Following his swearing in on July 22, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan held his first cabinet meeting where he told the ministers to “tighten their belts.” He took particular aim at official travel, noting that “travel budgets are quite large” and stating that some of it is touristic in nature. He stated:

“I learned today that the Prime Minister approves all visits outside the country. (…) I want to tell you that I will be much more demanding in approving these visits,”

In the meeting he addressed public concerns about “unspeakable” public sector salaries. He stated that a new wage law is needed (and coming) that will codify salary rates as well as practices around bonuses. But that in the meantime, all ministers were instructed to “bring order” to the agencies and organizations in their portfolios.

Speaking about the tax reform, Tofan stated that “The first attempt to bring the tax reform to fruition was not successful, to put it delicately. In fact, it was a failure.” But he emphasized the need for a major reform of the tax system and directed the Ministry of Finance to publish a draft by August 6th. He told the assembled ministers that he would be involved in the process and personally responsible for this reform.

This drew a stark contrast with his predecessor who put out his first statement on the tax reform more than 2 weeks after he stepped down. In it he praised the professionalism of the reform, noted that it was approved by the IMF, compared critics to “amateur league” football players and generally punched back at critics1.

Prime Minister Tofan has also announcement members of his team, with former Minister of Finance Andrian Gavrilită returning to government as his chief economic advisor. Carolina Bogatiuc will be his chief of staff and journalist Dumitru Ciorici will be his press secretary.

Radu Musteața’s Turbulent 3 Days in Office

An early challenge for the Tofan government came when Journal TV published a picture of the brand new Minister of Agriculture, Radu Musteața, allegedly showing him at a Democratic Party (PDM) meeting. The story reported that the photo in question showed Musteața receiving his PDM membership card from PDM MP Nae Simion Pleșca. Allegedly, this occurred sometime in 2017.

This story mattered because it alleged that Musteața had joined Vladimir Plahotniuc’s PDM at the height of the oligarch’s state capture.

Minister Musteața adamantly denied this writing on facebook that “I have never led any territorial organization of a political party and I have not been a member of the Democratic Party.” He went on to repeat categorical denials in multiple statements and on TV interviews.

Prime Minister Tofan indicated that he believed Musteață and that lacking clear evidence contradicting his statements, “Radu Musteață has my full support.” This evidence soon began piling up with PDM’s successor party, PSDE stating that their records show that was a PDM member and had a party leadership position in Ciocana.

After 3 days as Minister of Agriculture, Radu Musteață resigned from his position claiming that he did so to protect the team and maintain trust, asking that the action “not be tarnished and eroded by false and manipulative information.” Effectively, he resigned while still denying the accusations.

Asked to comment, Speaker Igor Grosu stated that he believed Musteață when he said he was not a PDM party member and expressed regret that he resigned. The same day PSDE produced a copy of his signed application for membership and Musteață finally admitted that he lied. He continued to downplay his interactions with PDM as “insignificant” but admitted that he regretted that he “did not have the courage to tell the whole truth.”

This marks one of the shortest tenures of any minister in Moldovan history2 and a bumpy start for the new government. No announcement of a new candidate for Minister of Agriculture has been made to date.

Politics & News

Here’s a roundup of the other top politics stories of the week:

• Anti-corruption police (CNA) detain 3 in relation to MoldATSA scandal. At the same time the CNA conducted 25 searches in relation to alleged criminal decision making at the company - including violate public procurement, fake hiring competitions, unjustified salaries and bonuses and more. CNA noted that MoldATSA spent 9 million lei on staff trainings in the first 5 months of 2025 alone including 106,000 lei spent on sending a staffer to the UK for a beginner English course. Arrests targeted decision makers including the company’s Chief Accountant. Two of the 3 arrested are confined for 30 days detention while one is on house arrest.

• The government approved the “Restart in Education” reform aimed at centralizing school administration. Under the proposed law, all schools above the level of kindergarten will be subordinated directly to the Ministry of Education via newly established Territorial Education Agencies. Currently, schools are administered locally by district and municipal councils. Minister of Education Dan Perciun explained the reform as necessary for uniform standards and conditions throughout the country.

• The Model Schools network is expanding. Parliament approved an investment of €50 million euros to remodel 20 more schools in the regions. Of the investment, €40 million will come from the European Investment Bank (EIB) as a loan. This investment will bring the total number of schools in the program up to 90 and when renovations are complete will see 1 in 4 children in Moldova enrolled in a Model School.

• The government approved an anti-SLAPP law. The proposed law would create new protections against SLAPP lawsuits,3 allowing judges to rapidly throw out obviously unfounded claims, sanction those committing abuses by filing these suits and create protections for defendants of SLAPP suits to more easily recoup their legal costs. This law is designed to protect journalists and civil society activists and brings Moldovan legislation into line with EU directives.

• The government approved a legal framework for cryptocurrencies. It delegates supervision of the digital currencies and assets markets to the National Bank (NBM) and National Financial Market Commission. The framework envisions separate regulations for fiat-backed stablecoins, coins backed by other assets and “other” crypto currencies. Currently Moldova has no regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies effectively making them illegal in the country.

• 30 day State of Alert declared in the area of energy security. The government noted that commercial diesel stocks fell from 17.6 days supply at the end of June to 6.9 days on July 27. Fuel imports continue to be affected by the War in Iran as well as supply chain disruptions elsewhere - including Kazakhstan severely reducing outputs following Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil terminals. Uncertainty has caused prices to resume climbing after a few weeks of relative plateau, with diesel prices now 50.6% higher than pre-war (in Iran) levels and gasoline 29% higher. Under the state of alert fuel imports are expedited through special corridors and certain exports are prohibited.

• 30 day State of Alert declared in the area of water security. The alert comes in the context of reduced water levels in the Novodnestrovsk reservoir which is at a record low level for this time of year and is rapidly draining. If Ukraine restricts outflow from the reservoir it could substantially reduce the flow of the Nistru river, impacting Moldova’s water supply and threaten the provision of water to towns and even to Chisinau. The state of alert will increase monitoring of river flows and direct downs to switch to alternative water sources where available.

• On July 20 TV8 released their long signaled investigation into the real estate dealings of Alexandr Trubca. By the time of release, Tubca had already resigned from parliament but continues to deny wrongdoing. The investigation outlines how Tubca entered parliament 5 years ago with modest earnings and property and is today on the verge of becoming a euro millionaire. His increase in wealth comes entirely from an expanding property portfolio, mostly in the Chisinau suburb of Trușeni but also in Romania. In Trușeni, his companies have invested in 2 projects, one to build a 400 unit apartment building and another to develop 34 single family homes. TV8 reported that his partners include the recently resigned director of the Public Property Agency as well as PAS donors. Trubca struggled to explain the source of his funds, noting that for some projects he borrowed the investment money4 and others were funded from proceeds from the first project - though TV8 noted that this timeline does not match up and his company showed no revenues at the time of the second investment. Alexandr Trubca continues to deny wrongdoing.

The Rabbi and the Rocket Launchers?

Back in November 2025, customs officers at the Leușeni-Albița border crossing between Moldova and Romania discovered a large cache of weapons hidden inside a truck. This story prompted a wave of disinformation with Russian proxies alleging the smuggling of American Stinger missiles / drugs / all manner of other conspiracies (in fact, all the weapons were Russian / Soviet).

The truck driver is in Romanian custody and continues to assert that he did not know what was in the truck. Moldova arrested 5 additional alleged conspirators and one plead guilty this week, getting a 5 year sentence with 3 suspended. His name is Eugeniu Pralea and he was the courier who brought the weapons into Moldova from Ukraine. Documents related to his sentencing have shed light on the details of the case with some startling revelations. They include:

• Weapons: The shipment included 8 RPG-30 anti-tank grenade launchers, a launch tube for a 9K333 Verba anti-aircraft missile system, 18 9M133 Kornet laser-guided anti-tank missile systems and an entire Geran 2 drone (disassembled and with a defective motor).

• Smuggling from Ukraine to Moldova: The weapons were smuggled out of Ukraine from 2023 - 2025. Eugeniu Pralea was hired for this and claims to have accepted the job on the condition that the smuggled goods were neither weapons nor drugs. He claims to have been told it was electronic parts and / or goods related to humanitarian aid projects. He claims that no “arrangements” were made with Moldovan customs officers at Palanca because the shipments were broken into small amounts and never discovered.

• Destination - Israel: After being accumulated over 2 years and stored in a warehouse in Moldova, the weapons were wrapped in a special material meant to fool border scanners. The truck carrying them was destined for the port of Constanta in Romania and then on to Israel.

• Organizer - Rabbi Pinhas Zaltzman: Eugeniu Pralea alleges that Rabbi Zaltzman organized the shipments from Ukraine to Moldova and onward to Israel.

Searches turned up multiple phone calls and text messages between the defendants and the Rabbi including pictures of the weapons and discussion about them. Rabbi Pinhas Zaltzman has professed innocence and is currently in Israel. Prosecutors have not commented on whether or not he is being investigated.

Rabbi Pinhas Zaltzman titles himself the “Chief Rabbi of the Republic of Moldova” and is a prominent figure in Moldova’s Orthodox Jewish Community based at the historic “Hay” synagogue. However, there is no official “Chief Rabbi of the Republic of Moldova” and the title is self-styled. The “Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova5” released statements noting that the title of “Chief Rabbi” is self appointed and that he has “never been appointed, elected or confirmed in any religious leadership position within the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova by its statutory bodies.”

Other Security and Defense News

Here’s a roundup of the other security, defense and hybrid war news”

• Romania shoots down 3 Russian drones in 48 hours. For the first time since the full scale invasion of Ukraine, the Romanian air force has downed 3 Russian drones that entered its airspace - one in Buzău and 2 in the Danube Delta region. Romania expelled one Russian diplomat in protest against the incursions. President Sandu condemned the violation of Romanian airspace and stated that

  “Romania’s security is the security of the Republic of Moldova. We stand with Romania.”

• Moldova has delayed the imposition of VAT and excise taxes on Transnistria until September 1. The taxes, which were supposed to come into force on August 1, are being delayed due to the change in government. Transnistria’s “Foreign Minister” Vitaly Ignatiev recently refused to travel to Chisinau for a meeting in the 1+1 format on the tax changes stating that the issue is “not on the negotiating agenda.” Ignatiev has continuously refused to travel to Moldova for fear of arrest under a law on separatism - a fear which the Moldovan authorities call unfounded.

• Three Shor parties to be dissolved by court decision. The "Renaissance,” “Chance” and “Alternative and Salvation Force of Moldova” parties were found to be successors to the unconstitutional Shor Party and have been dissolved. The Moldova Mare (Greater Moldova) party was suspended for 12 months. These rules mark wins for the Ministry of Justice, which petitioned for their dissolution based on referrals from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

• “Evrazia” declared an extremist organization. The decision comes from Moldova’s Court of Appeals and attaches criminal liability to Moldovan citizens - at home or abroad - which fund Evrazia or participate in their programs. The request for this designation came from Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) in July 2025.

International Affairs

Here’s a roundup of the top international affairs stories of the week:

• Indian President Droupadi Murmu visited Chisinau. This marked the first visit from the head of state of the Republic of India since Moldovan independence. In meetings with President Sandu they discussed economic cooperation, deeper cooperation in higher education6 and investments. She also participated in the first Moldova-India Business Forum which was organized by Invest Moldova.

• The United States drops all tariffs against Moldova (for now). On July 24th the Trump Administration imposed a sweeping new tariff regime on imports from more than 80 countries including the European Union. This new regime replaced the global 10 percent duty that had expired at midnight which itself replaced the “Liberation Day” tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court. This newest iteration utilizes the Trade Act of 1974 and is designed to combat countries that engage in “forced labor.” This join a patchwork of other tariffs, including some levied under a revived Smoot–Hawley authority7 as part of the ever changing trade policy of the United States. Moldova was not included in the recent announcements which targeted major trading partners and largely skipped smaller countries (for the time being). This means that the US tariff on Moldovan goods has gone from 31% (announced, not implemented), to 25% to 10% to 15% to 0% in the last year and a half.

Today we’re going to look at the new cabinet - who’s in, and who’s out - as well as the vote of confident and parliamentary debate. In a future, subscriber only article, we will look at Prime Minister Tofan’s program in depth. Running over 147 pages it is both ambitious, unusual and deserves a deep dive in itself.

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Meet the Ministers

While Tofan has come in with a major shift in tone and priorities, he is largely keeping the same team of ministers assembled by former Prime Minister Munteanu. No changes have been made to the key security and foreign affairs portfolios - and the changes that have been made largely prioritize experience and continuity rather than radical shifts.

Minister of Finance

Victoria Belous will return to the position of Minister of Finance. She previously held the office from July 2024 - November 2025 when she departed after having been elected to parliament. Andrian Gavriliță was appointed to the Ministry. Belous will now leave parliament and replace Gavriliță.

Prior to becoming Minister the first time, Victoria Belous worked for 17 years in the State Tax Service, working her way up through the ranks. Previously as Minister, her profile had been something of a studious technocrat and supporter of the status quo. In parliament, her profile shifted dramatically as she became a vocal proponent for reform and one of the most articulate members of the PAS faction on economic and fiscal issues. Last month, when MP Radu Marian stepped down as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Budget and Finance she took his place.

Andrian Gavriliță wrote a long facebook post after the change was announced writing “Unfortunately, being a minister is more than just theory, figures, understandings with the IMF, and rational decisions. It’s a deeply political role.” Referencing the tax reform that he championed, he blamed personal mistakes as well as very bad timing - referring to the MoldATSA scandal among others - for the media storm surrounding his last month in office.

Minister of Agriculture

Ludmila Catlabuga, who has led the Ministry of Agriculture since November 2024, will be replaced with Director of the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) Radu Musteața. After graduating from the State University of Moldova with a bachelors in Chemical Technology and Biotechnology and a masters in Environmental Protection, Radu Musteața joined ANSA in 2013 and has held various positions before becoming the director in 2021.

Ludmila Catlabuga departed expressing hope “that the relationship and communication between the ministry and people in agriculture be no worse than the one we managed to build.”

Minister of Health

Alexandru Gasnaș will replace Emil Ceban as Minister of Health. Gasnaș had previously served as advisor to President Sandu in the field of health and as a State Secretary in the Ministry of Health. He is a neurologist, who has been both an associate professor at the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and headed the department of Neurology, Internal Diseases and Epileptology at the Institute of Emergency Medicine.

Emil Ceban will return to the position of Rector of the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Minister of Culture

Dan Suruceanu will replace Cristian Jardan as Minister of Culture. Suruceanu has been the deputy administrator of the Chisinau Arena since 2023 and prior to that worked for at least some of his career at the National Museum of Arts1.

Presenting the Cabinet and Program in Parliament

On Tuesday July 21 Vasile Tofan led his proposed cabinet of ministers to parliament to present their governing program and ask for a vote of confidence from the legislature.

In parliament, Vasile Tofan started by stating the challenges ahead and noting that “There is no point in denying that we are going through a crisis.” He noted that the country faces simultaneous economic and political tensions but that there is a “single window of opportunity” in the coming years. He stated:

“I want us to find the balance between the necessary changes and the stability of the foundation together. Let’s make capital repairs, but let’s not shake the walls. We are not the first country to go through such challenges. Other small countries – Ireland, Estonia, New Zealand – have had such complicated moments and emerged victorious from them. I know that any comparison is not perfect, but such examples encourage us.”

Tofan went on to structure his address to the deputies around the 5 priorities outlined in his program of government.

Priority 1. Relaunching economic growth

He spoke of anemic GDP growth, ballooning imports and shrinking exports and “enormous” challenges including…

“… a small internal market, a declining population, a labor shortage, insufficient capital, an agriculture vulnerable to drought, and an economy that exports too much raw material and too little added value.”

Tofan stated that the government’s starting priority is to “bring back confidence” because “Pessimism is the most dangerous disease of an economy.”

Priority 2. Accelerating accession to the European Union

“The objective of the mandate is to be ready to complete the negotiations and prepare for the signing of the Accession Treaty by the end of 2028”

Tofan once again centered the goal of being prepared to join the EU in 2028. He stressed the need to open all negotiating clusters this year and to move rapidly through reforms. At the same time he emphasized that simply changing rules and laws does not improve people’s lives - and committed his team towards careful implementation so that people feel these changes.

Priority 3. An efficient, digital and accountable state

“Too often, the state asks the citizen to be more organized than it is.”

In his remarks, Mr. Tofan noted cases where state institutions make citizens run from office to office to resubmit paperwork that the state already has in its possession2. He spoke of overlapping responsibilities between agencies and programs and policies not based on results.

“The state must be smaller where it duplicates functions and stronger where it is indispensable – security, justice, infrastructure, education, health, and protection of the vulnerable.”

Priority 4. Security, justice and peace

“I lived in Kyiv. I know the sound of the missile alarm. I know how a Shahed flies and how a Kalibr hits. I know what it’s like to collect the shards of broken windows in the morning from the explosion of an Iskander 50 meters from your house.”

Tofan spoke of the “real and interconnected” risks that Moldova faces. Attacks against energy systems, cyberattacks, disinformation, organized crime and the war next door. He stated that “Constitutional neutrality does not oblige the Republic of Moldova to be weak” and tied investments in defense and law enforcement with a modernizing of citizen services3.

Priority 5. Increasing the quality of life and social cohesion

“Citizens do not live by macroeconomic indicators. They live by the salary they receive at the end of the month, by the bill they have to pay, by the waiting time at the doctor's office, by the quality of their child's school, and by the certainty that their parents will have support in their old age.”

Tofan spoke of the need to translate his plans for economic growth into good jobs and better public services. He laid out concrete targets for increasing employment rates by making the labor code more flexible while also maintaining protections for employees’ rights.

Debate and Vote

After delivering his speech, the parliamentary session moved to a Q&A format. From 12:20 pm until 8:27 pm Vasile Tofan answered questions about his team, his program and himself. Throughout he proved to have deft political instincts, addressing complex questions head-on while not falling into traps or going down topical cul-de-sacs. Compared to recent prime ministers, he seemed much more comfortable and confident speaking extemporaneously and he was consistently able to pivot questions back to his focus area - the economy.

Following the debate, parliament voted with 53 MPs for, 21 against and 21 abstaining. Two PAS MPs did not vote in support: Alexandr Trubca who recently resigned and whose seat has yet to be filled, and Vasile Grădinaru who previously submitted a request for absence for personal reasons. All MPs from Alternative, Democracy at Home and Our Party abstained along with 1 MP from the Socialists. The remaining Socialist and Communist MPs voted no.

Vasile Tofan is Sworn in as Prime Minister

On July 22 President Maia Sandu swore in Vasile Tofan as Prime Minister alongside his cabinet of minister. She emphasized EU integration as the clear agenda of the government and called on the new Prime Minister to keep the promises he made in parliament the day before.

Moldova has a new Prime Minister and government, we’ll return to follow their first steps in this week’s roundup.

Prime Minister Designate Vasile Tofan will present the composition of his government and their program to parliament for a vote of confidence on Tuesday July 21.

Since his appointment on Saturday, Tofan has been holding consultations with business associations, opposition political parties, civic groups and the interim government. He met with all 16 acting ministers to discuss the critical priorities for the next 12 months. No acting minister confirmed to the press that their job is safe and none has resigned so far.

In remarks so far, Tofan has signaled continuity - stressing that he would not disrupt ongoing reform processes such as the local public administration reform that he previously opposed publicly. In various remarks he stressed the importance of EU integration and building a growing and competitive economy as his top priorities.

Vasile Tofan turned 44 years old the day after his appointment by President Sandu. He and his wife welcomed their 4th child, becoming the parents of 4 boys, less than one month ago. Tofan has joked that his wife is not thrilled with his acceptance of this mandate but supportive.

EU Opens Cluster 6 with Moldova and Ukraine

On Tuesday July 14 the European Union opened negotiations on Cluster 6: External Relations with Moldova and Ukraine. For Moldova, this was made official at the 3rd Moldova - EU Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels with Moldova being represented by Interim PM Eugeniu Osmochescu. Cluster 6 contains 2 negotiating chapters titled “External relations” and “Foreign, security and defense policy.”

July 14 came to be called “Super Tuesday” as the EU held 4 intergovernmental conferences. While Moldova and Ukraine both opened a cluster, Albania provisionally closed 3 chapters and Montenegro provisionally closed 2. Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos named it “Super Tuesday” as she noted that no comparable step in EU enlargement had taken place since 2002. These moves come in the context of Hungary no longer blocking some aspects of enlargement after Viktor Orban’s defeat this Spring.

International Affairs & Security

Here’s a roundup of the top international affairs & security stories of the week:

• President Sandu represented Moldova at the Coalition of the Willing (CoW) meeting in Paris on July 13. This is the first time that Moldova has participated in the CoW and marks a further commitment in support of the defense of Ukraine. In remarks, President Sandu stressed that Moldova is not the only neutral nation that participates and that Moldova joins “a group of countries, largely European, who have united their efforts to support Ukraine to reach a ceasefire and, subsequently, a just peace, which will prevent further aggression.”

• German Ambassador to Moldova Hubert Knirsch created a scandal when he suggested that Romanian and “Moldovan” might be different languages. In an interview on Jurnal TV, the Ambassador was asked about the topic of Moldova uniting with Romania with the interviewer noting that “we were once one country, we speak the same language, we have a common culture, traditions and religion.” The Ambassador noted that any decision on union belongs to the citizens of Moldova and Romania, but questioned the idea that the countries share a common language and religion. His formulation was interpreted by many in the public as saying that some people call the language “Moldovan” and some call it “Romanian” - turned into an explosive controversy. He clarified in a later video that he was speaking of the linguistic diversity of the country. The Ambassador received massive criticism online with some even suggesting that the Ambassador is a Russian agent. Ambassador Knirsch has apologized for not being “clear and precise” and promised to go on a listening tour to better understand the “concerns” raised1.

• President Maia Sandu attended the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv. There she advocated for more air defense support for Ukraine, more pressure on Russia and increased sanctions. She held bilateral meetings with President Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković and the Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Janša. Moldova officially signed the Kyiv Declaration reiterating support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

• Russia’s FSB claims to have foiled a drone attack in the Moscow region involving 2 Moldovans. In their press release, the FSB alleges a complex plot involving 35 drones transported from Slovakia hidden in crates of Spanish ceramic tiles. The alleged plot is complicated, and improbably involves Ukrainian Rapper “Kyivstoner.” The FSB alleges that 2 Moldovans, Victor Pîrlog (born in 1986) and Aurel Calos (born in 1995) participated in the plot and escaped. They claim that all 35 drones were launched but were intercepted by special technology before hitting their targets2. None of this has been confirmed and Moldova’s Ministry of Foriegn Affairs has requested clarification.

• On Monday July 13 a Russian Shahed-136 (Geran-2) drone crashed in the village of Copanca in Căușeni. The Army confirmed that the drone entered Moldovan airspace during a large Russian attack on Odesa. On impact, the drone’s gas tank exploded, causing alarm the crash site was less than 50m from a residential house. When police and army sappers arrived they found that the 40 kg warhead had not detonated. PAS MP Artemie Cătănoi went to the scene and told the press that the elderly couple living nearby were evacuated with their pets. Army sappers successfully moved the drone to a safe place and detonated it. This all resulted in official protests and the summoning of Russian Ambassador Designate Oleg Ozerov to the Ministry of Foriegn Affairs for his 3rd note of reprimand in 4 months.

• On the same day, the Council of the European Union announced €120 million euros in new assistance under the European Peace Facility (EPF) for Moldova. These funds are for the purchase of air defense equipment, with a focus on medium range air defense. This brings total EPF support for Moldova to €317 million since the start of the full scale invasion, with past financing going to clean up Nistru river pollution,3 support Army sappers with disposing of new (and old WW2) shells and more.

