Russia has expelled three Moldovan diplomats in a reciprocal measure, Reuters reported, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The move comes in response to Chisinau's decision to expel three Russian diplomats on Monday after it earlier accused the Russian embassy in Moldova of orchestrating the escape of a pro-Kremlin Moldovan lawmaker to avoid prison for illegally funding his political activities. The lawmaker in question is Alexander Nesterovski. The case is the latest in a series of accusations by Moldova’s pro-European government that Russia is interfering in the country’s political landscape, accusations Moscow denies.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Russia’s help in helping the lawmaker avoid a conviction was unacceptable and amounted to interference in the justice system. In a statement, the Russian embassy said on Monday that the allegations of interference in the lawmaker’s case were unfounded and unacceptable. It said it had called on Moldovan authorities to “refrain from provocative speculation.”
Moldova’s security service released a video it said showed Nesterovski entering the Russian embassy in Chisinau on March 18, the day before a Moldovan court sentenced him to 12 years in prison. He was found guilty of illegally funneling money to a pro-Russian party linked to fugitive Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor. The funds were diverted during campaigns for local elections in 2023, presidential elections in 2024 and a national referendum on Moldova's accession to the European Union, Reuters notes. Nesterovski denies the charges, calling them politically motivated.
Moldova's security service said that on the day of the verdict, Nesterovski was driven in a white car with diplomatic license plates, which is also visible in the video, to the Moscow-backed separatist region of Transnistria, which broke away from Moldovan control in the early 1990s.
The Moldovan government has repeatedly accused Russia of interference and attempts at destabilization, Reuters notes.
Moldova will hold parliamentary elections this fall, which will be a test of the popularity of the government's pro-European course.
Last week, Moldovan authorities announced that they had detained Evgenia Gutsul, the head of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia, on charges of illegal political financing as she tried to leave the country. Gutsul said the charges were politically motivated. A court ruling ordered her to be held in custody for at least 30 days. Police also say that Moldovan MP Irina Lozovan, who has been charged with similar crimes, is on the run.