Moldova has expelled three Russian diplomats after accusing the embassy of helping a pro-Kremlin lawmaker escape imprisonment, triggering Russia’s promise of an “appropriate response.”
Moldova’s Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion Monday via Telegram, citing “clear evidence on the conduct of activities contrary to the diplomatic status.” Moscow swiftly declared it would retaliate, according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
The diplomatic tension escalated after Moldova accused the Russian Embassy of orchestrating pro-Kremlin Moldovan lawmaker Alexander Nesterovschii’s escape to the Russian-backed breakaway Transnistria region just before he was to be jailed on illegal political funding charges.
This incident represents the latest in a series of allegations by Moldova’s pro-European government claiming Russian interference in its political affairs, which Moscow consistently denies.
Moldova’s security service released footage allegedly showing Nesterovschii entering the Russian Embassy in Chisinau on March 18, one day before a court sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment. The security service claims that on his sentencing day, Nesterovschii was transported in a white diplomatic-plated vehicle to Transnistria, a region that separated from Moldovan control in the early 1990s.
Nesterovschii has denied charges of illegally channeling funds to a pro-Russian party linked to fugitive businessman Ilan Shor during local elections in 2023, as well as the 2024 presidential vote and referendum on Moldova’s EU aspirations.
The Russian Embassy issued a statement calling the interference allegations “unfounded and unacceptable” and urged Moldovan authorities to “refrain from provocative speculation.”
According to RIA Novosti, Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov stated that among the expelled diplomats was the co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission, a peacekeeping force that has overseen the Transnistria region since 1992.
Moldova faces a parliamentary election this autumn that will test the pro-EU government’s popularity.
On Monday, foreign ministers from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Poland, along with the EU’s top diplomat and defense commissioner, announced readiness to adopt new sanctions against Russia over “its war of aggression” in Ukraine.
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