Political Updates

Here’s a roundup of the top stories in politics (and scandal) of the week:

• PAS MP Alexandr Trubca announced that he is resigning from parliament on July 10. After previously trying to preempt a coming investigation by TV8 with a serious of facebook statements explaining his investments, the MP resigned while claiming that “Everything I said publicly remains valid.” PAS leader Igor Grosu specified that he resigned after conversation with the party faction but did not answer whether Trubca did it of his own accord. TV8 has stated that they will air their investigation on July 19, but previewed it by noting that when elected in 2021, Alexandr Trubca had a salary from a local NGO, drove a modest car and owed a substantial mortgage on his apartment. They state that he is now a “multimillionaire in real estate, with investments in Moldova and abroad” and TV8 promises “more irregularities related to the businesses of Trubca and his partners, including other PAS deputies and state dignitaries.”

• Energy prices are going up… again. As gasoline and diesel begin to rise again on news of renewed war between the United States and Iran, Energocom has requested that regulators at ANRE approve a jump in the price of natural gas from 14.42 lei / cubic meter to 20.93 lei (incl VAT) - a 45% increase. Acting Energy Minister Dorin Jungietu supported the change, noting that it is caused by the ongoing war against Iran and the spike in prices across Europe’s energy market. Energy expert Eugen Muravschi from WatchDog called the planned change “realistic” stating that previous projections for gas purchases from August - December were €404 / 1000 cubic meters. The price is currently at €623 / 1000 cubes. He explained that “In Europe, prices have exploded” and that as countries stockpile gas they may continue to rise.

Following this announcement from PAS, Tofan posted on facebook writing:

“The Republic of Moldova has had many remarkable victories in recent years, and now we have the historic chance to become an EU state and to build a European and free future for our country and for all our children. This success depends on all of us - it was from this perspective that I accepted with great responsibility the candidacy for the position of prime minister proposed by PAS.

I understand the gravity of the moment, but also the real perspective of taking Moldova where it should have been 20 years ago. We have no right to miss this historic opportunity. I will devote all my energy, all that I have learned and know to make the country succeed and meet the expectations of its citizens.”

This morning President Sandu officially nominated Vasile Tofan as candidate for prime minister. At the event Tofan spoke saying:

“It is a great honor to be here. I do not see it as an achievement, it is a great responsibility, I am overwhelmed by this responsibility. I will do everything in my power to live up to the expectations of Moldovans. I look forward to getting to work as quickly as possible, to make the lives of Moldovans better,”

In his remarks he outlined 3 major priorities for his government as follows:

1. Restoring, building and strengthening trust: “Many people are disappointed. I will rebuild that trust by acting boldly and carrying out reforms.”

2. Restarting the economy: “We cannot improve people’s lives unless we restart the economy, and that work must happen on the ground. From my very first days, I will focus on restoring optimism among entrepreneurs. We need to bring that optimism back, so that people once again have a sparkle in their eyes.”

3. Politics, government and business are team sports: “None of this can be achieved alone. I am a team player, and I am coming in to build strong teams together. Everyone who is honest, courageous and hardworking will have an ally in me. Everything we do will be aimed at bringing Moldova into the European Union as soon as possible.”

Who is Vasile Tofan?

Vasile Tofan has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Masters in Public Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He’s had a long career in the private sector, working as a consultant for Monitor Deloitte, as a manager for Corporate Strategy and Alliances at Philips and now in a leadership role at Horizon Capital which he joined in 2012. There, as a Senior Partner on the Investment Committee he led Horizon’s investments in Purcari Winery, the Glass Container Company in Chisinau and Moldova Agroindbank (MAIB). He serves on the board of MAIB, Ukrainian IT company Intellias, AMCHAM Moldova, Startup Moldova and Media Alternative which owns TV8 and 1TV.

In addition to his business career, Tofan has been a consistent public advocate for economic reform. He is a co-founder of the Europa 2028 civic movement which brought together 28 economists, entrepreneurs and investors who are “united by the idea that Moldova can make an economic leap if we follow simple and effective steps, already tested by other small countries such as Estonia, Ireland, Singapore or New Zealand. The economy must dominate the political agenda.” The movement’s manifesto centers European accession by 2028 and the need for sweeping economic reforms to ensure that Moldova takes advantage of European integration and Moldovan companies are competitive within the bloc.

Following the 2025 parliamentary elections, Tofan was offered the role as prime minister but turned it down saying that he was unable to untangle himself from his corporate responsibilities and that no one should be wiling to entrust “the future of Moldova to a leader ready to abandon 22 companies and a team of over 51 thousand people”.

He is seen as close to former Prime Minister Munteanu and is alleged to have put his name forward when he turned down the role himself.

Analysis: What does this Appointment Signal?

Read more

This change was accepted and signed in a decree by President Sandu without comment. Interim Prime Minister Osmochescu then posted on facebook saying that he “accepted this responsibility with honor and full seriousness” and stating that his priority will be to ensure continuity in this period.

This unexpected switch came after days of confusion following Munteanu’s first resignation where he stated that he can no longer work according to his “principles and beliefs.” Asked what this meant by a journalist, he gave a confusing answer stating:

“(…) I understand that they expect a controversy. I tried not to look at social networks, but with one eye and from what those who looked told me, 90% of those scenarios that were circulated are not true. It’s a more complicated story. I think time will put things in order (…). My conscience is very clear, I did what I had to do, and now I continue my duty, as I said in my message. I will ensure a smooth, professional transition, we are in the process of European integration, we cannot afford to create controversial situations (…)”,

**Update: Immediately before publishing PAS leader Igor Grosu stated that Alexandru Munteanu's was in fact due to an heated discussion he had with Minister of Education Dan Perciun. Grosu stated:

“There were no discussions about the weather outside. There were discussions about policy. Yes, there was a topic related to fiscal policy - the way it was presented, the way responsibility for it was assumed, and the contradictory discussions that followed.”

President Sandu announced on July 9 that she had called all parliamentary factions to consultations on the appointment of the next prime minister. She will meet with opposition parties on Friday July 10 and with PAS on Saturday July 11. The Socialists, MAN and the Communists have all stated that they will boycott the consultations.

New Details in the MoldATSA Scandal

If you need to catch up - here are parts 1 & 2 of Moldova Matter’s coverage of MoldATSA:

On June 30 the National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) announced preliminary results from their assessment of the institutional integrity of the company MoldATSA. This assessment found that 33 employees were hired without a publicly announced competitive process, multiple employees maintained 2-3 paid positions at the company for long periods of time, arbitrary salary and bonus structures and other “significant deficiencies” in the recruiting and hiring process.

They also identified problems in the professional trainings purchased for staff. MoldATSA is a member of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol). This entitled employees to attend professional trainings from Eurocontrol for free - with MoldATSA only paying for travel and lodging.

But MoldATSA management, including then Director Dumitru Vangheli, regularly attended courses by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). These were much more expensive, with course + travel costing between 80,000 and 120,000 lei / person compared to 25,000 - 40,000 from Eurocontrol. Most troubling of all, Dumitru Vangheli traveled to 3 courses on the same topic in 2025 and in one case attended an IATA course in Singapore that was held 2 months before Eurocontrol held an identical course (for free) in Chisinau.

On July 5 the CNA updated their assessment with allegations of a possible deliberate fragmentation of public procurements from MoldATSA. By statute, the company needed to approve any purchase over 400,000 lei with their owner - the Public Property Agency (APP). Additional procurements must go through a public bid process unless they are very minor. CNA reported on the purchase of a 2 million lei security system that was broken into 14 separate contracts given to 3 companies. Many of these contracts were made on the same day and the CNA reported that 2 of the companies have the same beneficial owner.

Criminal investigations at MoldATSA are ongoing.

Political Fallout and Reactions

On July 1 President Sandu held a press conference to address the expanding scandal at MoldATSA. There she called for 5 immediate actions to be taken by the government:

1. Review how appointments are made to state companies and require SIS and CNA checks for candidates

2. Review all boards of directors, ban people from serving on multiple boards, recalibrate / regulate pay

3. Creating a plan for listing “minority stakes” in all state owned companies on the stock exchange to bring more transparency and international standards to their governance

4. Mandate annual publications of company reports, remuneration reports, external audit reports, etc

5. Break the APP into 2 parts - one to manage active investments (productive companies) and one to manage passive assets - such as land and the property of former state companies in liquidation

In the short term she called for a rigorous audit of all state owned companies and for people guilty of abuses to be held accountable “regardless of party, family or other ties.”

She also called on a review of all consulting contracts for government support staff hired by international partners. She stated:

“We will do a general clean-up, all those who broke the law will be punished. People from PAS should look around, make sure that all team members, at all levels, are still loyal to the values ​​that were the basis for the creation of the party of European values. We have an obligation to take the Republic of Moldova to the EU. It is too important a path and we have made too many efforts on this path to miss it. We need to clean up the institutions, especially among the leaders of these institutions, and restore people’s trust in our commitment to building a fair state and a free and European country,”

Asked about her cousin Anastasia Tăburceanu she stated:

“I can’t understand what happened in the case of Anastasia Taburceanu, I don’t recognize her, I can’t explain these things to myself. Unfortunately, in every family or almost every family there is a person who makes a joke that gives you a headache. I regret this. (…) I have always earned my honest salary and this was my message to everyone, including those in the family”

PAS Expels 4 Party Members

Party leader Igor Grosu apologized to citizens for the scandal at MoldATSA and called the ZdG investigation a “hard lesson.” He announced the expulsion of 4 members of PAS - Anastasia Taburceanu, Mihai Bondari, Petru Bondari and Lilia Coică. He also demanded that Petru Bondari resign as the director of the state enterprise Metalferos.

While Anastasia Taburceanu was clearly caught up in the MoldATSA scandal, the other 3 members expelled were related to a different scandal that has slowly unfolded in the town of Coșnița over the last year. This scandal, which we have not covered at Moldova Matters previously (see footnote1), involved a company owned (allegedly) by Petru and Mihai Bondari which purchased agricultural land by the entrance to the town and then re-zoned it for pit mining sand. The scandal is complex, and contested, but apparently PAS decided that it was time to take action as both of the Bondari brothers were involved in district level politics.

Petru Bondari resigned as the director of Metalferos, but denied wrongdoing and claimed that he sold the company implicated in the mining development in 2024. He was not accused of any wrongdoing at the state enterprise, but chose to heed Grosu’s call for his resignation.

Igor Grosu promised additional steps to win back trust saying:

“I know that anything we say now will be met with distrust and people’s revolt is natural. I understand that words are less credible and actions are needed to demonstrate that we have not deviated from the principles of integrity, fairness and honesty. And that is what we will do,”

More scandals and responses… and scandals…

Here’s a roundup of the latest scandals to rock the government and the responses taken to try and contain the growing crisis:

• NEW SCANDAL: On July 2 CNA officers detained Tatiana Nistorică, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. On the same day they conducted searches at the ministry and detained a representative of a private company. Allegedly the company was trying to import animal feed from Ukraine but had been blocked by the National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) due to “irregularities found during the inspections carried out.” According to the CNA, the company bribed Tatiana Nistorică to resume imports. Nistorică had only been appointed State Secretary in February and previously had a series of highly respected roles in civil society - including as the President of the “Moldova Organic Agriculture Value Chain Alliance” (MOVCA). She is currently in pre-trial detention in Prison 13. Minister of Agriculture Ludmila Catlabuga has stated that the ministry is cooperating and is in the process of dismissing her.

• Parliament has created a Commission of Inquiry into the activities of state owned enterprises. The commission will have a mandate to investigate management and remuneration at these companies and will return to parliament with a report and set of recommendations in 60 days. The commission will consist of 11 members and be led by MP Dinu Plîngău2. In addition to Plîngău, the commission will include 5 additional PAS MPs - Vasile Grădinaru, Marcel Spatari, Victoria Belous, Alexandr Trubca and Marina Morozova. Opposition parties will each appoint 1 MP to the commission. This composition includes senior PAS members and a fairly independent chair signaling a strong process… but then…

• NEW SCANDAL: MP Alexandr Trubca and his “million-dollar investments.” TV8’s program Black Box is promising us information as to what those investments are on their Sunday broadcast. In order to pre-empt whatever this story is, Alexandr Trubca has put out a series of long facebook posts explaining a complex land deal he is involved in. The land is in the Chisinau suburb of Trușeni and Trubca claims that his company purchased this land but he is not actively involved in the business nor is he involved in any local council decisions around construction permitting. Then, we find that the former (as in resigned last week due to MoldATSA) director of the Public Property Agency (APP) also has a company that is also somehow involved in this land deal. Both men deny actively developing a business while in public office and both deny collaborating together on this development project - in which they (apparently) co-own land. We’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out more.

• Where were the whistleblowers? Last week we wrote about how former MoldATSA director Dumitru Vangheli’s friend in Canada knew that he had faked his CV, confronted him about it, (maybe?) used it to try and push Vangheli to repay a debt, and then just told no one about it until after the story broke. Now we found that Dumitru Vangheli’s brother, Anatoliy Vanheli, is a career diplomat and is currently serving as Moldova’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Apparently the fact that Moldova’s air traffic control system was being run by a pizza delivery driver was known to at least one public official.

• Anastasia Tăburceanu has returned 500,000 lei of her MoldATSA salary. This was announced on July 9 by Igor Grosu who noted that she will continue until it is fully paid back.

New Tactic - Blame Plahotniuc

On July 9 PAS leader Igor Grosu made a statement trying to put all of these unfolding scandals into context - the context of a deliberate campaign by Vladimir Plahotniuc. He stated:

“Beyond all these incidents, my preliminary conclusion: it is a campaign, the traces of this campaign lead to a cell at Penitentiary No. 13 ,”

This was echoed by Minister of Education Dan Perciun who wrote on facebook:

“It is obvious that we are witnessing a concerted attack from the oligarchic-criminal groups that have been hit hard in recent years, but which have nevertheless maintained their tentacles in Parliament, in the area of ​​influencers and through certain “press” portals. (…) If he loses on appeal, Plahotniuc will actually end up in the situation of serving hard years in prison. (…) The examination of the appeal begins on August 24. Until then, the goal is to completely discredit the government and send a signal of vulnerability to the judicial system: the power is wavering, are you sure you want to convict the capo di tutti i capi? This is the feeling of chaos that the criminal groups are trying to induce”

A few hours later Grosu apologized “to all honest journalists and the independent press” and thanked journalists for investigations that hold the government accountable. At the same time, he continued to accuse oligarchs “Plahotniuc, Platon, Shor” of amplifying these scandals to create “hate” in society.

I’ll leave my quick thoughts on this tactic in a footnote for those who are interested3.

Other News

The prime minister’s resignation (twice?) and the many unfolding scandals has mostly taken over the news cycle. Here’s a quick roundup of the other stories worth watching from the past week:

• On July 6 Moldova marked the “Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Deportations and Repressions of the Totalitarian Communist Regime” and the 85th anniversary of the Stalinist deportations. Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by a protocol error whereby the announcer forgot to mention Interim Prime Minister Munteanu while introducing the President and Speaker of Parliament. Over the month of June more than 20,000 people visited the memorial train cars in Chisinau and Balti. If you’d like to know more about the history behind this event see this article by Cathy Byrd published by Moldova Matters last year:

• Completion of the Vulcănești - Chișinău “Independence Line” has been delayed again. Last year Prime Minister Recean promised the line would be in service in December 2025 in time for winter. Then it was delayed until June 2026. Now, it has been pushed back again until December 31, 2026. This was announced by the World Bank which is financing the project and said that “the estimated completion date was severely delayed by the contractor” - referring specifically to the contractor building out the Chisinau high-voltage substation. Overall work on the project has been rated “satisfactory” by the World Bank which announced a firm plan for completion with the contractor and a savings of $4 million dollars off the planned amount.

• TV8 Investigation - “Inhuman living conditions for more than 80 workers from Bangladesh and Nepal, employed in Moldova.” The investigation showed how up to 100 foreign workers were being housed in 8 sleeper train wagons that had been relocated onto the grounds of a factory in Chisinau. The company, which manufactures windows, argues that the living conditions are adequate, but a previous inspection by the General Inspectorate for Migration from July 2025 found that “foreign workers employed by these companies were housed in precarious and totally inadequate living conditions, especially in disused train carriages.” Following TV8’s investigation inspectors promised to return and do a repeat inspection.

• Roma Baron Artur Cerari passed away on July 4. His death caused an outpouring of support and warm messages on social media for the man who was the leader of Soroca’s Roma community since 1998. The title of Baron is expected to pass to one of his children.

• Moldova celebrates American Independence Day. On July 4 the Moldovan parliament was lit up with the American flag as was the Triumphal Arch. Fireworks were organized in the city center as well. Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu praised the partnership with the US writing:

“Step by step, we have built roads, modernized schools and kindergartens, expanded access to water and sanitation, and taken important steps to strengthen our energy independence and democratic institutions. For the Republic of Moldova, the United States is a trusted friend, standing by us when we need it most ,”

“Today I end my term as prime minister.

I accepted the proposal to be prime minister with a lot of responsibility and strong conviction that I can contribute to changing things for the better.

The moment I understand that I can no longer exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs, I choose to walk away.

I thank all my colleagues - ministers, their teams and the people who worked professionally and faithfully.

I will continue to serve my country from whatever position I may find myself, irrespective of where I live or what responsibilities I may have, either in the public sector or private. I believe that duty to the country is not about a position, but about the commitment we keep.

Thank you!”

Emphasis mine.

This move came without warning and with no explanation beyond the cryptic allusion to his inability to “exercise my mandate in accordance with my principles and beliefs.”

His resignation triggers the collapse of the Munteanu government which came into office on October 31, 2025. In his 8 months leading the government, Alexandru Munteanu has remained a bit of a cipher. His team projected an image of quiet professionalism, rejecting normal public communications1 and largely avoiding any big announcements on reforms or legislative projects.

This public perception has come under increasing strain over the last few weeks against the backdrop of the MoldATSA scandal and the public backlash against the proposed tax reforms.

President Sandu’s Press Conference

Following the Prime Minister’s facebook post, President Sandu called a press conference for 11 am this morning. At the press conference she thanked the Prime Minister for his service and then immediately sought to debunk rumors about his departure saying:

“The speculation that ‘he wanted to fight against abuses and was not allowed’ is false. The Prime Minister had a free hand to lead the Government as he considered correct. He chose to leave,”

This was apparently in response to narratives circulating on Telegram stating that President Sandu gave the Prime Minister a list of “untouchables” in PAS who he was not permitted to remove - even in cases of corruption.

The President stated that “Mr. Munteanu is a good man” and that…

“I was convinced and I am still convinced that he has the best intentions, but I expected more involvement in complicated decisions, more presence to listen to people, to explain what kind of reforms we need to make and why we need to make them.”

Asked by the press what contradiction caused the Prime Minister to resign rather than compromise his beliefs, she stated:

“I don’t think there were any contradictions, at least these things were not expressed and exposed. Both Mr. Munteanu and I have worked and are working with honesty and integrity. (…) This week I had several discussions with the Prime Minister about the reforms that have aroused a lot of debate in society, especially the tax reform, but also the salary reform. I also believe that these reforms could have been developed, consulted on and explained better, so that we could obtain the support of citizens,”

She went on to state that there was no conflict with the Prime Minister on the topic of the fight against corruption or on the plans to restructure and reform governance of state companies. She stated:

“There was only one objection related to the interpersonal relationship with one of the members of the Government, there was a discussion about the interpersonal relationship with the Minister of Education,”

A reporter followed up asking if Minister of Education Dan Perciun could be a candidate for prime minister. President Sandu refused to comment, noting that constitutionally the next step is consultations with the parliamentary factions. She stated that during the process of identifying a new candidate for prime minister, Munteanu would stay on in a caretaker role.

What Happened With Dan Perciun?

Following President Sandu’s statements, Minister of Education Dan Perciun confirmed that he had a discussion with the Prime Minister on Tuesday saying:

"It is true, indeed, that I had a discussion on Tuesday with the Prime Minister, during which I expressed my thoughts on the subject of budgetary-fiscal policy, on how certain things that were not fully discussed in the Government were found in that policy and sparked very heated discontent in our society,"

He went on to state that discussions like this are necessary and useful and seemed to reject the idea that it contributed to the PM’s resignation. About his future ambitions he emphasized his desire to stay on as Minister of Education and continue developing reforms there.

What Comes Next?

While various opposition politicians have called for early elections, that is almost certainly not going to happen. President Sandu will begin consultations with the parliamentary factions next week and PAS, representing the majority, will have to agree on a candidate. This new candidate will need to form a new team of ministers and prepare a program of government for a vote of confidence in parliament.

How long this takes is a bit of an open question. Back in February 2023 Prime Minister Gavrilita resigned2 and her successor was named the same day. Within 6 days, parliament had voted in the new government of Dorin Recean. This situation had been building over some time and the actual switch of governments was a relatively stage-managed process.

President Sandu announced that she would start consultations with parliamentary factions next week. Prime Minister Munteanu’s resignation was, by all appearances, more unexpected, so most likely time is needed to identify a replacement.

If PAS identifies a unifying candidate over the weekend or early next week, then a new government could be sworn in relatively quickly. On the other hand, if there are divisions in the party and multiple candidates are angling for the position, this could be a more protracted process.

In the meantime, the outgoing Prime Minister acts in an interim capacity. The caretaker government has substantially limited powers and until a new PM is sworn in they cannot initiate or approve legislative initiatives3.

Analysis: Why Now?

Right now we don’t have any satisfying answer to that most important question. The morning’s events give the impression of an unexpected change but for the moment we don’t know anything concrete.

President Sandu’s remarks are telling however. She seemed to acknowledge that Munteanu’s technocratic, low-visibility approach had failed to build public support for the government’s agenda. They also showed at least some disappointment from her end on his engagement with the issues.

From my perspective, it has been very hard to get any real idea of what that agenda has been for the last 8 months. Over time, this has been chalked up by some to failures of communication. The disastrous rollout of the proposed tax reform showed it was something much more fundamental. Ministries were fighting in public and it became clear that highly consequential reforms had not gone through even the most basic coordination process. In the middle of this national argument about tax reform came scandal after scandal related to MoldATSA and the management of state-owned companies. Through it all, Prime Minister Munteanu was largely absent.

The role of the PM’s conflict with Minister Perciun remains unclear, but Perciun’s remarks on this “discussion” seem to imply that the tax reform was creating rifts in the government behind the scenes. Stepping back, the scandals at MoldATSA largely predate this government - with the key appointments made before he took office. The tax reform on the other hand is a political disaster more directly attributable to his decisions - either proactively or due to an overly hands-off approach.

Perhaps, Munteanu concluded that this job is not for him and it is time to give someone else a chance. Perhaps President Sandu, PAS or some subset of his ministers lost confidence in his leadership and encouraged him to resign. Perhaps there is another shoe yet to drop - either in the alluded-to conflict with Minister of Education Dan Perciun or with some new information related to the ongoing scandals at state-owned companies.

Right now we simply don’t know.

Last week I wrote 2 articles on the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to overhaul the tax system. If you didn’t catch them, you can find those articles here:

Since writing those article, Minister of Finance Andrian Gavrilită has been in a fighting retreat as pressure has built and parts of the proposed reform are abandoned one by one. On June 26 President Sandu called on the government to “take a break” regarding the tax reform saying:

"The tax reform must be done, but I think the Government should not rush. It must take a break, analyze the comments very well."

She called on the government to incorporate feedback and carefully analyze some of the most controversial elements such as VAT increases.

