High Winds Cause Damage and Injuries Across Moldova
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.
“Liquidators” was the name of the people - often soldiers but not always - who were sent by the Soviet authorities to contain the disaster and then clean it up. Most worked with little in the way of protective equipment and risked their lives - often unknowingly - to prevent the spread of radiation.
It’s worth noting that Polish PM Donald Tusk recently warned of a potential Russian attack against NATO saying “I’m talking about short-term perspectives, rather months than years.” His comments came shortly after the Duma’s passage of the law and in the context of increasing questions about America’s commitment to NATO Article 5.
I really like keeping up with what's going on in Moldova through Moldova Matters. Helps me feel a little less "so far away". Great job David!