and the constitutional referendum in accordance with the national electoral legislation and international standards in electoral matters. Any attempts to circumvent or violate these provisions will be sanctioned accordingly. We will not allow the smooth running of the elections or their legitimacy to be questioned”, warned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Chisinau on Wednesday.
ISW: After Ukraine, Putin is considering the total invasion of the Republic of Moldova
Russia could try to invade the Republic of Moldova, if the war in Ukraine ends in its favor, according to an analysis by experts from the Institute for the Study of War. At the moment, a land or naval invasion is impossible as long as Kiev holds out, but that does not stop Moscow from continuing the hybrid war it is very good at, and which may eventually create the conditions for a large-scale incursion into Moldova.
ISW shows that Russian propagandists in the Republic of Moldova are promoting narratives similar to those used to justify the incursion in Ukraine. And that means President Vladimir Putin could “abandon efforts to resolve the Transnistrian conflict diplomatically” and instead plan a full-scale invasion of Moldova.
But the threat of a Russian invasion of the Republic of Moldova through Ukraine is currently extremely low, claim American strategists. But current conditions may change in the future, “allowing Russia to invade and occupy more of Moldova than it currently does in Transnistria,” they add.
“Moldova’s future as an independent and sovereign state is directly linked to the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine and affects NATO’s planning for the defense of its eastern flank.”
ISW experts note that Western aid to both Ukraine and Moldova is vital to these states’ ability to resist Russian influence and aggression and to prevent Russian forces from threatening NATO.