On June 28 opposition parties gathered a protest in front of parliament organized by PPDA MP Vasile Costiuc. Around 200 people attended, including senior members of multiple opposition parties including MAN, Our Party, PSDE and PPDA. Criticism came from many angles but mostly focused on the proposal to increase VAT on energy.

At the same time, government spokesperson Daniela Crudu announced that the reform is no longer moving forward saying:

“We have heard the various opinions and listened to the people. We have already announced that we are taking a break to rethink fiscal policy and the other proposed measures. In the coming period, we will review the proposals and continue extensive consultations, to identify a fair and sustainable formula for citizens and the economic environment,”

In an interview with ZdG defending the reform, Minister Gavrilită continued to stress that prices would not go up for “ordinary people” and explained that they are backtracking on aspects of the bill - either canceling provisions or extending the implementation timeline. In the interview he was asked how it was that the Minister of Health, who has stated that “This reform will destroy the healthcare system,” was not consulted prior to the bill being released to the public. The Minister replied that it was not consulted with the other ministries beforehand because there was no time.

Asked about the rush, Minister Gavrilită stated that he wanted to start consultations in March but they were delayed until the completion of a visit from the IMF. He stated that because of this delay, “only at the end of May did we agree on the principles and direction of reducing the budget deficit in a few years, so that we would have medium-term economic stability.” Asked if the reforms themselves were driven by the IMF he stated:

“The reform itself is not imposed, but the need to reduce the budget deficit and stabilize the state’s financial degeneration is a condition [of the IMF]”

Later, in another interview Minister Gavrilită stated that wage increases for public sector workers planned for September may need to be delayed without the tax law. He said that it was an IMF condition that new revenue would need to be found before raising salaries.

So, we now know that at least some aspects of the rushed nature of the reform was caused by the IMF. We also know that this huge reform was rolled out without serious consultation with other ministries1. This type of coordination would normally be managed by the Prime Minister - but he has still not made any substantive statements on this topic.

Where does the reform stand?

As of today, here is what we know about the planned changes. In the interest of keeping the main text tight, I’ll add some quick analysis in footnotes.

• Plans to tax wedding and birthday gifts will not be implemented2.

• No capital gains tax will be applied to the sale of primary residences. All other changes to capital gains tax and VAT for new housing will be delayed until 2028.

• HoReCa VAT will still go from 8% to 20% in October. VAT on food and agricultural products remains unclear and the ministry says that they are still considering what to do3.

• VAT for electricity, heating and natural gas will still go up in April 2027 after the heating season4.

• 0% tax on reinvested profits for large companies will be delayed (no date).

• No VAT hike on medicines

• Changes in salary taxes and structure will be delayed until 2028

This is still a moving target - the reform as it was proposed is falling apart in just about every direction.

MoldATSA Updates

The MoldATSA scandal continues to develop since I sent the latest update yesterday. Here is the latest:

• Anastasia Taburceanu’s work for the State Chancellory was funded by the EU. This was confirmed by the EU Delegation who stated that she was contracted under a project called “Reform Support Team” implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The EU Delegation confirmed that she was contracted to “provided communication support to the State Chancellery and the Prime Minister’s Office” and that she resigned in June 2026. They stated that “The EBRD is evaluating the implementation of this contract. The Commission awaits the results of this evaluation to decide whether additional measures are necessary.” The confirmation came after the leader of the Moldovan National Party (PNM) Dragoș Galbur publicly alleged that Taburceanu was being paid €4,000 a month by the EU for her work at the State Chancellery. This would be in addition to her salary from MoldATSA. Galbur also alleges that she lives in Slovenia. Neither the sum nor details about where Anastasia Taburceanu lives have been independently confirmed.

• The Director of the Public Property Agency (APP), Roman Cojuhari, has resigned. He accepted that “The Public Property Agency is the institution responsible for monitoring the activity of Moldatsa” and stated that he was resigning due to the failures at the agency in this case and “to protect the image of the institution and the team.”

• The National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) have opened a criminal investigation and are conducting searches at MoldATSA today. The case is opened under articles related to abuse of power and abuse of office.

PAS party leaders have started to make public statements about the scandal and especially about the resignation of Radu Marian. Minister of Education and Vice-President of the PAS Party, Dan Perciun, called the situation at MoldATSA “systemic error, a failure to react on time and to adequately investigate the incoming signals.” He stated that “People’s anger is understandable and perfectly justified” and that “There is a need for a course correction both in the party and in the administration of the state.” Additionally, he and others have praise Radu Marian’s personal integrity and his decision to step down and take responsibility for a mistake.

That last part may seem like a positive spin on a politically disastrous situation, but it has some merit. Journalist Mariana Rata of TV8 wrote a post marking just how new and important it is that this investigation is having serious impact. She wrote:

“Four resignations!!! I can’t remember a single time in the history of the Republic of Moldova when a media investigation has led to four resignations.

I’ve written hundreds of investigative reports over my career, from 2007 to 2026, under every government during that period, but I’ve never seen this many resignations follow a press scandal. And that makes me happy.

It means we are living in a different kind of state now—a state where those in power are beginning to understand that they must answer to the people when they are caught doing something wrong. Because in a democratic state, power belongs to the citizens. You cannot lie to them, and you should not risk disappointing them.”

(…)

🚿 This summer has brought a cold shower for the government. I hope it turns out to be a cleansing and revitalizing one. We want to be in the EU by 2030!”

She went on to call for the next resignation to be that of Constantine Batin from Expo Business Chisinau. Batin was the subject of TV8’s recent investigation who bluntly rejected the idea that just because someone was under sanctions as a Russian arms trafficker he (Batin) should not do business with them.

Disinformation and (Dis)Union

Last week Moldova’s internet lit up with a new story - Romania’s lower house “tacitly adopted” a bill on the unification with Moldova. The story on social media was that Romania unilaterally approved union, and Moldova’s pro-Kremlin politicians quickly made statements:

Igor Dodon called it a sign of Romanian imperialism:

“it is regrettable that politicians in Romania have launched such an imperialist policy, which risks quarreling both countries. And it is shameful that politicians in the leadership of Moldova are silent or tacitly approve Romanian territorial expansionism”

Mayor Ion Ceban chose to blame PAS (insinuating they are behind the effort):

“We condemn any attempt to attack the values ​​enshrined in the Constitution of our country. (…) We do not sell our country and condemn any statement by politicians in the context of the destruction of the country. The people are the only ones who decide. PAS’s actions are increasingly obvious. Their goal is to do everything, through the actions they take, to reach a situation in which Moldova is a failed state.”

Russian Foriegn Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova:

"It's no secret that Bucharest is hatching plans to take over Moldova. This isn't news to us; we talk about it constantly. Now this situation has taken a turn for the worse,"

She went on to talk about how scandalous it was that no referendum was planned, etc.

To unpack this, we need to clarify 2 key points:

1) What is “tacit adoption” of a bill?

Under the Romanian constitution multiple entities have legislative initiative - including parliament, the government and even citizens (via a petition with enough signatures). They can all propose legislation which then goes to parliament which is split into an upper and lower house - called the Senate and Chamber of Deputies respectively. Each bill starts in one chamber, which considers the bill before passing it to the other chamber for a decision. Who is the first considerer and who is a decision maker depends on the topic. This setup leaves open the possibility of a “pocket veto” - aka one chamber simply choosing to ignore a bill and therefore killing it. To prevent this, and to encourage speed, any bill not voted up or down in 45 days is considered “tacitly adopted” by the first chamber and moved to the one that makes the decision.

The bill in question wasn’t remotely serious and was put in the stack of unserious proposals5. From there it was never debated or voted on and was therefore tacitly adopted by the lower house after 45 days. It then goes to the Senate who has no obligation to pick it up and therefore it will die there in a drawer somewhere.

2) Where did this bill come from?

This bill was proposed by the SOS Romania party which is led by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Diana Șoșoacă. This is her last month:

This is therefore a great example of an information warfare campaign. The Kremlin asked its proxy party in Romania to introduce nonsense legislation. They did, and now the Kremlin has spun up a HUGE messaging campaign attacking the legislation they produced and trying to pin it on PAS and the Romanian government6.

President Sandu reacted to questions about the bill saying:

“This is a document proposed by a Moscow agent, whose goal is to discredit the idea of ​​unification, and nothing more. It would be as if I came to parliament tomorrow with a legislative initiative to annex France to Moldova. Please, government, implement it. Unification isn’t happening that way, we all understand that perfectly well,”

Other Shor & Hybrid War Updates

Here are the other top stories in hybrid warfare and security news of the week:

• Moldova detained a Russian FSB officer. The alleged spy entered the country without diplomatic credentials, allegedly to visit monasteries and other touristic sites. In reality he was heading to Transnistria to collect information in the Security Zone according to the Security and Intelligence Service SIS. He is currently being held under 30 days preventative detention.

• President Sandu stripped Belarusian spy Alexandru Balan of his Moldovan citizenship. Recall, Balan was part of the April prisoner exchange with Belarus and Russia. RFE/RL also released a story this week alleging that Balan knew the names and identities of at least 7 Romanian undercover agents that he passed to Belarus. They also detailed the tradecraft he used to communicate with his handlers and how he was eventually uncovered.

• Flyone airline must be sold to new owners. That was the decision of the Council for the Examination of Investments of Importance for State Security (CEIISS) last week, who ruled that the airline needed to change owners in the next 90 days. The decision noted the proximity of the beneficial owners to sanctioned individuals. The airline is owned by Vladimir Cebotari who has been identified by SIS as a close associate of Vladimir Plahotniuc.

EU Accession Updates

We have a new section at Moldova Matters! For some time I’ve mostly put EU accession stories in the bucket of “international affairs.” That no longer fits neatly as the opening of negotiating clusters starts literally intertwining European and Moldovan law. So we’re going to try out a new section here and see how well it makes sense. Here’s an roundup of the top EU Accession stories of the last week:

• Hungary has put the breaks on opening new negotiating clusters. Prime Minister Péter Magyar has signaled publicly and privately that he opposes any fast track accession process for Ukraine, saying that it sends the wrong message to the Western Balkans7. The EU still hopes to open 2 more clusters this summer - Cluster 6: “external relations” and Cluster 2: “internal market.” Others could gradually reopen after. Romanian President Nicușor Dan explained what happened behind closed doors saying:

“Obviously, we would have liked this phrase [“accelerated process”] to remain, with regard to Moldova, but there were two conditions. There was a condition from Hungary, which said: “I don’t want this phrase for Ukraine” and a condition from many other states that said that “the language of Ukraine and the language of Moldova must remain the same”. And as a logical consequence, the language disappeared from both. It is a diplomatic moment, there are no practical consequences”

• The second Moldova-European Union Summit was held on June 22. The high level dialogue came with some announcements. The EU is preparing a €120 million euro package for the security sector in Moldova. An additional €11 million will be provided to strengthen Moldova against hybrid attacks and €17 million on border security initiatives. Additionally discussions on collaborating to build a med-tech cluster and other joint research initiatives have been initiated. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Moldova was 93% of the way through its commitments under the growth plan and if it finishes the remaining 7% could unlock an additional €503 million under this mechanism.

• EU is drawing up “gradual integration” plans. This was reported by Politico following both France and Germany circulating “membership lite” proposals and a general rejection of the “reverse enlargement” plan promoted by Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. The plan would reportedly grant EU membership benefits step by step as countries hit certain benchmarks. The article noted how something similar was already going on with Moldova’s integration into the EU mobile roaming space, cultural support programs and Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). Ukraine and Montenegro have both indicated opposition to this piecemeal approach.

PM Munteanu Fires the Control Unit

On June 24 Prime Minister Munteanu announced that he would be firing the 2 members of the Control Unit - an unofficial advisory body to the Prime Minister that tracks the delivery and implementation of government decisions and the tasks given to the ministries. Both members, Vasile Bolduratu and Angela Rojcov-Ciofu, had been appointed under Prime Minister Recean in 2023. Announcing the decision he stated:

"The standards of professionalism, institutional loyalty and integrity must be higher than anywhere else. Following the assessments and information analyzed in the recent period, I have come to the conclusion that the activity and composition of the Control Unit no longer benefit from the necessary trust to exercise this function. I announce to you that the members of the Control Unit resigned from their positions this morning. Public functions are not a privilege, they imply responsibility, and when the necessary trust to exercise a function is lost, the right decision is to make changes. And that is what we will do",

No clarifications were made as to what “assessments” of “information” preceded this move and this was not in response to any public reporting about either person8.

Following the announcement, ZdG analyzed their asset and income declarations and found that each advisor earned a salary of around 44,000 lei / month. However, they each served on a number of boards of state enterprises where they got additional renumeration. Specifically:

• Vasile Bolduratu - board member of the Thermoelectric Company (central heat and power company), National Lottery, State Enterprise "Radiocomunicații” (broadcasting infrastructure), Cartuș (defense manufacturer), Chisinau Glass Factory and the Costești Hydroelectric Company

• Rojcov-Ciofu - board member of the Chisinau International Airport, Moldova Post, Cricova Winery, and MoldExpo center

Vasile Bolduratu was earning around 500,000 additional lei per year from his board places while Rojcov-Ciofu was earning around 300,000.

No more information has been made available as to why the firings happened now, but the timing is important. The Prime Minister made this announcement just as the government was starting to grapple with the MoldATSA scandal - which itself has highlighted the serious problems with how state owned companies’ boards are comprised.

Keep Cool Out There!

Moldova is facing the first heat wave of the year. From Jue 30 - July 1 the North of the country is under Code Orange (temperature highs of 36-38 C) while the Center and South of the country is in Code Red (39-41 C). The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) has begun installing rehydration tents in multiple districts as a resource for those who overheat while walking in the city. The National Road Administration has also issued reminders that under Yellow, Orange or Red codes trucks over 12 tons are banned from driving on roads between 10 am and 8 pm9.

The Power Lines Have Names Now

… and they’re making progress!

On June 18 Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy Nick Pietrowicz presented Prime Minister Munteanu with the completed feasibility study for the Strășeni–Gutinaș 400 kV high voltage line. This line, which will be fully financed with support of the United States, is now called the “Liberty Line.”

On June 26 Moldelectrica signed a contract with the Turkish company SA-RA which won a tender to construct 45 km of the new 400 kV Balți–Suceava power line. When announcing this, Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu announced the names for all 3 lines as follows:

1. Vulcănești–Chișinău “Energy Independence Line” (scheduled completion December 2025, expected Summer 2026)

2. Strașeni–Gutinaș “Liberty Line” (feasibility study done, completion planned around 2030)

3. Balți–Suceava “Resilience Line” (construction planned over the next 24 months)

So we now have Independence, Liberty and Resilience connections, building and planned, connecting Moldova to Romania and the European energy grid.

That’s a positive note to end on after the craziness of the last week.

Also - thank you to those of you who recently subscribed. In this news environment it is no small thing to keep up with the flood of events and to keep proactive projects and stories moving forward. For those of you who have subscribed - my sincere thanks. For those who haven’t yet, please consider doing so. Your subscription makes the work behind this newsletter possible.

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Last week we covered how an investigation from ZdG uncovered serious issues with the state enterprise responsible for managing Moldova’s airspace - MoldATSA. Firstly, the company’s director Dumitru Vangheli lied on his CV about being an Air Canada Pilot (or being a pilot at all). Secondly, since he took over the company Mr. Vangheli oversaw a huge increase in salaries for employees MoldATSA. One of these employees was President Maia Sandu’s cousin Anastasia Taburceanu. While Dumitru Vangheli was fired by the Public Property Agency (APP) and Anastasia Taburceanu resigned with a promise to return her salary, the scandal was far from over.

Another Cousin of Maia Sandu Resigns

On June 26 Tatiana Batin, chief of staff to Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu, resigned. She is the sister of Anastasia Taburceanu and cousin to President Sandu. Speaking of the resignation, Igor Grosu stated:

“I believe this was an honorable resignation, connected to the incident involving her sister and the situation at MoldATSA. We worked together for four years, and I have no complaints about her professional performance.”

Tatiana Batin has not spoken publicly about her resignation and Speaker Grosu has insisted that it was triggered by her sister’s involvement in the MoldATSA scandal. However, on the same day, TV8 released a new investigation into Tatiana Batin’s husband Constantin Batin with some serious allegations.

TV8’s flagship investigative program Black Box PLUS found that Constantin Batin conducted business dealing with Latvian citizen Marks Blats, who was under US sanctions at the time. Later Blats was also sanctioned by the EU, UK, Latvia and Ukraine. Blats is identified as part of an arms trafficking and sanctions evasion network led by Igor Zimenkov. This network supplies military technology to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

For the last 2 years, Constantin Batin has served as the director of the Free Economic Zone Expo-Business-Chisinau. Two weeks before he was appointed to this position he “swapped” companies with Marks Blats - this was in 2024. Batin gave Blats the company Berlagr SRL, a small sewing factory with 13 employees and income of 4 million lei in 2023. In return, he received Ecotech Group SRL, a hazardous waste disposal company that had 16,000 lei of turnover in 2024. Confusingly, Ecotech Group SRL was founded by Batin in 2020 for Balts. He transferred the company to Blats before, then got it back in the 2024 trade, where he gave Blats a vastly more profitable sewing factory.

Constantin Batin told TV8 that it was valuable for Blats to take over a company with operating history1 and that he himself wanted to get into the waste treatment business but ultimately did not do so because he got the job at Expo-Business-Chisinau. Asked how long he had known Blats, he was initially evasive claiming that:

“I’ve been working with Israelis since 2005. Since then, hundreds of people from Israel have come through me.”

Mr. Blats is also an Israeli citizen. After further prevaricating Batin explained he has known him since 2007-2008. When asked if he knew that he was under sanctions he replied:

Batin: “I learned from you that he was under sanctions. To me, honestly, it doesn’t matter much whether he has sanctions or not. This in no way influences me materially or otherwise.”

TV8 Reporter: - “I think it should matter.”

Batin: “For you as a journalist, it matters that you found out the news. For me, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is not to appear in sanctions, you understand? I know what I’m doing and I’m responsible for my activity.2”

Three months after swapping companies, both men transferred both companies to an Israeli citizen named Nairner Michael. Asked about this Batin stated:

“I sold them to a Jewish man originally from Moldova who wanted to return to Moldova and start a business here,”

TV8 reported that this is not an accurate characterization of their relationship because Nairner Michael had previously managed companies for both Mr. Batin and Mr. Blats3.

The investigation found substantial evidence of other eyebrow raising transactions with Israeli citizens, including one instance where Batin bought a company that had declared real estate assets worth 2.5 million lei. He paid €50,000 euros for the company and immediately liquidated the assets for 4.9 million lei (~€243,000).

In statements so far people, have claimed that Tatiana Batin resigned due to her sister’s scandal and that the TV8 story only broke after the resignation. However, it broke on the same day and her husband is quoted extensively in the story - so they knew it was coming.

Asked to comment on the story the Presidency replied to TV8

"the head of state has 24 cousins. Of all of them, only 2 are in public positions, in which they have engaged legally, transparently and based on their own skills and desires. Each one follows their own professional path and works in certain positions with no connection to Maia Sandu's career."

TV8 found that actually President Sandu has 2 more cousins in state employment, one working for the State Enterprise for Forestry and one working for Moldelectrica.

Radu Marian Resigns Over Recommending Dumitru Vangheli

PAS MP and Chairmen of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance, Radu Marian, resigned his chairmanship today in the latest fallout from the scandal. Marian had previously admitted that he recommended Dumitru Vangheli for the post of MoldATSA director and stated that:

“We grew up in the same courtyard at the Old Post Office. We’ve known each other for a long time, but we weren’t friends. I don’t know where he went to school,”

He has apologized for this mistake multiple times in the last few days and explained that he was trying to promote qualified people from the diaspora to areas where the state was looking for specialists. He also apologized for not vetting his CV before the recommendation “Even though I didn’t hire him. And I wasn’t involved in the competition, nor in the decisions regarding Vangeli’s salary.”

In his resignation statement he wrote that his continued role as chairman was distracting from the project of pushing towards EU integration but that he would continue working as an MP.

Dumitru Vangheli - Pilot in Video Games

Meanwhile, the inconstancies around Dumitru Vangheli’s CV and his work in Canada are starting to become clearer. In a followup to their initial investigation, ZdG spoke with Tudor Răilean, a friend of Dumitru Vangheli’s since childhood who moved to Canada at the same time as him. There, they remained close, living in the same building and often working together. He shed some light on what Vangheli was really doing while claiming to attain a commercial pilots license, fly for Air Canada and run a series of successful companies.

At the time that Vangheli’s claimed he was taking commercial piloting courses at CargAir, he was actually working at a Montreal hotel - a job he was fired from for stealing a bag of glasses according to Răilean. After that he worked as a pizza delivery driver.

On his CV Vangheli claimed to operate a number of companies including GoRepas - a company that did airline catering and refrigerated logistics. According to Răilean Vangheli did not own this company but worked on the production line. The 2 men later became subcontractors and bought their own refrigerated truck to do deliveries. Through these and other arrangements Dumitru Vangheli came to owe Tudor Răilean around 30,000 Canadian dollars which he failed to repay. When Răilean sued him he discovered that Vangheli had declared bankruptcy and discharged his debts of 97,450 Canadian dollars.

So at various times when Vangheli claimed to be either an airline pilot or the CEO of various companies, he was alternately driving an Uber, working low level catering jobs or running a crypto mining operation. All the while he apparently stayed fascinated by planes and told Răilean that he was taking lessons via Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Răilean told ZdG that he returned to Moldova in 2024 after Vangheli was already working at MoldATSA. He sought a meeting with his former friend to ask about the money he was still owed, but only got an appointment when he told the receptionist that an old colleague from Air Canada was calling. Răilean asked about the reported millions of dollars he had in Canadian accounts and crypto and Vangheli spun a new tale - that his crypto were frozen. He said that he had invested them in a Russian professional video game team and that when the war started the funds were blocked. Asked if he would expose him, Răilean stated that he told Vangheli "Live your life in peace, I have no business. Shall we solve something with the debt?" He did not repay the debts.

As to the luxury cars he reported owning, Răilean told ZdG that Vangheli loved fancy cars and showing off money he didn’t have. On multiple occasions he bought luxury cars which he drove around for a few months before returning them.

Dumitru Vangheli did not respond to requests for comment from ZdG.

Analysis - What a Mess.

What started as a fabricated CV has now caused the committee resignation of one of the most prominent members of the PAS Parliamentary faction, the resignations of 2 cousins of the President, and left us with a number of unanswered questions.

Let’s start with what we do know - Dumitru Vangheli’s whole CV is a fantasy, or a lie. Some could argue that it was “fake it till you make it” gone awry. Others would argue that he’s a conman. In either case, there is zero excuse for those who hired him.

For that we look to the MoldATSA board of directors. On the same day that this scandal broke the Public Property Agency (APP) announced that former Prime Minister Dorin Recean was appointed to this board in an unpaid position. Answering a question about this fact, President Sandu said:

"I don't know why the Public Property Agency decided this way, but they decided to appoint him in this situation to clarify what happened there. But Mr. Recean was appointed after the scandal,"

So Recean was brought in by the APP to start sorting the issue out. This indicates that they knew they had a problem, though it might have only been from calls for comment from ZdG.

What is most perplexing right now is why this is the only change that has been made to the MoldATSA board of directors. They were the ones who oversaw the competition and selected Dumitru Vangheli for director. They were responsible for overseeing company finances and approving executive compensation. In almost every conceivable way the board has failed. But no one has resigned and APP not fired them either.

Then we add the fact that MP Radu Marian has resigned his committee chairmanship. As far as we know right now, his only role in this whole mess was to recommend Dumitru Vangheli as a candidate for the position. Vangheli was one of 3 candidates, and the others were qualified. One of them, Midrigan Vitalie-Silviu, went on to be Vangheli’s deputy director and is now the acting director. So whether or not Radu Marian made a recommendation, the choice to hire Vangheli was made by the board of directors… right?

