On August 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova expelled a Russian diplomat after the arrest of two officials suspected of passing on information to the Russian Federation. Threats began to be made in Moscow because of this incident.
Points of attention
- Moldova expelled a Russian diplomat, sparking threats of retaliation from Moscow in response to an espionage scandal.
- Two Moldovan officials were arrested on suspicion of passing information to the Russian Federation, leading to heightened tensions between the two countries.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova declared the Russian diplomat persona non grata, citing activities incompatible with diplomatic status.
- Russia criticized the arrests as an anti-Russian sentiment provocation in Moldova, promising an 'appropriate response' to the situation.
- The detained officials are facing charges of treason and conspiracy against Moldova, with ongoing investigations shedding light on the espionage activities.
Russia threatens Moldova over the espionage scandal
A Russian diplomat was expelled from Moldova, who was declared persona non grata on suspicion of conducting activities "incompatible with diplomatic status." This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova.
This happened after the arrest on July 30 of the head of the Legal Department of the Parliament of Moldova, Ion Kriange, and one of the employees of the border police, who allegedly passed on information to the deputy attaché for defense of the Russian Embassy, writes Reuters, citing a source in the Moldovan security agencies.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova said that it "received information and evidence indicating that activities incompatible with his diplomatic status (by a Russian diplomat) were carried out on the territory of the Republic of Moldova." For this reason, the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed a note declaring the diplomat persona non grata.
At the same time, according to Vasnetsov, Moscow views the expulsion of its diplomats as an "unfriendly step". He assured that there will be an "answer" from Russia.
The day before, Moscow also criticized the arrest of two Moldovan officials on suspicion of working for the Russian Federation, saying that this is "another manifestation of anti-Russian sentiments that are artificially supported in Moldova."
On August 1, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hysterically promised that the Russian Federation would "give an appropriate response to Chisinau's aggressive anti-Russian policy."
In Moldova, two officials are suspected of working for Russia
The prosecutor's office of Moldova announced the detention of two officials — the parliament secretariat and the border police — on suspicion of treason and conspiracy against the Republic of Moldova.
According to law enforcement officers, the suspects committed crimes starting in 2023. One of the detainees is suspected of treason because he "gathered and passed on information to an embassy employee for use to the detriment of the interests of Moldova."
The second detainee is also suspected of conspiracy against Moldova. According to law enforcement officers, he acted for personal gain. The official also "maintained contact with an employee of the embassy in order to collect and transfer information to him for use to the detriment of the interests of the Republic of Moldova."
Both officials were taken into custody for 72 hours, the investigation is ongoing. At the same time, the notification of the prosecutor's office does not specify which embassy is in question.
According to sources, the official was caught at the scene of the crime when he was passing on information to employees of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau.