Maybe not. As I wrote last time, Moldova has chronic governance problems with state companies. MoldATSA does not have an independent board in any meaningful sense of the word and all members are also serving in ministries or state agencies where they were appointed by PAS. Perhaps the board isn’t being held accountable because they aren’t really accountable.

Tatiana Batin’s resignation is more likely tied to her husband's parallel scandal than the optics of her sister being caught up in this one. Whatever the case, MoldATSA and its various sub-scandals has told us a few things definitively. Firstly, PAS has trouble inside its own house and some people close to power are profiting from those connections. These scandals are already extremely damaging for the party’s image and anti-corruption credentials. The big question now is who gets held accountable?

Secondly, this has highlighted the serious problems in the governance of state owned companies. A simply glance at MoldATSA’s board is enough to see that the members are neither qualified nor independent. The fact that they have not yet been held accountable suggests that no one really thought they were.

This scandal highlights an urgent need for corporate governance reform for state companies. That reform should put an emphasis on independent board members and put an end to the system where these jobs are used as salary top-ups for junior civil servants.

This coming week should tell us a lot about how those in power choose to react to this story. We’ll follow along and bring you updates as they happen.

Last week ZdG released an investigation into Dumitru Vangheli, director of the State Enterprise MoldATSA. Their investigation found that he won the job while presenting false aviation credentials on his CV. This initial investigation has now spiraled into multiple scandals that continue to present unanswered questions.

Dumitru Vangheli is (not) a Pilot

The initial investigation targeted MoldATSA Director Dumitru Vangheli who was appointed in 2025 after a competition organized by the APP. On his resume, Vangheli claimed to have gotten his ATPL pilots license from the prestigious CargAir Piloting School in St Hubert Canada (2011-2012). This is the highest grade of pilot’s license and would have licensed him to fly commercial airliners. It requires 1500 hours of flight time, as compared to 70 hours for a basic pilots license or 200 hours for a commercial license. Following this his CV claims he worked as a co-pilot for Air Canada (2012-2014) flying ATR-72 and Boeing 737 Next Generation planes.

None of this is true. ZdG found that he did attend some part-time flying lessons at CargAir in 2018 but did not even attain a basic pilots license. Air Canada confirmed that he never worked for them - and that they had neither ATR-72, nor Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft in their fleets at the time.

When initially asked about these discrepancies by ZdG journalists he replied:

“You understand that these are secret missions, and they are not going to disclose them to you, because you are not the secret services,”

A few days later he responded to questions in writing in more detail, but avoided explaining any of the discrepancies on his CV or his public wealth declarations.

Dumitru Vangheli’s Companies are… Confusing

On his CV Vangheli claimed a founder, CEO or administrator role in 4 companies - 2 in Moldova and 2 in Canada. ZdG found evidence of 6 more companies in each jurisdiction connected to him. The common thread is that by 2026 all of these companies are defunct, closed or deregistered. Beyond that, the story is much more opaque. On his wealth and asset declarations he claims millions of lei and hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars in dividends from companies that shortly after ceased to exist. He claims cash accounts equivalent to millions of US dollars spread across lei, Canadian dollars and virtual currencies. He also claims 6 cars - a Rolls-Royce Ghost, Lexus RX 450H, Tesla Model S, Ford Escape PHEV, Toyota Camry and Mazda CX5.

At the same time he has taken out loans from Moldovan banks totaling €640,000 euros against his home equity.

Vangheli also reported donating 40,000 lei to the PAS electoral campaign 2 weeks after he was appointed director. This would have been in September 2025 in the middle of the election campaign.

There is no clear indication of wrongdoing here, but the numbers certainly raise a lot of questions. The starkest of them however is his salary at MoldATSA… and not only his salary.

MoldATSA is a Very Lucrative Place to Work

Before he even became the director of MoldATSA, as acting director in 2024 salaries began going up, including his own. That year he received a bonus of 99,000 lei and a “work intensity supplement” of 39,000 lei. In 2024 his salary was reported as 64,000 lei / month. By 2025 this was 112,000 lei / month.

Huge salary raises were not at all limited to the company director. Numerous employees reported exceptionally large salaries and the average salary at the company climbed from 24,400 lei / month in 2020 to 63,500 lei / month in 2025. It was also in 2025 that Mr. Vangheli hired his girlfriend on Valentine’s day with a salary of 85,000 lei / month.

Explaining the salary increases, Vangheli stated that the company had become much more profitable under his tenure (which is true) and that it was important to pay air traffic controllers competitive salaries as they are professionally quite mobile.

While it is true the air traffic controllers are paid quite well, these salary increases went well beyond controllers and included junior accountants and operational staff as well.

Suspended and Removed

Following the release of the ZdG investigation the Public Property Agency (APP) first suspended and then dismissed Dumitru Vangheli. The APP has stated that his CV was not verified as part of the hiring process and was essentially taken on trust.

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Maia Sandu’s Cousin Benefited from a Large Salary at MoldATSA

Anastasia Taburceanu, cousin of Maia Sandu and former press officer for Prime Minister Gavrilita was also reported to work for MoldATSA. When approached by ZdG she sated that her salary was 25,700 lei / month but noted that she was also paid bonuses which she refused to specify.

RISE Moldova then produced an investigation showing that her effective salary for 2025 was more than 75,000 lei / month, a much larger figure which climbed to 120,000 lei / month in 2026.

Taburceanu explained that her job with the company was in communications and that she was managing a rebranding effort as well as marketing campaigns and a relaunch of the company website. At the same time, this is not her only job. RISE found that she had multiple consulting contracts with various think tanks in 2025 - at times being seconded to the government for various projects.

Most confusingly, when talking to ZdG she sated that part of her activity is promoting the government implementation of the EU Growth Plan. She stated:

“The Growth Plan is implemented by the Government, so what I do is for all ministries. I collect information from my colleagues in the ministries and work with them. And those in the ministries are also responsible for the final communication products. The terms of reference state that I provide services for the State Chancellery,”

Later to RISE she clarified that this work is separate, but she did not comment on her contractual relationship with the State Chancellery or what she is paid for that work.

Following these revelations, Anastasia Taburceanu resigned from MoldASTA and promised to return all bonuses and supplements above her basic salary that she received while employed at the company. She went on to state:

"I am sorry that, through my individual actions and decisions, people were affected who had no connection to the given situation ,"

President Sandu later weighed in on the situation regarding MoldASTA and her cousin saying:

“I had absolutely nothing to do with this hiring. I didn’t recommend her, I wasn’t informed, and I wasn’t consulted about it. I only learned from the media investigations published in recent days that she had been hired without a competition and about the salary she received. It’s obvious that no communications role could justify 120,000 lei. I simply can’t imagine what a communications officer could produce to warrant that kind of salary, just as I can’t imagine what a driver could produce to justify receiving 60,000 lei a month.

The only people who should receive high, internationally competitive salaries are air traffic controllers, because the safety of our airspace depends on them. Everyone else appears to have received unearned money. I don’t know what she produced, but in my view it is immoral to accept money that hasn’t been earned, and that money should be returned. In the worst-case scenario, if it cannot be returned to MoldATSA, then all of it should be donated to an orphanage, a nursing home, or another worthy cause. There are plenty of ways to ensure that this money goes where it is deserved, rather than where it was not.”

Analysis - What’s Going on and What’s Next?

While there’s already a lot going on here this scandal has the feel of not quite being over yet1. We’ll keep following this story in the weeks to come, but I wanted to end today with some context and by highlighting the things I’ll be watching going forward.

What is going on with Dumitru Vangheli?

There is a LOT going on with Mr. Vangheli. At best he lied on his CV about his piloting background. At the same time, the whole CV is very suspect looking. The dates and roles overlap quite a bit. He claims to have been studying Spanish and French at the same time as he was getting his ATPL pilots license, while simultaneously running a company providing food catering services to multiple airlines and Starbucks. Then, while claiming to be a pilot, he was also founding a startup and acting as the CEO. This company had 2 departments - one running refrigerated food logistics, the other also providing airline catering services.

It’s possible that the companies are real and he overlaid the piloting information on the CV to burnish it. It is also quite possible that none of this is real and Mr. Vangheli is either a conman or a fantasist. In any case, a cursory reading of this resume should have raised serious questions - and apparently it didn’t.

Is there a crime here related to the salaries?

This is one of the most important and most complicated parts of this story when it comes to political perception. Firstly, MoldATSA is self funding and clearly quite profitable. So no Moldovan tax dollars are implicated in these huge salaries. It would be reasonable to speculate that if the company was being run profitably then those profits would accrue to the state itself as the shareholder. So, by this logic, artificially inflating their salaries the management and staff were defrauding their shareholders.

But that is not true the case here. Under international regulations MoldATSA says that they may only pay out a maximum of 5% profit to its shareholders. Any additional profits, after expenses, must be refunded to their airlines themselves. So, provided this is accurate, the real question is whether or not these salaries were unreasonable expenses based on the company’s regulations and international norms. The APP has launched an audit of MoldATSA to investigate this and has decided to audit 21 other state owned company’s salary practices as well.

The bigger question might be about how these salaries were approved and how they were overseen, that takes us to questions of…

Governance of State Owned Companies

This is a long term problem for Moldova. The State Property Agency (APP) was quick to state that they do not set executive compensation at the companies they manage nor do they set employee renumeration policies. That is technically true, but skips the fact that the APP has a seat on MoldATSA’s board.

The board is theoretically responsible for this kind of oversight and a quick look at the board composition shows immediate issues. All the board members except for 1 are representatives of ministries or state institutions. State Secretaries from the Ministry of Finance or Economy, Infrastructure or the State Chancellory, etc. The one exception is former Prime Minister Dorin Recean who was appointed as an unpaid board member on the same day as the first ZdG story broke.

“Unpaid” is an important word there. The APP stated that Mr. Recean was appointed to “contribute to strengthening the framework for managing aviation security risks.” That is a solid fit with his resume.

Most board members of state owned companies are paid however. The fact that they are mostly given to junior ministry employees has often been used as a sort of salary sweetener. Raising public sector salaries in Moldova is politically really challenging, so the board seats on the more than 200 state owned companies provide a lot of opportunities for salary supplements.

I’m not saying that none of these or any other board members for state companies are unqualified. I am saying that these boards are in no way diverse or independent. This is a long term problem in Moldova and one that is very common regionally - especially in the former Soviet space. So while this scandal is a lot more complicated than “the board didn’t do its job,” it does highlight how these boards aren’t really fit for purpose.

Anastasia Taburceanu - what’s going on there?

Firstly, I think we can state pretty clearly what isn’t going on. This story has gotten attention because Taburceanu is President Sandu’s cousin, but there is no indication whatsoever that this hire was about nepotism. Anastasia Taburceanu’s CV is very impressive and her experience puts her in the top tier of communications and PR professionals in Moldova.

So while I don’t think this is a family / insider story, I do think there is a story to watch around her salary. It is legitimately difficult to imagine what job she could be doing for MoldATSA that would justify such a high monthly payment. Keep in mind - this isn’t a high paid consultant coming in to do a brand overhaul, this is a salaried employee. It would be hard to reconcile if she was working there full time… but she wasn’t.

Taburceanu stated that part of her work was in support of the government’s EU Growth Plan for the State Chancellery. She then tried to clarify to RISE that this was unrelated to her work at MoldATSA, but did not explain what her contractual relationship with the Chancellery is. RISE also showed that she had other contracts in 2025 - some with the government or funded by donors in support of government agencies.

What is clear is that her work at MoldATSA was in no way full time. That raises even more questions about the amount she was being paid. How this interacted with her role at the State Chancellery remains an open question.

All of this is made more significant because she immediately resigned and offered to return her bonuses - and because President Sandu called the payments “immoral.”

No version of this looks good and there is a lot we don’t know here. I will be watching this space in particular in the weeks to come.

This week 3 new investigations were published into various aspects of Ilan Shor’s network. In each case investigative journalists have published sweeping looks into various aspects of Shor’s operations and detailed how they have grown beyond Moldova to become a core part of Russia’s financial and foreign influence infrastructure.

Each investigation is well worth reading in full - here we’ll link to them and summarize some of the key findings.

The Big Shor: A7 and the illusion of Russian financial innovation.

Published on 12 June by the Open Source Centre (OSC) in partnership with TRM Labs, authored by Zachary Tvarozna, Hamish Macdonald, James Byrne, Lucas Kuo, Denys Karlovskyi, Vasyl Yurkuts, Gary Somerville and William Gibson.

This 114 page report tracks the growth and evolution of the A7 network in great detail. The authors argue that past investigations focused on the A7A5 cryptocurrency have obscured a much larger set of financial infrastructure that largely relies on traditional banking but is optimized for sanctions evasion. The report centers Ilan Shor as the architect of Russia’s most important sanctions evasion network and documents its global reach as a financial clearing house for both large corporations and individuals needing small scale financial services. In this network A7A5 plays an important role, but only in support of more traditional infrastructure including Russian banks and entities in Kyrgyzstan which the report calls a “captured state.”

The main takeaway is the fact that Ilan Shor now sits at the center of a critical financial network that is fully backed by the Russian state. This network is growing rapidly and has global ambitions. At the same time, its very complexity highlights how challenging it is for Russian individuals and companies to access the global financial system right now.

“Corrupts everyone he sees”

Published on 17 June by Novaya Gazeta Europe, written by Alexey Stepanov and Olesya Shmagun

This brilliant report tracks Shor’s rise to the center of Russia’s sanctions evasion system. It takes his name from a 2016 report by Kommersant which quotes a Russian government source on why Ilan Shor was at that time banned from entering Russia. Because he “corrupts everyone he sees.”

The investigation looks at how Shor went from being banned from entering Russia to sitting at the center of the country’s financial architecture. According to a source cited by Novaya Gazeta Europe the key moment was a meeting between Ilan Shor and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in Israel. Shor had fled Moldova when PAS won elections in 2019 and was hiding in Israel at the time. According to their source:

“It’s all the same crowd, how can I explain it? Shor’s wife, singer Jasmine, is best friends with Tatyana Navka1. Abramovich and Shor bonded over Jewish topics. All these people are essentially part of the same circle and interact with each other. They become useful to each other. Then they go their separate ways.”

According to their reporting Abramovich personally introduced Shor to Vladimir Putin. Now, Shor’s unique value proposition in the business world is the fact that he’s been vouched for by people at the highest level of the Russian state.

Much of the article focuses on a company owned by Shor called “Diamant Estate” (sometimes “Diamond Estate”). This company was sanctioned by the UK for connections to Shor / A7 on May 26, 2026 and Novaya Gazeta Europe uncovered a series of corporate filings related to its activities. They report that Diamant Estate is at the core of Shor’s operations and funds all of his business and political projects - including A7, Evrazia, TV stations and others. Diamant Estate borrows money which it then loans to these companies. Critically, companies closely linked to Roman Abramovich are some of the key funders of Shor’s operations.

Interestingly, journalists with Novaya Gazeta Europe wanted to test out the smaller time financial services of A7 and called the company with the goal of buying a car in Germany. An operator at the A7 call center stated this was no problem and said:

“You transfer rubles to an A7-Agent account and provide us with an invoice from the German recipient. We use our infrastructure to select the route, and the money arrives within five days,”

So whether you need to send your rubbles abroad to buy a car, or invest in military drone construction, the Shor network has you covered.

From Chisinau to Yerevan: How Russia’s Evrazia brought its Moldova playbook to Armenia

Published on 5 June as a joint investigation between DFRLab and CivilNet by Victoria Olari, Sopo Gelava, Givi Gigitashvili, Ani Grigoryan, and Salome Tsetskladze

This report tracks the operations of Ilan Shor’s Evrazia NGO in Armenia and shows how election interference strategies and infrastructure used in Moldova was redeployed in Armenia. It maps how Evrazia is able to openly operate in Armenia where it positions itself as Russia’s answer to USAID2, Open Society Foundation and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. The organization nominally provides Russian language classes, cultural events, Robotics classes, animation schools and more. In reality it is a platform for organizing election interference via social media campaigns, campaigns to mobilize the orthodox church, organized (paid) transportation of diaspora voters, etc. The report concludes:

“Evrazia’s operations in Moldova and Armenia are not separate initiatives; it is one operation running across two countries, which seems to share the same objective: to build political leverage for Kremlin-aligned forces ahead of elections. This constitutes an interference operation that uses the language of civil society to do the work of political campaigning. In Moldova, that operation has been widely documented, and Evrazia’s activities were designated a national security threat. In Armenia, Evrazia continues to operate freely.”

Other Shor / Hybrid War News

Outside of these amazing investigations, here are the other related stories of the week:

• The EU has added 6 people to their sanctions list for "actions destabilising” Moldova. This included former Bashkan of Gagauzia and leader of the Heart of Moldova Party Irina Vlah who was sanctioned for her work organizing paid election rallies in July 2025. It explicitly identifies her as a Russian agent who coordinated her role in the elections with the Kremlin and then took part in illicit financing efforts. Also sanctioned was Anton Tregub, the Russian coordinator of Victoria Furtuna’s Moldova Mare Party, and Anton Usov who has been reported as the coordinator of election interference efforts involving the Orthodox Church.

• A Moldovan court has issued a new arrest warrant for Ilan Shor. This warrant is related to an ongoing case where Shor is alleged to have embezzled $100 million dollars from Banca de Economii. In the same case the bank’s interim president from the time has already been sentenced to 10 years in prison. This is the second outstanding arrest warrant for Shor in pending cases, in addition to warrants related to his conviction in the “Theft of the Billion” case for which he has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

• The usual suspects attended Putin’s Saint Petersburg Economic Forum. From Moldova, Igor Dodon, Zinaida Greceanîi, Vasile Tarlev, Victoria Furtuna and other Socialist MPs attended the “Russian Davos.” Ilan Shor and Marina Tauber were also in attendance. Romanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Diana Șoșoacă also attended and had her photo taken with Shor at the event. The event was held under a literal cloud as black smoke from Ukrainian long range strikes drifted over the city.

Politics, Security & Other Updates

Here’s a roundup of some of the top stories of the last 2 weeks:

• Transnistria’s economic crisis deepens. According to reporting from Zona de Securitate street lighting in many towns and cities in the region was turned off starting June 1. Residents who called the power company were simply told that it was an “order from above.” Meanwhile, budget shortfalls have led to the region’s “authorities” announcing that teachers’ summer vacation salaries will be paid in multiple tranches. Against this backdrop the region’s “Supreme Soviet” is proposing to outlaw the word “Transnistria” in any language and impose fines for its use3.

• Vladimir Voronin has stepped down as leader of the Communist Part of Moldova. This was announced at the 11th party congress where the longtime leader was named the “Honorary President of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova.” MP Diana Caraman will now lead the party.

• Metropolitan Vladimir has a fancy new apartment. An investigation by TV8 has shown that the leader of the Moldovan Orthodox Church4 recently registered an apartment worth over €200,000 euros in his lay name. The building is immediately adjacent to church headquarters and the apartment was apparently a gift from the developer in exchange for a sign off on the building’s construction. This comes in the context of a fairly scandalous5 construction process for the building where the developer lied to city hall and authorized a 3 story building while approving a 7 story building with the church and then constructing that. The new apartment joins a number of luxury apartments owned by Vladimir as well as a large house which is technically owned by his mistress but was actually bought with church funds6. Asked for comment Metropolitan Vladimir called it a smear campaign designed to undermine the church.

• Germany delivered 5 Piranha-V armored personnel carriers (APCs) to the Moldovan Army. These state of the art APCs join older model Piranha’s that were previously donated by Germany in support of Moldova’s defense.

• Igor Grosu was re-elected leader of the PAS Party. He ran unopposed at the Party’s 4th Congress.

• PAS has proposed Alexandru Vornicu as their mayoral candidate for the 2027 Chisinau local election. In the meantime, Vornicu will lead the PAS Chisinau Municipal Organization. Alexandru Vornicu is currently the Mayor of the suburb of Stauceni. As mayor he successfully broke Stauceni away from Chisinau municipality and attracted significant investments leading to a quadrupling of the town budget and many substantial infrastructure projects. It is highly unusual for any political party to name a candidate this far out - and more unusual as Vornicu is not a prominent politician in PAS.

• The Legal Resource Center of Moldova (CRJM) launched a website dedicated to tracking cases of electoral corruption in Moldova. The website gives details on ongoing cases, convictions, fines and more. It also has a map showing the geographic distribution of election corruption case around the country. This website was financed by the EU in a project implemented by UNDP and is meant to support journalists and international partners in tracking Moldova's electoral integrity cases.

Crime & Corruption - Telephone Fraud is Exploding

Since COVID-19 telephone fraud scams have been steadily growing in scope and sophistication. Originally referred to as “a relative got into an accident” schemes, whereby a caller would say just that and ask for money to help them, now these schemes peddle phony investments, pose as state officials and take other innovative approaches.

Parliament held hearings on the topic last week and found that financial scams are up 19% in the first months of 2026 when compared to 2025. This crimewave took on a geopolitical angle this week when the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) announced a link to Russia stating:

“SIS has come into possession of information indicating a coordinated process of collecting personal data of citizens of the Republic of Moldova by Russian special services. The data is collected through various methods, such as private databases illegally sold on the Dark Web, databases illegally extracted by hacking private servers, as well as the database collected by the Shor organized criminal group in recent years, which contains about 145 thousand citizens who provided personal data. The evaluation of the information held indicates detailed databases containing names and surnames, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, home addresses, as well as copies of identity documents,”

SIS went on to note that this information is then passed by the Russian government to criminal networks as part of a “hybrid war to undermine national stability.”

Our Party leader and MP Renato Usatii also weighed in this week stating that he had gotten access to a server linked to a telephone scam network that had financially harmed 100,000 Moldovan citizens. He said that Moldova was only a small target of this international network with their primary target being Argentina. He described a new mechanism stating:

“It’s a new scheme where children and teenagers are turned into accomplices of criminals under the pretext of a mission from the authorities. They will call the children, pretend to be from the prosecutor’s office or the police, offer them to participate in a secret mission, tell them not to tell anyone, otherwise the parents will have problems. The mission is to search the house for money, documents and cards, take pictures and transmit personal data to the scammers, and hand over money and packages to strangers. This is a new phase ,”

In response to this growing issue the government has approved Moldova’s accession to the “Second Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime” which will ban the purchase of sim cards without a government ID.

Economics & Infrastructure

Here’s a roundup of the top stories of the last 2 weeks in economics:

• Parliament will force taxi companies to process payments in Moldova. A new draft law would require payments for taxi companies through apps like Yandex Go to be processed by Moldovan banks. Currently, when you take a Yandex cab in Chisinau the payment goes to Dubai. Moldova loses millions of lei in taxes yearly from this and similar arrangements and parliament has been extremely slow to act7.

• An auction has been launched to privatize the Chisinau Glass Factory. The Public Property Agency has set the starting price at 773 million lei and will require the purchasing investor to incest €20.3 million over 3 years.

• Annual inflation reached 6.8% in May causing the national bank to raise rates. The cost of eggs is up 36% year on year as high energy prices accelerate inflation across the board. The National Bank raised the base rate from 6.5% to 7% and now projects inflation to continue rising through the end of 2026 before starting to contract in Q1 2027.

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On Monday June 15, at the second Moldova - European Union Intergovernmental Conference hosted in Luxembourg the EU officially opened the first negotiating cluster with Moldova and Ukraine. Four years after getting candidate status the EU’s 27 member state all approved the start of official negotiations. President Sandu marked this milestone stating:

"Today, the Republic of Moldova took another step on its European path: we opened negotiations on the first group of chapters, Fundamental Values,"

"We got here thanks to the work we put in together and the effort of people who believe in the European future of the Republic of Moldova. Our country is moving forward, and the road ahead still requires perseverance. But today we have one more reason to be confident: the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union is no longer a distant goal, but a reality that we are already building,"

This event ends nearly 2 years of political paralysis and begins the real process of negotiations. Let’s look at what this means and what comes next.

What’s a Cluster Again?

The EU accession process is broken down into 33 negotiating chapters. These in turn are grouped into 6 main negotiating clusters. They are:

1. Fundamentals (judiciary, fundamental rights, rule of law, public procurement, public administration, etc)

2. Internal Market (free movement of goods, workers, capital, etc)

3. Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth (taxation, science, research, education, etc)

4. Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity (transport, energy, trans-EU networks, climate change, etc)

5. Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion (agriculture policy, food veterinary and phytosanitary safety, fisheries, etc)

6. External Relations (foreign, security and defense policy)

The most important cluster is Fundamentals - it is the first one to be opened and the last to close. Given Moldova’s struggles with corruption and work at justice reform it is also the most challenging1.

President Sandu has stated that Moldova is prepared to open all negotiating clusters. Various outlets have reported EU officials targeting July for opening the remaining clusters, but it is unclear how firm that timeline is. Moldova has been working informally on each cluster and has made significant process on 2/3 of the chapters in the last year. You can track progress chapter by chapter at this link.

A Milestone for Moldova and Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the news stating:

“We’ve worked hard to reach this point. In recent years, Ukraine and Moldova have taken important steps forward together. It’s especially symbolic that I’m addressing you today from Chisinau on my way to France, where I’ll attend the G7 summit. Our good-neighborly relations with Moldova are strong. We support each other and move forward together on the path to European integration. And together, we will achieve this goal,”

Interestingly, President Zelenskyy was in Chisinau transiting the country on his way to the G7 summit in France. This was his second time using the Chisinau airport for transit with the first being June 9 when he returned from a trip to London via Chisinau. On that occasion he met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Chisinau airport for what he called a “very positive conversation.”

Ukrainian delegations have primarily used the airport in Rzeszów Poland for international travels after February 2022. While no official reason for the change has been given, it comes against the backdrop of cooling Ukrainian - Polish relations2.

The location highlights just how close Moldova and Ukraine have become in recent years and serves as a reminder that the countries’ paths towards Europe have thus far been linked.

How Significant is This?

Overall, that remains to be seen. Procedurally, it is a big deal. Until now Moldova had negotiations in name but not in practice. Moldova and Ukraine attained candidate status in June 2022 and negotiations officially opened in late 2024. Since then there has been lots of behind the scenes work but officially the process was stuck in a sort of accession limbo. With the first cluster open the countries will actual begin back and forth negotiations on membership. Procedurally, the next milestone will be the opening of the other 5 clusters.

Politically the opening of the first cluster is a win for those who support EU enlargement. In Moldova, it sends a signal to voters that there is real movement and that EU membership is a tangible goal.

What is far less clear is what this move signals overall. France, Germany and other EU members are circulating a number of proposals for how to proceed that reflect very different underlying assumptions country to country. The opening of the first cluster was largely delayed by Hungary’s veto - which was wielded against Ukraine not Moldova. Orban’s hostility to Ukraine masked broader discomfort across multiple EU countries and his removal has brought those issues into the open.

As Moldova and Ukraine move towards the potential of opening other clusters in July, a key area to watch will be whether the countries de-couple in the process. Up until this point Moldova and Ukraine have been joined by various geopolitical dynamics. Now, that may change. Moldova’s smaller size and the fact that the country is not at war could mean that it moves ahead in terms of technical reforms. Meanwhile, some ideas from member states envision a geopolitical priority lane for Ukraine - but not Moldova. Now that actual negotiations are starting these issues become much less theoretical and the potential for a decoupling of the 2 countries increases.

Going forward the primary signal to watch is the speed with which the other 5 clusters open. If they are all opened in 2026 or in early 2027 then Moldova’s goal of membership by 2030 remains possible. If no more clusters open this year or if they are slow rolled then it is not. Opening cluster 1 this week means that the sprint to 2030 remains possible - but only that.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that Hungary and Ukraine had agreed on a new framework to protect the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region. This move has renewed hopes of unblocking the opening of negotiating clusters between Ukraine and the EU. Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos praised this progress, writing:

“Prime Minister Magyar’s announcement of the agreement between Hungary and Ukraine to promote minority rights paves the way for progress in Ukraine’s EU accession process.

This will allow Member States to move forward with work on opening the first chapter of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Ukraine and Moldova already meet the rule of law requirements set by Member States.

It is time to accelerate the process of accession of these countries to the EU. This is the best way to ensure respect for minority rights,”

When announcing the agreement with Ukraine, Peter Magyar announced Hungary’s support for opening negotiating clusters but not for an accelerated membership for Ukraine. He stated:

“Hungary does not support accelerated EU accession negotiations. If Ukraine manages to close all 33 accession chapters within 10 or 15 years, our country will hold a decisive, legally binding referendum on this issue,”

These announcements come amidst a flurry of activity seemingly aimed at creating pressure to finally begin negotiations. The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee voted decisively on June 3 to accelerate Moldova’s accession and to open negotiating clusters - noting particularly the country’s progress on justice reform. Moldova has had a parliamentary delegation in Brussels for meetings and Deputy PM for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov called these developments an “important signal” and stated that EU Council level discussions will soon take place to finalize the last administrative procedures for opening negotiations.

After many delays it is possible that Moldova and Ukraine will begin officially negotiating this month or early next. We’ll follow this story and update you as it develops.

Trump Nominates a US Ambassador to Moldova

In an unexpected announcement, the White House nominated 40 ambassadorial positions on June 1 sending the list to the Senate for confirmation. This list included the following nomination for Moldova:

“Joseph Burkhalter, of Georgia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Moldova.”

Joseph Mark Burkhalter, generally referred to as Mark Burkhalter, is a businessman and former state legislator in Georgia. He does not have direct foreign policy experience, but has had business ties outside the US including in the UK. Burkhalter studied Political Science, German and Slavic languages while an undergrad at the University of Georgia1. This would mark the first time that a political appointee has been made ambassador to Moldova.

In 2020 President Trump nominated Mark Burkhalter to be the US Ambassador to Norway. His nomination was later withdrawn over a resurfaced 1994 scandal in which Burkhalter authorized and distributed a racist campaign flyer2 that lawsuits from the time alleged was designed to emphasize a democratic incumbent’s race. Incumbent Gordon Joyner’s face was blackened, one eye distorted, lips thickened and he was given an afro. Burkhalter later admitted to authorizing and later covering up the payment for the flyer in violation of Georgia House ethics laws. He paid a civil penalty and apologized to Joyner.

Moldova has not had a US Ambassador since Ambassador Kent Logsdon departed in June 2024.

Analysis: Will this impact his new nomination?

Not likely. The scandal around his 2020 nomination was set against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and a national discussion around race in the United States. The fight against his nomination was led by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez at a time of Democratic confidence after the 2018 midterms and going into the 2020 Presidential Elections. This weekend, Bob Menendez will mark 1 year in prison as he serves an 11 year sentence for corruption3 against the backdrop of a democratic party in substantial disarray.

At the same time, it is very possible that all of these nominations will get caught up on complex Senate politics ahead of the midterms this year. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Other Foriegn Affairs and Security News

Here’s a roundup of the other top stories of the week:

• Fallout from the Russian drone strike in Romania. Following last week’s drone attack Romanian President Nicușor Dan has been absolutely clear in attributing the attack to Russia. Romania expelled the Russian Consul General in Constanta in response and announced consultation with NATO allies. Romania also announced a deal on joint drone production with Ukraine. This follows similar moves by the Gulf states in the context of the Iran war as more and more countries turn to Ukraine for counter-drone expertise.

• Igor Dodon, Vasile Tarlev and Victoria Furtună attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. They spoke of the need for Moldova to return to the CIS, join the Eurasian Economic Community, open negotiations with Gazprom, drop sanctions against Russia, etc. The forum, often called the “Russian Davos,” took place against the backdrop of overnight Ukrainian strikes on military targets in the region that send billows of black smoke over the city. This year’s forum also saw the return of a US delegate for the first time since 2018 in the form of Rodney Mims Cook Jr., Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. A group of online influencers / conspiracy theorists including Candace Owens and the Tate brothers also attended the event.

Political Updates

Here’s a roundup of the top political stories of the week:

• The Archbishop of Chisinau and Metropolitan of Bessarabia resigned amidst scandal. Archbishop Petru’s resignation was announced by church officials citing the 80 year old’s age, health and that it was for “for the good of the Church.” That last part was likely doing the heavy lifting. Shortly after his resignation unverified videos began to circulate allegedly showing the Archbishop having sexual relations with an unknown man. These videos were immediately spread by various Telegram channels and used as attacks against both the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the LGBTQ community. This is not the first time that the Archbishop has faced accusations. In 2014 a number of junior clergy made public allegations about recent and historical sexual advances by the Archbishop. The Metropolis of Bessarabia made statements distancing itself from the conduct in the video “if true.”

• Local elections conclude. In Orhei, independent candidate Ramiz Ansarov won the second round mayoral elections with 57% of the vote. While he ran as an independent he formerly ran for parliament on the party lists of the Heart of Moldova Party. In Taraclia, Socialist Candidate Iacobceac Ecaterina won the mayoral race with 51%. Both towns will now have non-Shor administrations for the first time in many years.

• “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” shown in Chisinau. The Oscar and BAFTA award winning documentary was shown in Chisinau at an event attended by director and protagonist Pavel Talankin. Many people posted pictures with Mr. Talankin and his Oscar online. The film shows the rapid onset of indoctrination and militarism in Russian schools following the invasion of Ukraine. Pavel Talankin worked at a school in a small Russian city and filmed this process before escaping to the West. Speaking at the event, he noted that the Russian authorities took note of who fled the country at the onset of the war and who didn’t. He stated:

“The Kremlin looked out the window and asked: ‘What generation is leaving?’ They did an analysis and realized that exactly the generation that grew up after the collapse of the USSR, which had not been educated in this propaganda, was leaving. Then they stormed schools and kindergartens to forcefully introduce indoctrination,”

For anyone who hasn’t seen the film, I strongly recommend it. It portrays a chilling representation of how this war has changed Russia and leaves you with the clear sense that there will not be any return to normal when it ends. Here’s the trailer:

The city of Galați is around 20 km from the port of Reni in Ukraine and around 60 km from the larger port of Izmail. Galați is even closer to the Moldovan border and port of Giurgiulești. Russian attacks against Ukraine’s Danube delta ports have been frequent since the start of the war and Romania’s adjacent counties often push out “Ro-Alerts” to residents telling them to seek shelter1. This is the first time though that any Russian drone has stuck such a large piece of civilian infrastructure outside of Ukraine.

The Romanian authorities report that 2 F16 fighters had been scrambled with permission to shoot down the drone. Evidently they did not.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan condemned the attack and promised a "firm response at the national, allied, and international levels" saying that “Romania is a NATO member state and will under no circumstances allow Russian aggression to spread to its citizens.”

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Support for Reintegration Grows in Transnistria

Journalists with Zona de Securitate partnered with the think tank Watchdog to conduct a study on the perceptions of the residents of the Transnistria region. The most interesting outcome was for their question:

“If a referendum were held next Sunday (you were asked to vote) on the reintegration of Transnistria with the Republic of Moldova, would you vote for or against integration?”

The results showed more than half of the region’s residents would vote for reintegration with Moldova given the chance. This followed a broader trend of dissatisfaction with the region’s leadership, people reporting that they are “tired” of the unrecognized status of the region and a desire for freedom of speech. When asked about what problems they face in their lives, the most common response was “the unrecognized status of the Transnistria region” which was selected by 38% of the respondents. That beat out “low salaries / low pensions” which came in at 37.5%. Both numbers rose since 2025.

Polling, journalism and freedom of expression are prohibited in Transnistria so these numbers come with some caveats. The study was conducted via an online survey which was “cross-checked” via a series of focus groups. The authors stress that these results are unweighted and that as such “the opinion of women and young people in the region is under-represented.”

Even with these caveats, the study shows real movement over time and attests to a directional change in the region in favor of Moldova and against Moscow.

5 More Transnistrian “Officials” Lose Their Moldovan Citizenship

President Sandu stripped 5 people resident in Transnistria of their citizenship. No official reason was published, but Zona de Securitate reports that they are employees of the MGB (former KGB).

This is the latest in a series of such moves to strip regional “officials” involved in human rights abuses of their Moldovan passports. Former Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Alexandru Flenchea recently speculated that these moves are the proximate cause of Russia’s recent threats against Moldova - including offers of expedited Russian citizenship and threats of military force. He stated:

“Here Moscow probably doesn’t fully understand what Chisinau is after by withdrawing citizenship, because what interests them is the action against the Russian military. Why is Chisinau punishing them? It’s a signal. It’s a signal that Chisinau wants to do what? And because they don’t know exactly what, just in case, they are warning Chisinau through direct threats,”

International Affairs

Here’s a roundup of the top international affairs stories of the week:

• President Sandu attended the GLOBESEC Forum in Prague. There she was presented the GLOBESEC Award for “her commitment to defending democracy under pressure and her role in anchoring Moldova’s future in stability and reforms.”

• Foriegn Minister Mihai Popșoi visited Beijing. In meetings with his counterpart, Minister Popșoi spoke of cooperation in the area of culture and tourism. Specifically, he announced an interest from Chisinau in establishing direct flights to Beijing, and discussed including Moldova on China’s “Approved Destination Status (ADS)” list. Countries on the ADS list are approved destinations for Chinese tourists and Moldova’s inclusion would allow tour agencies to organize group tours to the country2.

• US Senator Mark Kelly traveled to Chisinau and met with President Sandu. They discussed Moldova’s resilience against hybrid attacks and President Sandu thanked the United States for the recent announcement of $8 million dollars of cybersecurity support over the next 4 years.

• Igor Dodon announced that he will travel with a Socialist Party delegation to the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum in June. He made the announcement with Russia’s ambassador delegate posing in front of a photo of Putin. On his way, Dodon stopped in Belarus and met with Alexander Lukashenko who warned Moldova against giving up its sovereignty and turning its back on traditional friends.

Major New Sanctions Against Shor’s A7 Network

This week the UK expanded their Regulation 17A Russia sanctions to crypto-asset exchanges. These new sanctions target a broad array of entities facilitating sanctions evasion and supporting Ilan Shor’s A7 group of companies.

Regulation 17A previously applied to sanctioned banks. It is a powerful tool that blocks indirect transactions as well as direct ones. Previously, sanctions against crypto operations only covered direct counterparts, but these new sanctions regulate backwards and forwards assurance as well. Effectively, if funds have ever interacted with a sanctioned entity they remain sanctioned no matter who has them now. The UK is the first country to bring these banking style sanctions into the crypto space.

The most prominent entity that was immediately hit with these sanctions is the crypto exchange HTX. The designation stated:

“The Secretary of State considers that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that HUOBI GLOBAL SA is or has been involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Government of Russia by providing financial services, or making available funds, economic resources, goods or technology, to a person, namely A7 LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, which is carrying on business in a sector of strategic significance to the Government of Russia.”

HTX distanced itself from Huobi Global S.A. claiming that the Seychelles based exchange was a distinct entity3.

HTX is one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world with trading volumes surpassing $3.3 billion last year. It is reported to be owned by Chinese crypto-billionaire Justin Sun. The American SEC had previously investigated Sun and his TRON blockchain over allegations of selling unregistered securities, “wash trading,” and market manipulation. They further were investigating allegations of sanctions violations and terrorist financing including Hamas. Sun was previously reported to be avoiding travel to the US for fear of arrest.

In late 2024 Justin Sun invested $75 million into Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial and soon after all these investigations were dropped. He is now suing World Liberty Financial claiming “extortion” and they have sued him as well.

Other Shor / Hybrid War News

Here’s a roundup of the other top stories of the week:

• Former Bashkan Eugenia Gutsul released an e-book from prison. The book is allegedly comprised of 30 letters she wrote from prison alleging political persecution, complaining about her conditions and more. Titled “The Gutsul Case: Anatomy of Political Persecution” the book got quite a rollout with a special website and downloads in English, Turkish and Russian4.

• The Court of Appeal upheld Gutsul’s conviction. While her lawyers promise to appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice, this effectively confirms her 7 year prison sentence. Gutsul will be transferred from Prison 13 to a women’s penitentiary to continue serving her sentence.

Politics and News

Here are the top political stories of the week:

• Local Public Administration (LPA) reform is progressing. 608 decisions on voluntary mergers have been made as local councils respond to the government’s proposed financial incentives. President Sandu put out a statement on the process encouraging all communities to have an open discussion on the issue and consider mergers. She stated:

“The reform has been put aside for too many years because it is extremely complicated and does not bring either votes or applause. But postponing the reform means depriving our villages of the chance to develop. 87% of the municipalities in Moldova have under 3,000 inhabitants. If we compare the average population per municipality, in Moldova it is 17 times smaller than in Lithuania, for example. Large municipalities are stronger and have the capacity and resources to provide better services to people.“ (...)

“We want developed localities and encourage city halls to unite. The government announced that it will offer three times more money than previously: 3,000 lei for each inhabitant, multiplied by the total number of inhabitants, for localities that voluntarily unite their administrations. The village and local identity are preserved, only the administrations unite ,”

• Mayor Ceban put on a show in parliament. Chisinau’s mayor entered parliament while in session with the apparent goal of making statements protesting LPA reform. After some heated words he attempted to speak from the parliamentary rostrum and was removed after a scuffle with security.

• Moldova will create emergency fuel stockpiles. The parliament passed this law in the first reading. It would mandate fuel stocks of 61 days of consumption of 90 days of net imports. Storage responsibility would be split between a government created or designated “Central Storage Entity” and private sector importers. The law was motivated by the current global oil crisis and aligns Moldova with EU norms.

• Parliament will reduce taxes on renewable energy infrastructure. Customs duties will be dropped to zero for wind turbines (previously 8%) and energy storage (previously 5%). VAT on these imports will still be paid but can be deferred for up to 20 months. These moves follow similar actions for solar panels that are already in effect5. In 2026 Moldova has become a net exporter of renewable energy and storage is now the main need in the sector.

Economics and Infrastructure

Here are the top economic stories of the week:

• The National Bank nor projects 8.1% inflation in 2026. In their announcement they call this “a significant increase compared to the initial forecast, before the conflict in Iran, of approximately 4.7%.” GDP growth is now projected at 2% for the year.

Ending on a High Note

This week the film Fjord won the Palme d’Or trophy at 79th Cannes Film Festival. The film starred Sebastian Stan and was directed by Cristian Mungiu, a Romanian director with Moldovan roots. 15 year old Moldovan actress Vanessa Ceban also played a leading role.

The film explores how a Romanian-Norwegian couple with 5 children adapts to life in an isolated coastal town in Norway.

President Sandu issued her congratulations writing:

“It’s a great joy to see a world-renowned director with Moldovan roots, whose originality and talent create memorable films that touch and inspire audiences across the continent. Mungiu’s films are, above all, a discussion about the values ​​that define us as a society. It is his ability to honestly and boldly raise crucial issues that has once again earned him recognition on the world’s highest filmmaking stage,”

On May 13 a drone entered Moldova near Sauca at 4 pm and flew the length of the country before exiting into Romanian airspace approximately 1 hour later. The drone was spotted and filmed by residents in Balti and in other towns as it flew over. The country’s airspace was temporarily closed while the Army tracked the drone on radar for portions of its flight.

This is now the most extensively tracked and by far the longest drone flight over Moldova of the war. Video filmed from the ground appears to show a Shahed 131 / Geran-1 drone. This model is a kamikaze attack drone that is normally fitted with a warhead, not a model typically used as a decoy.

Moldova’s limited air defense constrain the country’s options for response, but we have recently seen how different countries are approaching drone incursions in very different ways. As we’ve written before, Romania has opted to observe drones and send alerts to people on the ground - but not to shoot them down. This week, a Romanian fighter jet with NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a Ukrainian drone that went off course over Estonia. In Lithuania, a drone entered the airspace from Belarus and headed towards Vilnius - this resulted in the evacuation of the president, prime minister and parliament to bunkers as well as widespread alerts for people to seek shelter.

This drone flight in Moldova, which passed over major population centers, has highlighted Moldova’s passive response - where the army confirms after the fact whether (or not) they detected it at all.

Putin, Russian Citizens and Transnistria

On May 14 the Russian Duma passed a bill giving Putin the right to invade foreign countries to protect Russian citizens abroad. According to the Kyiv Independent, this bill allows for military intervention “where Russian citizens face arrest, detention, trial or other perceived persecution by foreign nations and international courts.”

On May 16, Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the process of obtaining Russian citizenship for residents of Transnistria. The proximity of the 2 events led to much online chatter and speculation about potential military intervention in Moldova.

Responding to the news President Sandu said that “they probably need more people to send to the war in Ukraine,” and noted that the 2022 invasion of Ukraine has led to a surge in Transnistrian residents applying for Moldovan citizenship - not Russian.

Valeriu Pasa of Watchdog wrote an excellent analysis of these events as a hybrid action utilizing reflexive control. He noted that the law in question already existed, but previously Putin would have needed approval from Russia’s Federation Council - as if they would have denied it to him. He also noted that anyone and everyone in Transnistria who wanted Russian citizenship got it long ago. The process did not need to be simplified, it was nearly universal before. Finally, Pasa noted that Putin would attack Moldova if he had the opportunity, but that…

“Moldova is protected today not because it “does not frustrate the bear”, but because the Ukrainians shed their blood so as not to let the Russians go any further.”

The purpose of these stories is therefore to create fear. Fear in Moldova of Russian attack. Fear in Armenia ahead of their elections (where this story was amplified as well), fear in Europe to dissuade countries of accepting Moldova into the EU. Russia’s “press” and troll farms amplified the story, then the Western Press spread it uncritically1. That’s reflexive control.

Other Security, Transnistria & Hybrid War News

Here’s a roundup of the other top security stories of the week:

• Austria expels Russian diplomats over rooftop antennas presumed to be used for spying. Euronews reports an investigation showing a growing network of electronic installations on the roofs of Russian diplomatic posts across Europe. This mirrors a story covered by Moldova Matters in 2023 about Russia’s spies and antennas in Chisinau - proving once again that hybrid operations that are tested in Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and elsewhere ultimately are brought to EU countries.

• Transnistria has created a “Together” Social Support Fund and is gathering donations to pay salaries and pensions and to fund social services. This was reported by Zona de Securitate who note that funds here will not only pay pensions - but also the salaries of soldiers and the security services. Sheriff Holding quickly contributed 100 million Transnistrian rubbles (around €5 million euros) to the fund. At the same time the region extended their Economic State of Emergency another month.

• Mass disinformation campaign about an alleged scheme to “replace the Moldovan people” with 300,000 foreigners. The campaign alleges that Moldova plans to import these foreigners, called “uncontrolled criminals” from Asia, and give them free food and housing. It was amplified by disgraced journalist Natalia Morari as well as pro-Russian politicians like Irina Vlah and Victoria Furtuna. The “great replacement” themed campaign had a clear racial tinge as Morari and others spoke about how South Asians with large families will become the majority in only 8 years. The Russian campaign appears to have been launched opportunistically based on recent comments by Minister of Economy Eugeniu Osmochescu who stated that Moldova needs an additional 300,000 active workers in order to reach EU productivity levels. He did mention targeted immigration in these comments, but mostly focused on the need to mobilize workers from the approximately 1 million people in Moldova (largely aged 25 - 45) who are not officially employed2.

• The Matryoshka network and other election interference tools tested in Moldova have been deployed against Armenia. Russian propaganda stresses that a re-election of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will mean war. The campaign of interference includes operations very similar to those used in Moldova - but more of them. This campaign began 243 days before the elections and has saturated Armenia’s information space for most of the last year.

• Armenia’s “fact investigation platform” fip reported details on Russia’s hybrid campaigns across Europe. fip’s reporting was based on a document dump, presumably hacked and released to them3, detailing operations within Russia’s Social Design Agency (SDA). This Orwellian sounding agency is responsible for Russia’s external propaganda and disinformation operations as well as active kinetic hybrid attacks and operates under First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Sergei Kiriyenko. fip’s investigation is worth reading in full as it details past and future operations against Armenia, France, Ukraine, Germany, Moldova, Finland and Norway. The report found that disinformation targeting EU countries was meant to dissuade leadership and the public at large from accepting Moldova and Ukraine into the bloc. fip wrote that “Significant efforts were made to discredit Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, and Moldovan President Sandu.” The report also produced text messages where former Romanian MP Sebastian Ghiță negotiated with Kremlin handlers fees for information operations that his network of TV channels could conduct in order to discredit Maia Sandu and PAS. The apparent Kremlin agent is wanted in Romania on numerous corruption related charges and is currently a fugitive in Serbia.

President Sandu Awarded the “European Order of Merit”

Established in May 2025 on the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the European Order of Merit recognizes people for their “significant contribution to European integration and the promotion of EU values.” President Sandu was picked among the first group of recipients and received the award in Strasbourg this week.

Speaking in Strasbourg, President Sandu stated:

“Thank you for the European Order of Merit. Receiving it alongside leaders who have shaped this continent, built on the idea that Europeans are stronger together, is an honor.”

But if we are to measure merit, then this distinction belongs to the people of Moldova. They are the ones who earned it. For three decades, Moldovans have built their European future, overcoming a difficult economic transition, taking to the streets when democracy was in danger, resisting when oligarchs tried to conquer the state, and voting for Europe again and again in the face of Russian threats and blackmail. This is merit.”

She went on to speak of the merit of Moldova’s civil servants, journalists, police, engineers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and judges who are leading the country’s “dramatic shift towards Europe” and fighting for the nation’s democratic resilience in the face of Russian pressure.

The European Order of Merit is given in 3 classes - Distinguished Members, Honourable Members and Members. In 2026 Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Angela Merkel were among the Distinguished Members, President Sandu was among the Honourable Members and humanitarian José Andrés among the Members.

Heckling and Standing Ovations

Cristian Rizea was removed from the hall by security after yelling “Maia Sandu is a dictator” during her speech. Except for this notable interruption, President Sandu got a standing ovation at the event.

So who is Cristian Rizea? At this event he claimed to be a Romanian journalist and apparently was accredited as such. He is not a journalist and his accreditation does not reflect well on the European Parliament. Rizea is a criminal, conspiracist and buffoonish attention seeker. He was indicted for a spectacular array of corruption offenses in Romania dating from his brief stint as an MP there. He then fled to Moldova and managed to resist extradition for some years before being expelled from the country in 2023 and placed in jail. Apparently he was let out on house arrest last summer and is back to his old games.

Back in 2021 I wrote an article explaining my editorial choices and what makes the cut for Moldova Matters and what doesn’t. I focused a whole section of that article on Rizea as an example of news that was often hilarious but not really important. The personality type that combines kleptomania with the desperate need to always be on TV is bound to create spectacle. This time he managed to actually make the cut thanks to the apparently lax security at the European Parliament.

Inconclusive Local Elections

On May 17 Taraclia and Orhei had early local elections for mayor. Both towns’ mayors were part of the Shor network and resigned in December when Ilan Shor announced that he was withdrawing his projects and candidate support in Moldova. In Orhei the Supreme Court of Justice issued a last minute ruling upholding the Central Election Commission’s (CEC)’s decision to remove PPDA candidate Victor Perțu from the ballot. The CEC had found that Perțu remained part of the Shor network and sought to camouflage this by moving to PPDA.

Neither race was conclusive and both will move to a runoff election. In Taraclia independent candidate Alexandr Borimecicov (31% first round vote) will face off against Socialist Ecaterina Iacobceac (28%). The PAS candidate came in 3rd with 15%. Leading candidate Alexandr Borimecicov has reported almost zero campaign financing - either income or expenses. At the same time he is running a number of paid facebook ad campaigns promoting his campaign promise to pay for just about every problem the city faces with unspecified external grant funding.

In Orhei, independent candidate Ramiz Ansarov (23.14% first round) will face off against Sergiu Aga (19.53%) of the League of Cities and Communes. Sergiu Aga is a Priest who is well known for blending civic and spiritual pursuits. He currently runs a “Christian Philanthropy” organization, serves as a municipal counselor and as a district counselor.

We’ll come back with updates on these elections and what the results say about how these 2 primary seats of the Shor network’s political power are (or aren’t) moving on.

Other Politics & News

Here’s a roundup of the other top political stories of the week:

• Moldova hosted the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Chisinau gathering brought together 50 delegations from member states as well as 20 foreign ministers. It marked the conclusion of Moldova’s rotating presidency of the Committee of Ministers. At the event, 34 member states, including Moldova, backed an agreement on the creation of a “Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.” President Sandu spoke at the event saying that “Russia is the most pressing and severe threat to the security of our continent today and, probably, for the coming decades.”

• Scandal around a shooting at an army base in Cahul. Initial reports stated that a 20 year old contract soldier improperly handling a Glock pistol shot an 18 year old contract soldier and that a 16 year old who was visiting the 18 year old subsequently died of cardiac arrest. Later it was found that the 16 year old had also been shot with the same bullet and died of the gunshot wound. The shooter is in detention and multiple investigations have been launched. Parliament held closed door meetings on the tragedy and later announced that the soldier broke protocol by bringing the gun into a visitor area and showing it off. They also established that paramedics did not realize the 16 year old was shot because the bullet entered “through the aorta, then into the heart” in such as way as to cause minimal external bleeding. Opposition politicians have called for the Minister of Defense to resign (he won’t), though Renato Usatii has called for more concrete reforms to procedure (such as locking gun lockers when entering visitor areas). He also visited the shooter in prison and shared the story of how shattered he is.

• PAS turns 10. Maia Sandu and a small team founded the PAS party on May 15 2016. On the 10th anniversary she wrote:

“10 years of resilience and action! On May 15, 2016, the PAS founding congress took place, and we had no idea then how difficult this path would be. But we were united by a strong hope that Moldova could overcome the darkness. When we founded the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), we had a simple, yet at the time, nearly impossible, goal: to free the country from the corrupt group that had subjugated Moldova, ruled through terror, and completely isolated us from the world. We managed to do it together,”

• Commander Butcher sentenced to 15 years in prison. The NYTimes reports that Neo-Nazi Michail Chkhikvishvili was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his plot to kill Jewish children in NY using poisoned candy. Recall, Michail Chkhikvishvili aka “Commander Butcher” of the Neo-Nazi terror organization the “Cult of Maniac Killers” was arrested in Chisinau in July 2024 after a joint American-Moldovan operation. The activities of his and related groups were later covered by a joint investigation of the Washington Post, Wired, Recorder (Romania) and Der Spiegel (Germany). It’s dark reading and we still have no idea why he was in Chisinau.

• The IMF released updated forecasts for Moldova showing inflation and slowing growth. They now project 8.1% inflation in 2026 and economic growth slowing to 1.5% of GDP. Their final calculations for 2025 showed 7.8% inflation and 2.4% growth. The IMF notes that the downturn of indicators is completely due to the war in Iran and that the situation could become worse depending on how long the crisis carries on.

Ending on a High Note

Literally a high note since we’re talking about Eurovision! Moldova’s Satoshi placed 8th in the Grand Final and was praised for a fun and upbeat song and performance.

Unfortunately, the whole affair landed with a fairly mixed note in Moldova. While the public vote in Moldova awarded the most points to Romania, the national jury gave top points to Poland and Israel. They only gave 3 points to Romania and 0 to Ukraine.

This situation has created a HUGE scandal in Moldova. Former government spokesman Daniel Vodă explained saying that “the jury from the Republic of Moldova seemed not to understand that Eurovision is also a geopolitical contest, not just a musical one.” He went on to explain the scandal saying:

“The problem is that the jury results appear first. And the initial impression was an unfair one: that the Republic of Moldova had turned its back on Romania. That is false. The public voted for Romania. The public saved its honor ,”

Traditionally neighboring countries often support each other and both Romania and Ukraine gave high points to Moldova from their juries. The Romanian Embassy was forced to respond noting no serious damage to diplomatic relations because the “audience’s sincere support speaks louder than any assessment [jury score].”

The scandal did not stay contained online as PAS MP Dinu Plângău called for the resignation of the management of Teleradio-Moldova. The state company did not itself control the jury votes but did organize the jury. Shortly after sitting MPs joined the online calls, Vlad Ţurcanu, CEO of Teleradio-Moldova, resigned. In a statement he noted that his team did not control the jury decision but that he took responsibility as the director of the organization.

Eurovision is no stranger to political controversy, but this is an unusual level of mess. The whole thing made it into the NYTimes as an example of how politics has consumed a song contest. So Moldova looks bad here on both ends - through the “scandal” of the jury vote itself and through the fairly hysterical reaction.

Oh well, the song was fun. Congrats to Bulgaria for their first Eurovision win!!

Today we’re going to unpack what we know so far and look at where this political crisis might be heading.

Who is Irina Gutnic?

Until last week, Irina Gutnic was among the most senior members of Ion Ceban’s City Hall administration and the MAN political party. In October 2022 Mayor Ceban asked Gutnic to join his administration as Deputy Mayor. At that time, Irina Gutnic had just 4 months before become the director of Apă-Canal Chisinau - the capital’s water and sewage utility. She accepted the job as Deputy Mayor but chose not to officially leave Apă-Canal and instead suspended her activity there. This means that she remained the director on paper and had the right to return to her position later.

Her appointment as Deputy Mayor was blocked twice by the municipal council before she was appointed by mayoral order in order to bypass the councilor’s objections. Some in Mayor Ceban’s Socialist Party1 had opposed her appointment, but Councilor Eugenia Ceban, Ion Ceban’s Mother, had rallied support for her. Since becoming Deputy Mayor Irina Gutnic has appeared alongside Mayor Ceban, often seated at his right hand, at nearly all the public events he attends.

While Gutnic’s exact portfolio at City Hall was never publicly defined, her past and recent statements imply that she was heavily involved in administrative coordination, questions around procurement, management of municipal enterprises, emergency commission matters and more. In short she played a major behind-the-scenes role in Mayor Ceban’s administration.

In addition to her job in City Hall, Irina Gutnic was also the leader of the MAN party’s Chisinau territorial organization. For most political parties, the head of the Chisinau territorial organization would be among the most senior. For MAN this is even more true as Chisinau is by far their most important region of support.

In December 2025 TV8’s show “Black Box” reported an investigation into her clothing, wealth and lifestyle. In their exhaustive reporting they identified luxury clothes and shoes owned by the Deputy Mayor worth well over 1 million lei. They also noted the string of new BMW cars that she has parked at her house and compared all of this to her official salary of 27,000 lei / month.

For her part, Irina Gutnic claims that she lives within her budget, owns no cars but has generous friends and family who lend them to her, and that those €950 shoes or €2500 euro dresses are actually just simple clothes custom made for her by her tailor for mere 100s of lei.

Timeline of Events

Before digging into her specific accusations, it is worth briefly outlining the timeline of events here:

• May 11 - Mayor Ceban dismisses Deputy Mayor Irina Gutnic with no reason given.

• May 12 - Apă-Canal Chisinau convenes an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to terminate her employment there. Apă-Canal Chisinau is structured as a joint stock company that is owned and controlled by the city.

• May 13 - Irina Gutnic gives a press conference with a series of accusations against the mayor casting herself as a whistleblower.

• May 14 - Irina Gutnic submits a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Agency accusing Mayor Ceban of abuse of power in her firing.

• May 14 - Irina Gutnic resigns from the MAN territorial organization.

• May 15 - Irina Gutnic claimed that Ceban’s team tried to intimidate her into resigning on May 11. She claims that they offered her the position at Apă-Canal where “there would be no pressure, no blackmail, and I would just sit quietly there.”

• May 15 - Irina Gutnic gave an extended interview to “Black Box” on TV8 with further accusations against Mayor Ceban.

• May 18 - Mayor Ceban begins making vague claims that this is all a “coup attempt” organized by PAS

• May 19 - Irina Gutnic gives another press conference, alleging that on May 15th her house was broken into in order to gather information on her. She then stated that on May 18th her facebook account was hacked from multiple devices located in foreign countries. She went on to detail more accusations of wrongdoing against Ceban.

…and she doesn’t appear to be done. This story remains alive and Gutnic has clearly indicated that she has more information to share in the future. So what has she said so far?

Whistleblower(?) Accusations Against the Mayor

Former Deputy Mayor Irina Gutnic has had a lot to say about her former boss since her first press conferences on May 13. At that event, she opened by stating that she does “not know exactly what the true reasons for my dismissal were,” claiming that she learned of it from the press. She stressed that her firing was illegal because the process of firing a Deputy Mayor goes through the municipal council. At the same time, Gutnic stated that she offered to resign in January but her resignation was not accepted.

“The decision to go public was not an easy one, but it is an inevitable one, given the decision of the general mayor.”

In her statement she claimed that she would sue over her wrongful termination, not to get her job back but to uphold the law.

Author’s Note: Already there is a lot going on here so look to the footnotes in this section for some analysis starting here2.

Here are some of the claims that Gutnic has made about Mayor Ceban:

• “The “Alternativa” bloc is a camouflaged project.” She claimed that many in the MAN party are sincerely pro-EU and that they were blindsided when Ceban chose to form the Alternative Bloc with obviously pro-Russian political forces. Gutnic claimed that MAN party members were not consulted and that Ceban’s unilateral decisions caused confusion and disillusionment.

• Chisinau City Hall is politicized to support Ceban and the MAN party. “Employees are politically exploited. They are made to work 7 days a week for the personal image of Ion Ceban.” She claimed that City Hall employees, including herself, were sent to campaign for MAN during work hours. She suggested that at times all staff but 1 or 2 people from departments around the city would be sent to campaign - bringing public work to a standstill.

• Ceban funds a network of influencers with public money. Gutnic claims that the anti-PAS anti-Sandu Telegram channel “Casa de Nebuni” (“House of Madmen”) is run by MAN party member Andrei Oțel. And that this channel and others are funded via indirect contracts with the municipal enterprise Autosalubritate (Chisinau’s trash company). She claims to know of 5-7 Telegram channels that are coordinated by City Hall and funded in similar ways. Andrei Oțel denies any connection to this or other Telegram channels. Autosalubritate says it is unaware of such contracts.

• Actions that “go beyond the limits of legality.” Gutnic referenced various actions taken in City Hall that exceeded legal limits or outright broke the law. These allegations are technical and procedural in nature - using non-existent emergency powers to circumvent the city council or other process. The actions taken - road repair, trash removal, etc are not themselves abnormal, but she alleges the process involved abuses.

• Ceban’s connections with Russia. Gutnic referenced Ceban’s Russia connections cryptically saying:

“Regarding relations with the Russian Federation, we will come back with more details, but given Axerov’s [Nidjat Askerov] presence in Chișinău City Hall, things speak for themselves. He appears in the conviction decision of Dan Cuclescu [Denis Cuculescu] in the treason case.”

This statement references Denis Cuculescu’s treason conviction earlier this year. In that trial various witnesses connected him to the FSB and to Nidjat Askerov (subject of a parallel trial) and him to Ceban and Dodon. Gutnic implies that she knows more about this connection as a City Hall insider but does not elaborate3.

Serious Claims, Missing Substance

This is only a sampling of some of the most serious claims that Irina Gutnic has been making. Many claims, such as those about Ceban’s connections to Russia are really teasers - letting people know that she has more to say. Others are simply very personal - she claims that Ceban is a tyrant, that everyone in city hall is terrified of him, that he is a danger to Chisinau and Moldova as a whole, etc.

In Moldova, the public element of political scandals such as this one is usually only the tip of the iceberg. It is possible that Irina Gutnic has a lot to say and simply wants to drag it out over a few news cycles. It is also possible that she is calibrating her statements to cause damage but also imply that she has much more - presumably be in service of negotiating a deal behind the scenes.

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.

The Primaria’s Response

Initially Mayor Ceban tried to avoid responding to the accusations saying:

“We are not going to respond to a lady who is angry that she no longer has a position and who came out to vent all this anger in public. I personally announced her resignation.”

At the same time, he also vaguely insinuated that Irina Gutnic was being controlled by outside forces - claiming that she is friends with former PAS party member Andrei Spînu.

By May 18 however the response got more forceful and had a new (if not clearer) narrative. Ceban stated that “They were planning a coup attempt within the Chisinau City Hall” and that “they” apparently is PAS. He stated that this whole thing has been orchestrated to force his resignation and said that Irina Gutnic had been wearing a wire and recording all conversations in the building. He provided no evidence for these statements.

Other MAN party members pushed back as well with MP Gaik Vartanyan downplaying the seniority of her role by saying that she was in no position to be privy to the decisions on creating the Alternative Bloc4.

Chisinau Deputy Mayor Victor Pruteanu highlighted some of the contradictions in her statements saying:

“If things were so bad, then why did she remain silent for so many years? And if she hadn’t been fired, would she have continued to remain silent? Until Monday, Ceban posed no threat to Chisinau, and now suddenly he does?5”

How Significant is All of This?

Very. Ion Ceban’s political project relies on a few key pillars:

1. Technocratic competence - They repair the streets, renovate the sidewalks, reconstruct parks and make sure the buses run on time. Even Mayor Ceban’s sharpest critics usually agree that Chisinau has improved during his terms.

2. Pragmatic pro-EU stances - Ceban and the MAN party claim to support Moldova joining the EU. The “pragmatic” part generally means that they also promise better relations with Russia.

3. Being a safe alternative to PAS - it’s right there in the name “National Alternative Movement” (MAN) and Alternative Bloc.

Parts 2 & 3 of the formula largely unraveled over the course of 2025. Ion Ceban as a pro-EU politician was never believable for close watchers of Moldovan politics. His choice to create the Alternative Bloc with a who’s who of the most well known pro-Russian politicians in Moldova further undermined this claim for anyone paying attention. Though most voters probably never read Alternative’s electoral program6, most seemed not to buy the pro-EU story or that they were a real pro-EU “alternative.” In these areas Irina Gutnic’s allegations show that at least some people within MAN were having their own doubts about the pro-EU direction of the party.

More importantly though, her allegations directly attack point 1 - technocracy and competence. Gutnic paints a picture of a city government fully co-opted to burnish the political image of one man. They campaign for him while taxpayers fund their salaries, close down public services when he needs them to fill out rallies and break the law when he tells them to. Most damaging of all - she alleges that online influencers and channels set up to attack Moldova’s president and government are being paid out of tax revenues meant to support trash pickup. If these allegations are true - in whole or in part - they threaten to shatter Mayor Ceban’s image as a hard working public servant only focused on city problems.

At this stage Irina Gutnic’s allegations are just that. It is possible that they will lead to criminal investigations but so far they are only words. What makes this significant though is Irina Gutnic herself. For whatever reason, a very senior member of both the city hall administration and the MAN party is airing out dirty laundry. Her position and seniority lends credibility to what she alleges, even if her own history and the odd manner of her firing pose serious questions in their own right.

For now, this story is still developing. We’ll check back with updates as they come.

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Romania Re-enters Political Crisis

On May 5 Romania’s government collapsed when the Social Democrats (PSD) withdrew from the governing coalition of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and joined George Simion’s AUR party in a vote of no confidence. The collaboration between a center left party like PSD and far-right AUR has caused alarm in Brussels as the “cordon sanitaire” breaks down and cooperation with a far right party brings down a centrist government.

President Nicușor Dan called for calm stating:

“It is not a happy moment in any democracy. However, it is a democratic decision of the parliament. I call for calm. Romania is a stable state, the state institutions are functioning and Romania has a direction that it is following. There is consensus among the pro-Western parties on the major directions of Romania (...)
We will have a government within a reasonable time, I exclude the scenario of early elections and, I emphasize, at the end of the negotiations, we will have a pro-Western government. (…)
“With calm, we will get through this,”

Meanwhile, George Simion declared that AUR is willing to enter government.

Next there will likely be a protracted series of consultations and negotiations as Romania seeks a stable governing majority.

Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan, a major voice in support of Moldova in the European Parliament, spoke of how this turn of events could negatively impact Moldova. He noted that if there is a weak prime minister, then there will still be public support but that “bilateral projects will remain on paper and drag on.” On the possibility of the far right entering government, he went on to warn:

“A prime minister who acts like a puppet, calling himself pro-European but dependent on the anti-European PSD-AUR majority, will not enjoy the trust of Europe. This, unfortunately, will also affect the Republic of Moldova. If the prime minister in Bucharest does not have the trust of the EU, he will not be able to achieve results for Moldova. (…) If Romania has a prime minister who lacks trust, that will be bad news for Moldova as well,”

In April last year I took stock of what challenges Moldova could face if George Simion or AUR came to power in Romania. Here’s a link to that article:

International Affairs News

Here’s a roundup of the other top international affairs stories of the week:

• President Sandu attended the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Yerevan. President Sandu traveled to the event with Romanian President Nicușor Dan and in addition to the summit and bilateral meetings met with leaders of EU countries on the topic of Moldova’s accession. This meeting included Nicușor Dan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, British PM Keir Starmer, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and others. While no official readout was given, Romanian President Dan later stated that they anticipate an answer by the end of June on opening negotiating clusters with Moldova. The delay comes as EU leaders discuss Ukraine’s EU bid with Hungary’s new government.

• More talk of Union with Romania - in the foreign press. In an interview with Le Monde, President Sandu reiterated her past comments on The Rest is Politics Podcast that joining with Romania would be a faster way to enter the EU. She went on to note that there is no public consensus for this, citing 40% support in Moldova1. Romanian President Nicușor Dan was asked about these comments while on a visit to Croatia and replied citing a 2018 vote in Romania’s parliament that indicated openness to union if Moldova wanted it. Also this week, a recent poll showed that 7 in 10 Romanians would support union with Moldova.

• Moldovan Flag Day celebrated in Chicago. Moldova’s flag was raised in the heart of Chicago as the country’s new consulate celebrated the April 27 holiday with State Senators, county officials and members of the diaspora. The event celebrated Moldova’s connections to the local community and the growing and successful diaspora in the United States writ large.

Political Updates

Here’s a roundup of the top politics news of the week:

• Parliament votes a new governing regulation in the first reading. The law restructures parliamentary procedure with a few notable changes. Firstly, it seeks to lock in the political configuration of parliament by cracking down on “political tourism.” MPs who leave their parliamentary faction would no longer be allowed to join a new faction or represent a party that was not elected to parliament in the last election. This does not prevent MPs from leaving their party, but makes it harder to consolidate new groupings as became common in the Plahotniuc era2. The draft regulation also defines Romanian as the working language of parliament and would stop the default translation of legislative projects into Russian - leaving translations as an option “when appropriate.” Opposition MPs claimed that this would prevent them from speaking Russian in parliament (it wouldn’t under the draft law) and walked out in protest. The draft regulation would also allocate schedule time to the opposition every 6th week in an “opposition day” where factions in opposition or independent MPs could add items to the agenda.

• Parliament introduced legislation to impose oversight on the Commission for Emergency Situations (CSE) and update the definition of states of emergency. Under the draft legislation, Parliament’s Committee on National Security, Defense and Public Order will be able to examine “at any time the executive orders issued by the CSE during crisis situations.” They could then submit reports to parliament which would be able to modify or overturn these emergency government decisions. The draft legislation requires the government to submit a report to parliament at the conclusion of a state of emergency detailing actions taken under emergency powers and their impact. Finally, the law would make the declaration of a state of emergency more flexible by giving the government the option of declaring one with a duration 30 to 90 days. Currently, states of emergency are fixed at 60 days.

• Alexandru Machidon3 was sworn in a Prosecutor General. He had been acting Prosecutor General since May 2025 and took office officially on April 30 after passing the vetting commission and getting support from the Superior Council of Prosecutors.

• Moldova will lift import duties on a range of American products. 59 MPs voted for the law in the second reading which would exempt most industrial products while retaining protective duties for some agricultural products such as “beef, pork and poultry meat, milk and dairy products, as well as sugar and sugar products.” The stated goal of the legislation is to maintain Moldova’s new 10% tariff rate and “reciprocate” the US lowering tariffs from 25%. As usual with “Liberation Day” none of this is what it seems but I’ll leave that for a footnote4.

• Anti-Corruption prosecutors have announced their decision to appeal the sentence against Vladimir Plahotniuc. They will again seek a 25 year sentence saying that “the punishment imposed does not reflect the seriousness of the acts.” Plahotniuc was previously sentenced to 19 years in prison and is himself appealing.

• Moldova’s Association of Independent Press (API) reported 97 attacks against journalists in 2025. This is the highest number since 2017 and includes bullying, intimidation, hacking of accounts and other threats - both online and offline. Most serious were 12 physical attacks and death threats. Last week we wrote about the strength of Moldova’s independent press… but also the challenges it faces. If you missed it, you can find that article here:

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PPDA and Shor?

Democracy at Home (PPDA)’s candidate for the Orhei Mayor’s election, Victor Perțu, was removed from the race by the Central Election Commission (CEC) for being part of a “camouflaged bloc.” The CEC noted that Victor Perțu was a member of the Shor Party and remained active in the Shor network after the party was declared unconstitutional. Their decision cited an overlap between the Shor network and PPDA and found that Shor candidates were seeking office under a new flag.

This decision provoked outrage among the opposition, including Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban and Igor Dodon who called the decision political and evidence of a “captured state.” The CEC decision was overturned by the Orhei Court - though the CEC will appeal the decision.

ZdG has made a deep study of events held by Victor Perțu with PPDA leader Vasile Costiuc and found that numerous Shor Party elected officials, activists, defendants in cases of electoral corruption and defendants in cases related to illicit financing and paid protesting, are all present at these events. PPDA claims that the events are open and anyone can come. The story from ZdG is too long to detail here, but is worth reading for those interested.

We’ll be keeping an eye on links between the Shor network and PPDA in the context of this year’s local elections.

Economics & Infrastructure (& Iran)

Here’s a roundup of the top economics / infrastructure / Iran crisis news of the week:

• Fuel prices remain volatile. While diesel prices have begun to fall gasoline prices remain high following the protracted uncertainty of the American-Israeli war against Iran. Compared to pre-war prices diesel is 44.58% more expensive while gasoline is 28.98% more expensive. On May 1 Chisinau increased public transport prices by 17% due to “the current situation of practically doubling the cost of fuel.”

• The Ministry of Finance says food prices increases are “inevitable” due to the global oil crisis. The Ministry said that the government will not look for short term populist solutions but will take “very targeted” actions including support for agriculture via tax refunds and potential support for inter city transit.

• The National Bank (NBM) has increased the base rate from 5% to 6.5%. This was done “out of the need to configure monetary policy in a way that would mitigate pressures on the inflationary process.” NBM now projects annual inflation in 2026 to hit 7%.

• De minimis tax exemptions will end October 1. The Ministry of Finance announced this date when the €150 euro tax free package import regime will be eliminated. In 2025 Moldovans received approximately 10 million packages from Temu, Joom, Aliexpress and others.

• Moldovan Railways are solvent again. Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Bolea announced that all employees had been fully repaid wage arrears and that the company had eliminated its historical debts by the end of April.

Ending on a High Note

On May 7 the Moldovan pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale officially opened. The Biennale is an international art and culture exhibition hosted every 2 years in Venice Italy since 18955. This marks the first time Moldova has participated in this event - sometimes called the Olympics of the art world. Moldova’s Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan called the country’s participation in the event a “significant moment for the country's cultural diplomacy.”

Moldova’s exhibit, titled “On the Thousand and Second Night” was created by artist Pavel Brăila and consists of numerous traditional carpets floating between the floor and ceiling supported by drones. It is described as “neither a refuge nor an escape from the ongoing war on life, but a way of making evident the power of imagining other possible exits.”

The exhibit is open to the public and can be visited until November 22, 2026. You can find more information on the official website here.

Today we’re going to start getting caught up on the other critical stories of the last week - but due to the volume of news we’ll split the Weekly Roundup into 2 parts. In Part 1 we’ll look at the biggest stories of the week and in Part 2 we’ll do a roundup of the many smaller - but equally important updates. You’ll have Part 2 in your inbox tomorrow.

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Moldova Participates in Major Prisoner Exchange with Russia / Belarus

On April 28 the news broke that Moldova was a participant in a high level prisoner swap involving the intelligence agencies of 7 countries. Five prisoners “convicted” of espionage by Russia or Belarus were swapped for 5 persons held by EU countries and Moldova. While much of the news focused on the prominent Polish-Belarusian opposition journalist Andrzej Poczobut who was freed in the exchange, Moldova was notable for being responsible for 4 of the 10 prisoners exchanged - trading 2 and getting 2 back.

Two agents of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) were returned home as part of the swap. In exchange, Moldova freed Belarusian spy Alexander Balan and Nina Popova.

Alexander Balan was the former deputy director of SIS during the Plahotniuc period. He was since arrested in Romania and charged with treason1 on accusations of passing intelligence to Belarus. Nina Popova is the wife of a Russian soldier serving in Russian army formations in Transnistria who was sentenced to 1 year in prison in October 2025 for attempting to bribe a border guard. After flying from Istanbul to Chisinau she was told that the was banned from entering the country, after which she attempted to slip the customs officer $300 in her passport and was arrested.

Upon his arrival, Belarus welcomed Alexander Balan with flowers from members of the State Security Committee of Belarus. State media celebrated the return of “Belarusian spies Alexander Balan and Vladislav Nadeiko.”

Russia’s state news agency TASS published video of Moldova’s SIS operatives being led by FSB agents to the exchange.

SIS Director Alexandru Musteață commented on the return of the men saying:

“Our officers, two young, dedicated and patriotic officers, went there on a secret mission, the details of which I cannot confirm or provide. Unfortunately, the mission failed, they were captured, which is why we have an internal investigation and an internal assessment of this fact. We started it the moment they (SIS officers, no.) were captured. We started the internal investigation from the beginning. We have completed 99% of the entire assessment. What remains are their statements. Now that they are home, they are safe, my colleagues will talk to them to create the picture - what happened that this operation failed and we will make a decision”

He noted that the 2 men were undergoing medical checks and will return to service in a non-clandestine role.

Commenting on the exchange President Sandu stated:

“It was a complicated operation, we had the support of the institutions of the United States, Romania, Poland. A lot of work was done, there were many risks and I repeat, I am glad that in the end we managed to make this exchange and that these two citizens of the Republic of Moldova, people of good faith, loyal to our state, are home safely and I hope that their health is also good. They are going to undergo some tests to make sure that everything is fine,”

On May 10, President Trump posted on Truth Social about the exchange writing

“We have just secured the release of three Polish citizens and two Moldovans from Belarusian and Russian detention. Thanks to my special presidential envoy, John Coale, we were able to exert serious pressure for this release to take place.

My friend, the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, met with me last September and asked me to help release Andrzej Poczobut from a Belarusian prison. Today, Poczobut is free thanks to our efforts.

The United States stands with its allies and friends. I thank President Aleksandr Lukashenko for his cooperation and friendship,”

Analysis of the Prisoner Exchange

According to reporting this operation was incredibly complex and involved coordination among multiple Western intelligence services. Alexander Balan was released by Romania while still pending trial into Moldovan custody so that he could plead guilty and be pardoned (for crimes in Moldova) prior to being repatriated to Belarus. American Special Envoy John Coale apparently helped coordinate the effort alongside the intelligence agencies of US allies and Moldova. This is the first time that Moldova participated at an organizational level in a coordinated effort of this kind, and it marks a clear signal that Moldova’s intelligence agencies are operating closely with partners in complex operations.

While it is unlikely that Russia would have ever dealt bilaterally with Moldova on an issue like this, it is notable that Moldova’s release of 2 of the 5 prisoners held in the West was a key enabler of the broader operation. Most importantly, the Moldovan authorities were able to bring the 2 SIS operatives home safely.

Sheriff’s German Companies

RISE Moldova reported on a network of German companies owned by the Sheriff corporation and its founder Viktor Gushan. The network of companies came to light after Der Spiegel reported millions of euros of tax evasion by 2 media companies - Kartina Digital GmbH and Kartina TV - both with connections to Sheriff Holding.

These companies, which provide Russian language TV streaming services, were part of a large network uncovered by RISE including companies trading in textiles, real estate, media, advertising, software development and more. Kartina Digital GmbH alone was found to have underpaid taxes by €39 million euros in the years 2010 - 2019. The company is also involved in an ongoing lawsuit in the United States with American company Actava, which is seeking $25 million in damages for fraud and breach of contract.

Gushan’s TV stations promised 200 Eastern European channels in a streaming package targeting Russian speakers in Germany, the US, Israel, Canada and other parts of Western Europe. Previous investigations have shown that some of these stations broadcast AfD political advertisements for Russian speakers in Germany.

The investigation by RISE is a reminder that while Viktor Gushan controls almost the whole economy of Transnistria, and is alleged to control much of the region’s “government,” he has not yet been sanctioned by Western government for the political oppression or human rights abuses endemic in the region.

Other Transnistria Updates

Here are the other important Transnistria related updates of the week:

• Ukraine is strengthening their defensive lines on the Transnistrian border. Ukraine’s local commanders posted pictures of the new lines and noted that they…

“will allow the construction of a staggered defense system, capable of promptly reacting to any provocations or obvious manifestations of aggressive actions from the self-proclaimed unrecognized satellite of the Russian Federation”

• Transnistrian “President” Vadim Krasnoselsky commented on the increasingly threatening rhetoric from Russia. His comments follow Russian media and diplomatic sources alleging that Moldova is considering a military resolution to the conflict and threatening responses. Krasnoselsky responded to this saying:

“I still believe in prudence and common sense. No matter how complicated our relations may be, I still believe Moldovan politicians. I believe that they are telling the truth and that they are opposed to a forceful solution to the Transnistrian issue. Of course, there are many nuances: Moldova’s armament, and the special units participating in NATO programs. But that aside, I believe the Madam President when she says she does not want to resolve the Transnistrian issue by military means. And for that, unequivocally, of course, we thank them,”

• Parliament passes law imposing taxes on Transnistria. On April 30 parliament passed the law in the final reading which will phase in equal taxes for companies operating in the Transnistrian region. Taxes will first be applied this year to non-essential products such as alcohol, but will then be gradually phased in and cover all products by 2030. In the original draft, the law envisioned adding VAT taxes on natural gas purchases and balancing electricity by June 2026. The final bill pushed this back and allows the government to establish tax rates in these areas starting in August 2026 based on the progress of negotiations - essentially providing the government a tool of economic leverage. Taxes collected under this law will go into the “convergence fund” and begin funding Moldova’s broader strategy of convergence. Transnistria’s Supreme Soviet sent an official letter of protest to Speaker of Parliament Grosu objecting to the law as taxation without representation2 and highlighting how new taxes will further damage the already crippled regional economy.

Proekt Reports Abramovich is A7’s “Krisha”

Investigative journalists at the Russian outlet Proekt (“Project”) released an investigation into the vast and growing network of payment facilitation companies working to circumvent sanctions against Russia. They showed that all manner of transactions - from facilitating the purchase of Russian gas deliveries to Turkey, to allowing individuals to bypass Bank of America due diligence to buy a Cybertruck, now pass through this opaque network of operators. Proekt reports that the FSB “gets income from each operation” and that Ilan Shor’s A7 companies sit at the center of the web.

Proekt reported that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has close links to Shor’s A7 companies and according to their sources serves as the operation’s “krisha and sponsor.” In Russian slang, “krisha” or “roof” is the person or organization under which criminal activity is conducted and protected politically. In this formulation Abramovich is both Shor’s protection, patron and in some sense partner. According to Proekt’s source, Abramovich chose Shor for his ability to “build schemes.”

They further report that when Shor flew to Moscow from Israel in November 2023 he did so on a plane owned by Abramovich and that A7 has offices in multiple buildings owned by the Russian oligarch. Representatives for Abramovich deny these connections and any connections to Shor more generally.

In their reporting, Proekt puts A7 at the center of Russia’s sanctions evasion financial architecture, with their sources claiming that they now have a 15% share of all cross-border financial transactions. The report connected A7 to at least 25 companies under US and EU sanctions - including manufacturers of military drones and armaments.

This reporting is the first to publicly confirm rumors of a connection between Abramovich and Shor. It also highlights how his A7 network continues to grow and facilitate sanctions evasion efforts as well as to help finance Russia’s war efforts.

Europe Day and Victory Day

On May 9 Russia and many countries of the former Soviet Union celebrate “Victory Day” and the end of the second world war (for Russia). This year Moscow did not see any of the normal pomp and circumstance - namely tanks and ballistic missiles on parade in Red Square. Instead the holiday saw a more muted parade held under the shadow of potential Ukrainian drone attack.

In Moldova, this holiday has become a symbol of geopolitical tension, with pro-Russian politicians and activists dressing up in WW2 uniforms and proudly displaying Russian and Soviet military symbols. On the other side people celebrate Europe Day, the European Union’s holiday which marks the end of the war and the transition to peace in a united Europe.

Visiting Chisinau on May 8th, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas spoke alongside President Sandu and outlined how this holiday is seen in countries formerly occupied by the Soviet Union saying:

“I come from a country where there were different communities and different approaches to May 9th. We discussed why we couldn’t celebrate May 9th as Victory Day. If, after May 9th, when the war ended, Stalin had said: you are free, you can live in freedom and independence, we would also have celebrated that day as Victory Day. But since that was the day the atrocities began for my country, we cannot celebrate May 9th as Victory Day. I’m glad we have different pasts, but we need to focus on a common future, and that’s what Europe Day means,”

On May 9th President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides visited Chisinau and hailed Moldova’s progress since June 2022. He stated that “The main objective of the Cyprus Presidency [of the Council of the European Union] remains the official opening of the negotiation chapters starting with cluster no. 1 in June itself.”

Speaking on May 9th to an academic conference of more than 1200 of Moldova’s history teachers, President Sandu spoke to the 2 observances of the same holiday saying:

“Yes, May 9 is Victory Day. We must respect and honor the memory of those who fought and died in World War II. But history didn’t end in 1945. Afterward, a regime began that brought deportations, organized famine, repression, fear, and attempts to suppress our national identity. Therefore, we must not confuse the memory of the war’s victims with the glorification of the Soviet regime. (…) At the same time, it is important to understand that there is no contradiction between Victory Day and Europe Day. The European project emerged as a response to the devastating consequences of war and totalitarianism,”

On Sunday April 26 Moldova’s National Meteorological Service issued a “code orange” for high winds across the country from 10 am until 9 pm. At 2 pm Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban announced that all outdoor events in the city were cancelled effective immediately and urged all residents to stay home saying:

“We repeatedly call on all residents and visitors of the capital to stay sheltered unless there is an urgent necessity to go out.”

This cut short the Chisinau marathon that was organized in the city center as well as other planned events. High winds impacted communities all around Moldova with 92 communities experiencing power outages and downed trees blocking roads and damaging cars all across the country.

In Chisinau, a 66 year old woman was injured after being hit by a billboard that blew off its mount and a 6 year old child sustained serious injuries after being hit by a falling tree branch at the Chisinau Zoo. The child is in intensive care.

In addition to falling trees, numerous cars were damaged by falling roof tiles blown off of apartment and house roofs onto parking below.

President Sandu Commemorates 40th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster

President Sandu traveled to Kyiv on April 26 to join President Zelenskyy in commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In her remarks at the event she called attention to the lies the underpinned the disaster and praised the work of the international community who helped build the new containment system. The President stated:

“A Soviet regime that put its own reputation above people’s lives. That kept people in the dark while a reactor burned out — because the powerful believed they had the right to decide what the powerless were allowed to know.

Over 3,500 Moldovans were among those sent here as liquidators1. Many of them, with insufficient protection and without knowing the whole truth. They were asked to be brave in the name of a system that did not return this courage with honesty. Moldova commemorates them today. (…)

This evidence matters more than ever. Because the contempt that caused this disaster has not disappeared.

The same lack of respect for human life that defined the Soviet reaction is reflected today in Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities, in the occupation of nuclear power plants, in the war that Moscow refuses to even call a war.”

While in Kyiv, President Sandu met with President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to discuss bilateral cooperation in energy, regional security and EU accession. In a joint press conference she expressed Moldova’s support for Ukraine and called on the EU to “officially open negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine without delay.”

Romania Enters Political Crisis

Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) reigned from the coalition government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and has announced a coming vote of no confidence with the support of George Simion’s AUR party. Prime Minister Bolojan has stated that he does not plan to step down and will send a new list of ministerial candidates from the now minority government to President Nicușor Dan.

Together, PSD and AUR have 219 of 463 seats in parliament, short of the 233 needed for a majority or to oust the government. They are whipping votes and seeking to attract members of the SOS Romania, POT and PACE opposition parties (41 votes) or the 22 independents. The remaining coalition of PNL, USR and UDMR control 164 seats.

The move has set off alarm bells across Europe as a major Social Democratic Party is making common cause with the far right. PSD Senator Victoria Stoiciu, originally from Moldova, resigned from the party when the news was announced saying:

“I believe that an absolute cordon sanitaire is needed to keep extremist forces in total political isolation. Any violation of this principle is not just a tactical error, but a normalization of fascism. Step by step, until the monster is too big to be killed.” (...)

“I cannot and will never support the normalization of fascism. It is a red line that cannot be crossed.“

Internally the alliance of PSD and AUR is a major challenge to President Nicușor Dan and threatens to further upset Romania’s complicated political balance of power. For Moldova, any actions that bring AUR into the mainstream threaten the bilateral relationship between the PAS government and Romania. We’ll watch this story closely in the weeks to come.

Security Updates

Here’s a roundup of the top security related news of the week:

• Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Russian Security Council, threatened Moldova over the alleged mistreatment of Russian citizens. After the Russian Duma passed a bill giving the president authority to militarily intervene whenever a Russian citizen is threatened in a foreign country, Shoigu gave an interview where he claimed that the 220,000 Russian citizens living in Transnistria “are now threatened due to the reckless and irresponsible actions of Kiev (sic) and Chisinau.” When discussing options to protect them he stressed that “Russia will take all measures and use all available methods” adding that “Nothing should be ruled out2.” Moldova’s Ministry of Foriegn Affairs as well as the EU issued statements affirming support for a peaceful resolution of the Transnistrian issue and affirming Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

• Russian drone crashes in populated area in Galati. On April 25 Romanian military command stated that British Eurofighter Typhoons were scrambled with authorization to shoot down detected incoming drones in Romanian airspace. One drone crashed in Galati near the annex of a house resulting in the evacuation of 535 local residents and the disconnection of gas to 20 streets. No one was hurt and the drone was removed and detonated in a controlled explosion. The same night the wreckage of a second drone was found in Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine. Responding to the news, President Nicusor Dan stated:

“I strongly condemn Russia’s irresponsible behavior. Incidents like the drone that crashed last night in Galati demonstrate disrespect for international law and threaten the safety of the citizens of Romania, a NATO member state. Romania is not a party to this conflict. Yet, its consequences are felt on our streets, in our homes, and in our lives. This is the first time Romanian property has been actually damaged—a point we take very seriously,”

• A “drone like object” was found crashed on the roof of a Chisinau apartment building. It was found in the early morning of April 28 by a resident and resulted in the evacuation the of the building as police examined the crash. Police have since clarified that no explosives were found and that the components of the drone are being examined. No additional information is available at this time.

• Former director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) Alexandru Balan was extradited to Moldova on April 24. He will begin serving his 1.5 year prison sentence for the disclosure of state secrets. Balan is also on trial in Romania on charges of treason and allegations that he was passing secrets to the Belarusian KGB. There has been much speculation about why he would be extradited to serve a minor sentence while facing much more serious charges in Romania. Balan pled guilty to the charges in Moldova and is apparently doing the same in Romania. Balan was reported to have been sending hidden notes and making covert phone calls to persons in Moldova saying that his situation “must be raised at a political level.” Reportedly, he was attempting to reach out to Moldovan MP Renato Usatîi. At the same time, a source from Romanian specialized police DIICOT told local outlet HotNews that…

“Given the functions he held, this man also crossed paths with other intelligence structures from other states. He probably has some information and since he expressed his desire to collaborate with the authorities, it can be used. It’s also about pragmatism in such cases. I don’t think there’s a problem with DIICOT losing an important defendant,”

**Update: Immediately before publication it was announced that Alexandru Balan was pardoned and exchanged for 2 Moldovan Security and Intelligence (SIS) officers who were being held by Russia. President Sandu’s office stated:

"In order to be able to bring you (the SIS officers) home, following a complex operation, the 2 officers were exchanged, as requested by the other side, with two other people: a citizen of the Russian Federation, Popova Nina, who was acting against the state of the Republic of Moldova, and Alexandru Bălan, a citizen of the Republic of Moldova, accused of treason in the interests of the KGB in Belarus, who was pardoned in order to be able to leave for Belarus," (…)

“it is a gain that cannot be measured by a simple mathematical equation - we brought home two citizens who work for the Republic of Moldova, giving up, in return, 2 prisoners who worked against the Republic of Moldova."

This operation has been in the works for several months and was coordinated by SIS with the support of the United States, Poland and Romania. President Sandu thanked President Donald Trump "for his involvement and that of the US administration in the success of this action."

We’ll return with more updates on this breaking story in future roundups.

Political Updates

Here’s a roundup of the top political stories of the week:

• The State of Emergency in the energy sector has ended. Parliament voted on April 25 to end the emergency early but to maintain a State of Alert for an additional 60 days. They cited the success in repairing the damaged high voltage line and noted that actions had been taken to “maintain the functionality of the oil market in crisis conditions” and prevent major disruptions.

• An investigation from DIEZ spotlighted a thriving (and public) market for educational fraud. In their investigation, journalists from DIEZ found numerous companies and web advertisements offering services writing undergraduate and graduate thesis for as little as 7500 lei. Many of these services operated public websites and accepted payments via the MIA payments system. After posing as interested students and getting invoices for the offered work, DIEZ journalists sent 1 leu to the accounts indicated in order to get the names of the persons owning them. In one case, they found that a service was run by Ala Mușchei, former candidate for the Democracy at Home (PPDA) party in last parliamentary elections. She had been 84th on the party list and listed her profession as an “text editor.” Minister of Education Dan Perciun responded by saying that there would be zero tolerance for academic fraud. He stated that new software, already purchased, would be used to check thesis starting this year and that the ministry was reviewing legal options. Parliament has since announced hearings on thesis buying with relevant state agencies as well as law enforcement.

• Natalie Portman’s parents visited Telenesti on April 20 for Easter of the Dead. Portman’s grandmother was originally from Telenesti. The family later moved to Chisinau before emigrating to Israel in 1978. Portman’s parents Avner Hershlag and Shelley Stevens visited family graves and met with local mayor Vadim Lelik and discussed the town’s ties with the diaspora.

Shor / Hybrid War Updates

Here are the latest stories in Russia’s hybrid war against Moldova:

• Convictions in electoral corruption cases continue. This week the court convicted 5 Pobeda (Victory) party leaders and activists for bribing voters in the 2024 referendum - issuing fines of 45,000 to 50,000 lei. In a separate case, the presidents of the Ungheni and Rezina Shor Party organizations were sentenced to prison time after being convicted of illicit party financing. Cases like this continue to roll in month after month as the authorities bring cases to court and individuals in the Shor network are held accountable.

• New arrest warrant issued for Ilan Shor. Prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant related to a case of Shor’s role as an “organizer of illegal financing of political parties.” This case relates to the 2023 bombshell undercover investigation where politician Arina Spătaru (aka Arina 007) cooperated with prosecutors as Shor recruited her and others to create a new “pro-European” political party that would be captive to his network. A new extradition request for Shor has been sent to Russia. Commenting on the news, Arina Spătaru stated:

“In 2023, I participated in this investigation as an undercover agent. I didn’t take any money from Shor—not then, nor since. I did it because I believe Moldova must rid itself of political corruption and the influence of criminal groups. Three years later, I see that things are moving forward. Slower than they should, but they are moving forward,”

• Igor Chaika has been named the new head of Rossotrudnichestvo. Chaika has been sanctioned by the US, EU, UK and Canada over his role in the Kremlin’s attempts to destabilize Moldova. He has been a key behind the scenes player in organizing Kremlin support for the Shor network, the Socialist Party and as the owner of many blocked TV stations in Moldova. Rossotrudnichestvo is officially tasked with administering foreign aid and cultural exchanges for the Russian Federation. It operates like a state run version of Shor’s Evrazia NGO - utilizing soft power to forward Kremlin foreign policy and security objectives.

On the Sunday and Monday following Orthodox Easter Moldovans gather in the graveyards to commemorate a very Moldovan holiday, “Paștele Blajinilor,” often translated as Easter of the Dead. On this day Moldovans remember those who came before and gather in the graveyard for a picnic where they symbolically share food and wine with their lost relatives.

On the occasion, President Sandu put out Easter wishes writing:

“On Easter, we give ourselves the time to return to what really matters: our roots, our family, and the invisible thread that connects generations. Let us turn our thoughts these days to those who gave meaning to our path and who remain part of us, through everything they left us. And let us find in the moments spent with our loved ones, in peace and gratitude, the reconciliation we need and the strength to move forward,”

This is the last event of Moldova’s long Easter season - stretching from lent fasting through Catholic and Orthodox Easter and on to this very local commemoration. If you’d like to read more about Easter of the Dead we published a guest essay on the topic back in April 2024 which you can read here:

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Politics & News

Here are the top stories of the week:

• The Alternative Bloc and Faction continue to disintegrate. After Mayor Ceban confusingly announced that his MAN party would withdraw from the Alternative Bloc but remain in the Alternative parliamentary faction - while also loudly distancing itself from that faction - Mark Tkaciuk announced that his Civic Congress party was withdrawing from the parliamentary faction. He said that in a circumstance where MAN loudly distances itself from its partners the only honest move was to break away.

• The Central Election Commission (CEC) submitted plans for revising the electoral code for public consultations. The amendments envision tighter control over social media advertising, including parties declaring all their paid channels and platforms being required to report spending and targeting. The plan pays specific attention to Gagauzia, where the CEC proposes to add additional eligibility criteria for those standing for Bashkan. Specifically, a candidate for Bashkan would be required to speak both Gagauz and Romanian, be at least 35 years old and have lived in the region for at least 1 year. Additionally the amendments would restructure the Central Electoral Council of Gagauzia, reducing the membership from 9 to 7. Two members each would be appointed by the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, the Executive Committee of Gagauzia and the Comrat Court. One would be appointed by the CEC and the chair and vice chair of the CEC would be permitted to attended Central Electoral Council meetings without voting rights.

• The Electronic Government Agency (AGE) announced that digital ID documents through the EVO app will be useable for interactions with banks and government agencies by June. The agency plans to eliminate the requirement to personally visit agencies by Fall through the use of electronic signatures. EVO is part of the government’s plan to digitize 100% of state services by 2030.

• President Sandu commemorated the victims of the Stalinist Famines. She marked the occasion, commemorated on the 3rd Sunday in April, in the village of Mingir where 1400 people died in the famine - nearly half of the population. She stated:

“The famine of 1946–1947 affected hundreds of thousands of people and led to the loss of 200,000 lives. Figures that still terrify us today, but which cannot fully encompass the trauma that parents and children, young and old, went through,” (…)

“When the truth is told, even after decades, it brings justice. It helps us to understand, not to forget and not to repeat. And, above all, only the truth sets us free,”

• Local Public Administration (LPA) reform is becoming contentious. The MAN party protested last week against the planned reform calling it “a direct attack on local public administration” and claiming that PAS would use it to eliminate mayors from other parties. Meanwhile, activists like Vasile Tofan continue to give interviews calling for more radical reform and urging the government to think bigger. The government hopes to pass LPA reform this year but we are still at the early stages of what promises to be a long process.

Energy Crisis

The energy crisis caused by the American-Israeli war against Iran continues to create uncertainty in Europe’s energy markets. The fragile ceasefire and negotiations have caused fuel prices to drop slightly in Moldova, but diesel remains 51% more expensive than before the war started while gasoline is 23% more expensive. Fuel imports continue without issue and the country continues to maintain stockpiles of around 19 days of gasoline and 11 days of diesel. With the situation slightly stabilizing, on April 15th, Prime Minister Munteanu again announced that he would ask parliament to lift the State of Emergency. At the time of writing he has not yet done this, possibly owing to the holiday schedule.

Rising prices continue to have knock-on effects with Transnistria announcing a 17% increase in ticket prices for suburban buses and intercity transit. Moldova’s Lukoil stations also continue to operate as the Trump Administration extended waivers on American sanctions until October.

In order to help farmers with the near term diesel prices, and the projected medium term problems with fertilizer, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that they were creating a new component of the Agricultural Credit Facility Program to support loans for working capital. The program is set to launch through banks within 2 weeks and provide lines of credit up to 500,000 lei at a fixed 5.1% APR for 5 years. This support is targeted at “micro and small farmers1.”

Transnistria & Security

Here’s a roundup of the top security stories of the week:

• Chisinau has declared the leadership of the Russian army in Transnistria “undesirable.” Zona de Securitate has reported that the military commanders and their deputies will be blocked from entering Moldova. Transnistrian “Foreign Minister” Ignatiev called the move “unreasonable and destructive,” noting that the Russian army units and the Russian “Peacekeepers” are “a single entity” and saying that any restriction on their operations would “negatively impact the peacekeeping operation.”

• Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, General Kirill Budanov, says that the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria is not part of peace negotiations with Russia. In an interview with Malenkaia Strana he called the troops there a “known threat” but stated that Ukraine is not putting this condition forward in order not to complicate the peace process.

• Romania is becoming a “boulevard for Russian drones.” That statement was made by former Romanian President Traian Băsescu who added “we are starting to look ridiculous.” The comments come after reports of multiple drone incursions into Romanian airspace in the delta region. DW reports that for multiple political and technical reasons Romania has made a decision not to shoot down these drones and to largely let them pass through the country’s airspace to attack Ukraine.

• The Russian Duma passed a bill in the first reading to allow the president to deploy military forces to “protect the rights of Russian citizens.” This bill focuses specifically on Russian citizens who are detained, arrested or prosecuted outside of Russia, and is likely being passed in the context of the EU’s proposals for setting up a “Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.”

• Alexandru Balan will be extradited to Moldova following sentencing. The former director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) pled guilty to divulging state secrets and was sentenced last week to 1.5 years in prison. He joined the court hearings via video call as he is currently under house arrest in Romania where he faces treason charges (he is also a Romanian citizen) and up to 20 years in prison. Those charges relate to his participation in a Belarusian spy ring where he was caught passing secrets to the KGB. Romania has agreed to extradite him to Moldova to begin serving his sentence.

International Affairs

Here’s a roundup of the top international affairs stories of the week:

• President Sandu attended the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey. There she met on the sidelines with President Erdogan and discussed economic cooperation, attracting investments and “the protection of the Gagauz language and culture and joint support for the development of the region.” Turkey is Moldova’s 2nd largest export designation and the 4th largest source of foreign investment after Romania, Germany and France.

• A Moldovan Parliamentary Delegation held meetings in Washington DC. PAS MPs Radu Marian, Adrian Băluțel and Andrian Cheptonar, join Ambassador Vlad Kulminski for meetings with congressmen and Senators including Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Rep. Deborah Rep. Ross (D-NC), Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) and others. MP Radu Marian wrote of the trip:

“We are here to consolidate the partnership between our countries and strengthen the parliamentary dialogue with the US Congress. I reiterated that US support in combating Russian pressure on the Republic of Moldova has been, is and will be essential for Moldova to remain a free, democratic country and part of the free world. We share the same values ​​with the US,” (…)

“I thanked for the recent investment of 130 million dollars for the Straseni-Gutinas power line, which is to be built by an American company2. I mentioned that the Republic of Moldova is ideally positioned for American investors who want to scale production and support the reconstruction efforts of post-war Ukraine”

Khotyn Fortress Partially Collapses

Today we’re ending on a bit of a sad note with the news that the iconic Khotyn Fortress in Ukraine had a partial collapse of its outer wall. Khotyn is one of the castles and fortresses built by Stefan Cel Mare when he was Voivode of Moldavia. It’s an iconic castle that many readers will have seen before in movies and, in my case, on the cover of my 4th grade history textbook in Virginia.

Unbelievably, the collapse was caught on camera and can be viewed online here. So unbelievable was the story that the mayor of the town was forced to put out a statement saying:

“Unfortunately, it is not artificial intelligence. Yesterday (April 17, 2026), a very unpleasant and extreme emergency situation occurred in our beautiful Hotin fortress. Yes, there was a partial collapse on the great wall. And this collapse is very significant. Everyone is alive! Most importantly, no one was injured,”

The local authorities plan on restoring the wall in the future.

Lots of news happened while I was on a short vacation so today’s update is a bit long - but I really encourage you to grab a coffee and dig in because there was lots of important news.

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The State of Emergency in the Energy Sector to Continue

After initially indicating that he would ask parliament to lift the State of Emergency, Prime Minister Munteanu convened the National Crisis Management Center on April 2 and announced that the State of Emergency will continue. Following the repair of the Isaccea-Vulcănești high voltage line, the energy system remains unstable as engineers check the repair and make adjustments. At the same time, April-May is a critical time in Moldova’s energy sector as the Thermoelectric plants will soon cease central heating and return to summer mode - causing a loss of around 50% of domestic energy production.

Moreover, the authorities particularly highlighted the crisis caused by the War in Iran. With the country 100% reliant on fuel imports, the decision to maintain the State of Emergency will also let the government adapt quickly to this new and larger crisis. The temporary cease fire between the United States and Iran caused diesel prices to fall slightly, but uncertainty remains after talks in Pakistan failed to find a solution over this weekend.

Moldova’s Ministry of Defense announced that all Moldovan soldiers deployed as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are safe. Moldova has 32 peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon with UNIFIL where they are serving alongside the Italian Army.

With these crises as a backdrop, Moldova announced a major milestone in the shift to renewables this week. The country has now exceeded 1 GW of installed renewable capacity, of which 73% is solar and 25% wind. The Ministry of Energy made the announcement stating:

“In the last five years, installed capacities have increased 13.23 times. Compared to 2020, when the total installed was only 77.37 MW, there is an increase of 946.05 MW, with 2025 playing a decisive role in this evolution,”

The Government Presents their Concept for LPA Reform

Alexei Buzu, Secretary General of the Government, unveiled the high level concept for the promised Local Public Administration (LPA) reform. He announced 4 objectives for the reforms, namely:

1. Strong mayors through administrative-territorial consolidation

2. Strong mayors through increased financial autonomy

3. Strong mayors through real institutional capacity

4. Strong mayors through transparency, accessible services and involved citizens

Essentially, they hope that efforts to create larger local government units will strengthen capacity and services at the local level. In order to accomplish these goals, the government laid out 3 high level changes:

• Voluntary amalgamation. The government has set a goal that no local authority (towns and villages) should have fewer than 3000 residents by 2027. Currently, 87% of town halls have fewer than 3000 residents. Buzu noted that 310 local councils are already starting the voluntary amalgamation process. At the same time, parliament is voting on legislation to simplify this process further. The reform plan provides for financial incentives for LPAs that chose to merge. Forced mergers for those that don’t is not spelled out but is heavily implied.

• Reducing the number of districts from 32 to 10. Moldova’s 32 raions (districts) would be replaced with 10 larger districts which Buzu said would be engines of regional development - managing roads and common infrastructure.

• Elevating Taraclia to a municipality with sub-LPAs. Essentially, the town government of Taraclia would be merged with the current Raion (district) government of Taraclia. Other towns and villages in the region would retain their local government. This would make the region something of a hybrid district-municipality. This special case is likely related to local demographics (see footnote1).

Secretary General Buzu explained the 3000 resident threshold saying:

“In the Republic of Moldova, out of 10 families that do not have sewage, 8 are in municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 inhabitants. Out of 10 families that do not have a water supply connection, 7 are in municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 inhabitants. This is the reality ,”

He went on to note how important it is for LPAs to have more capacity and expertise in order to attract funding through EU accession mechanisms and to implement local projects.

Business leader Vasile Tofan2 has emerged as a major critic to the proposal which he called “much too timid” and “too small for the size of the problem.” He stated:

“Local taxes in a town hall of 3-4 thousand people barely cover about 60% of the cost of the fiscal apparatus that collects them. In other words, almost 2 out of 3 lei in taxes are expenses on tax collectors - an absurd model ,”

Tofan went on to note that Romania averages 6000 residents per LPA and that these are going bankrupt. The country is exploring a move to a minimum of 18,000 residents. He explained:

“In other words, we are deliberately undertaking a very politically costly reform, unpopular anyway, in order to amalgamate at a level that was bankrupt from the start. What is the point of these costs then?”

Recent polling from IMAS has shown that 42% of citizens disapprove of the merging of city halls compared to 22% who consider is somewhat necessary, 18% who consider it important and only 7% who consider it extremely important. 65% oppose the merging of districts while 24% were in favor. The Socialist Party has called on the government to hold a referendum on the final plan.

Recall, Moldova Matters published an op-ed from Vasile Tofan on the subject in March:

News and Politics

Here’s a roundup of the top politics stories of the week:

• On April 2 parliament formally denounced Moldova’s membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The degree was immediately promulgated by President Sandu. Parliament cited Russia’s failure to uphold the CIS agreement by invading Georgia and Ukraine while maintaining illegal troop deployments in Moldova. This is the biggest step so far in Moldova’s attempts to remove itself from the 1991 agreement and its many sub agreements.

• Mayor Ceban announced that his MAN party was withdrawing from the Alternative Bloc. At the same time the party will remain in the Alternative Faction in parliament. Explaining the reason he stated “We dissociate ourselves from any actions and statements that contradict the interests of the people and the course of European integration.3”

• Moldova fell in the EIU Democracy Index, published by the Economist, from a “flawed democracy” to “hybrid regime.” The index measures various factors across 167 countries and did not publicly explain the change for Moldova or detail the methodology. The news caused lots of opinions and assessments in Moldova, with opposition parties celebrating and repeating lines about PAS capturing the state. Analysts suggested that the change was likely the methodology’s failure to account for hybrid attacks and the government’s response. IPRE Director Iulian Groza explained:

“In other words, a country that actively defends itself against hybrid aggression paradoxically pays a methodological price in the index for its own defensive measures,”

• Scandal at MediaCor - Yuri Dud’s interview with Denis Kapustin. Russian YouTuber Yuri Dud interviewed the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps at the media center located on the State University campus. Kapustin is banned from the Schengen area and has been widely described as a neo-Nazi. His volunteer corps fights for Ukraine with a manifesto focused on overthrowing Putin and creating a Russian ethnostate. The Ministry of Education promised an investigation into how the interview took place at MediaCor, while the center’s management put out a statement saying that they do “not intervene in the selection of guests or in the editorial content of the materials produced” in the center.

• No Easter benefits this year. Minister of Labor and Social Protection Natalia Plugaru answered a reporters question on the topic saying that the focus was instead on winter heating compensation. Last year (an election year) more than 230,000 people benefited from one time holiday payments of between 1500 and 5000 lei. Meanwhile, Alexandr Stoianoglo proposed a bill in parliament to give an Easter Amnesty and drop all charges and fines related to electoral bribery and vote selling. While he couched the bill in religious terms, it was hard to avoid the fact that these voters were largely bribed by the Shor network to vote for him.

• PPDA connections with Shor? Vasile Costiuc’s Democracy at Home (PPDA) party announced that their candidate for Orhei Mayor this year will be Victor Perțu. This means that Unionist party PPDA is running a former senior member of the Shor party and campaigner for the Pobeda Bloc in one of the most significant mayor’s races in the country. Costiuc initially dodged questions about the nomination before giving this answer filled with confusing and unsubstantiated allegations:

“if the man is not officially banned from holding office, if he is not convicted, if he has not stolen and is not under criminal investigation, I do not see the logic in talking about a man who, what did he do? Carp and Maia Sandu participated in the theft of the billion”

• Minister of Finance Andrian Gavriliță announced that the President and Prime Minister are getting a raise. Currently President Sandu is the lowest paid head of state in Europe with a salary of just 22,000 lei / month. The Prime Minister currently earns 17,000 lei. In the last PAS term, salaries for ministers and other high level officials were raised but these top positions were skipped due to political sensitivities. The Socialists and other opposition parties regularly call for ministers to earn no more than a minimum pension. Responding to this expected criticism, the Minister of Finance stated that a “worthy country cannot pretend that politicians do not need salaries. I propose to citizens to beware of politicians who tell them that they will work even without salaries.”

International Affairs

Here’s a roundup of the top foreign policy stories of the week:

• Europe has woken up to a future without Viktor Orban. Responding to the landslide victory of pro-EU reformer Peter Magyar, President Sandu posted congratulations writing:

“Moldova looks forward to accelerating our partnership with Hungary — building on the friendship that unites our people — and to working together for a stronger, more united, resilient Europe.”

• US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) visited Chisinau on a working trip. The ranking member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee met with President Sandu and discussed the regional security situation, EU integration and joint US-Moldovan projects.

• A group of opposition MPs traveled to Georgia to meet with parliamentary factions and the Georgian Dream government. The group included Igor Dodon, 2 other socialist MPs, an MP from Alternative and Vasile Costiuc of PPDA. PAS and Our Party declined to join the delegation. Following meetings, Igor Dodon suggested that Georgia’s political situation4 “is a good example, which Moldova should follow.”

Transnistria and Security News

Here’s a roundup of the top security stories of the week:

• Mihail Podoleak, advisor to President Zelenskyy, confirmed that mines were placed on some parts of the border with Transnistria. He explained that this was a precaution against Russia being tempted to use the region to conduct strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and logistics.

• On April 3 another Russian drone entered Moldovan airspace before returning to Ukraine.

• The “authorities” in Tiraspol premiered a new “documentary” titled “The Transnistrian People: Forged Over the Centuries.” The propaganda film, largely made with AI, sought to position the “Transnistrian people” at the center of various major historical events in Europe.

• Former Transnistrian official Ruslan Mova was denied entry into Moldova. Mova is the former head of the region’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and was one of 9 regional officials stripped of their Moldovan citizenship by President Sandu in February. The motivation for Mova was his direction of, and participation in, the imprisonment of political prisoners and repression against the population. He left Chisinau on a Ukrainian passport and was stopped on March 30 trying to renter the country. With Moldova controlling 100% of the active “border crossings” into Transnistria, this means that officials who lose their citizenship due to human rights abuses risk either being trapped in the region, or trapped outside of it.

• Ion Chirița and Nikita Sirenko were convicted and sentenced in relation to their participation in training camps in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The men were part of Shor’s efforts to prepare for mass riots and violent demonstrations around the 2024 presidential elections. In particular, they were trained in piloting and using military style drones and making explosives and incendiary devices. The men admitted their action but claimed they were patsies for others. Ion Chirița was sentenced to 3 years in prison, suspended, and Nikita Sirenko was sentenced to 3.5 years with 3 years suspended. Sirenko, a Finnish citizen, will be expelled from Moldova at the end of his sentence.

• The US Department of Justice alongside European partners including Ukraine and Romania dismantled a worldwide network of infected home routers. The hack, directed by Russia’s GRU, used DNS poisoning to monitor traffic and create phony websites in order to capture login details and monitor messaging and emails. If you want to read more about this tactic, and how it was used to attack Moldova’s elections, see my recent report:

Economics and Infrastructure

Here’s a roundup of the top economic stories of the week:

• Moody’s has upgraded Moldova’s credit rating from B3 to B2. This is the highest credit rating for the country in 25 years. The company cited ongoing reforms, progress on EU accession and a “demonstrated an increased capacity to respond to shocks” - noting particularly the pivot away from Russian energy, efforts which they say have “contributed to an overall reduction in Moldova’s political event risk from previously very high levels.” New reports show that Moldova’s external debt was €10.11 billion euros as of December 31, 2025. This is up 2.4% since 2024 but down 2.7% as a percent of GDP. The vast majority of these loans are long term and at favorable interest rates from the IMF (27%), World Bank (26%), European Commission (15%), EBRD (7.8%) and others.

• The Ministry of Finance will delay VAT taxes on small imports until Fall. The imposition of VAT on parcels under €150 euros was planned to come into effect in July but has now been moved with a planned testing period in September and full implementation in October.

• Parliament is working to replace the Prima Casa (First House) program. High demand has led to the year’s funds for the program already being depleted on April 1st. Prima Casa is a subsidized preferential mortgage program with lower rates and a minimum down payment. The program will continue through banks, but government funds for additional subsidies for first home buyers are depleted. Critics of the program and its expansion under the last parliament say that it created demand for housing exceeding the supply resulting in a run up in pricing. That happened, and now the real estate market has essentially stalled with Q1 sales down 80% year on year. Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on the Economy, Budget and Finance, Radu Marian stated that the program “must be replaced with a mechanism that will stimulate the construction of new affordable apartments, rather than create pressure on the market through increased demand.” This new mechanism to encourage the construction of affordable housing will be announced soon.

• Parliament has introduced a draft law to eliminate tariffs on American goods. The law would have exceptions for local products including beef, pork, poultry and dairy. Speaker Grosu presented it as a “reciprocal gesture5” for the US dropping tariffs on Moldova from 25% to 10%, and spoke about the substantial support provided to Moldova from the United States including in energy infrastructure.

Crime, Corruption and Justice Reform

On March 31st anti-corruption police (CNA) and Anti-Corruption Prosecutors announced the detention of 4 police employees and 1 prosecutor for:

“complicity in passive corruption, manifested by the illicit demand of 400 thousand dollars for the settlement of a criminal case .”

Allegedly the accused demanded this bribe to sway the outcome of an undisclosed money laundering case. Newsmaker reported that other officers of the police unit, the National Investigation Inspectorate (INI), felt that their fellow officers were being detained on flimsy evidence. Many officers attempted to join the preliminary court hearings but were not let in. There were rumors that members of the INI resigned en-masse, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs responded saying that “There were dissatisfactions. We worked with the management team, both of the INI and the IGP. Today, this team is intact.”

Details on the alleged bribery are scant so we’ll return to this story as it develops.