The Ice Descends on Chisinau
When compared to the last 10 years, Moldova is in the middle of an unusually cold winter. Snow that fell in early January is still on the ground and the capital’s lakes have frozen and provide space for a nice walk or a game of hockey.
But over the weekend the winter wonderland turned precarious as warmer temperatures began a snow melt and then quickly reverted - resulting in sheets of ice. Moldova does not have chemical treatments for roads and relies largely on sand. This worked well in high-traffic areas of Chisinau where the combination of lots of tires and the fact that asphalt is usually warmer than air temperature meant that most roads were ice free.
Not true for sidewalks and parking areas that are constructed of concrete pavers. These all froze solid into sheets. By the end of Sunday Chisinau’s emergency hospital set an all time record with 374 trauma injuries due to ice falls in a single day. This has continued since with medical personnel working long shifts and calls for people to put off non-emergency visits.
Chisinau initially closed schools on Monday but eventually extended this to the entire week with classes going remote. Balti did the same, and police suspended some intercity road travel in the north of the county. Truck traffic has been suspended at the border in some areas and the government declared that the start of any remaining classes and the workday itself would be delayed until 9 am all week.
Ice resulted in limited power outages in some villages and caused a fault at the Dubasari Hydroelectric Power Plant which resulted in a partial blackout of Dubasari and Corjova.
In spite of all of this strain, Moldova’s power grid and energy security situation is not showing signs of strain. Investments and lessons from past energy crises seem to have paid off in the first really cold winter since 2022. At the same time, the current situation in Ukraine is “close to a humanitarian catastrophe” according to Maxim Timchenko, director of the largest private power company in the country. With temperatures similar to, or colder than, Chisinau, 88,000 families in Kyiv had no power as of January 24th and Russian strikes continue to cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Presidential Priorities for 2026
President Sandu gave a press conference about her priorities in 2026. Here is an overview of what she said:
Priority 1: Foreign Policy
“When international law no longer protects you sufficiently, you need to have good friends, to be part of alliances (...) Moldova’s foreign policy will be oriented towards firmly anchoring our country in credible partnerships with states that help each other in an increasingly hostile world”
Priority 2: Security
“A modern, capable, well-equipped army is fundamental for our development, peace and freedom”
The President proposed an increase in defense spending to 1% of GDP in 2026.
Priority 3 : Child Safety
The President spoke of 3 focus areas here - mental health in the digital age, drug prevention and physical health. Most of her remarks focused on mental health and how much time children are spending online. She discussed new school programs to teach digital hygiene.
Analysis: No mention was made of banning social media for minors, but given the shift in that direction in France and across much of the world the topic may come up for discussion this year.
Priority 4: Anti-Corruption and Justice Reform
“In recent years, several measures have been taken, complex and ambitious measures, some with better results, others that still need to be worked on and these results demonstrated. But it is important that we manage to build a system in which every citizen has confidence”
Priority 5: The Diaspora
She brought this priority back to security stating:
“One of the factors that makes people leave is the uncertainty related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
Speaking to the assembled journalists the President concluded saying:
“I know that these realities can create unease. Anxiety and uncertainty, concern for tomorrow—these affect the life of each and every one of us. But it is my duty to call things by their name, especially now, in moments like these. (…) We understand that we must press forward with even greater determination toward European integration. European integration is our anchor of safety in the face of an uncertain future,”
Emphasis mine.
Political Updates
Here’s a roundup of the other top political stories of the week:
Olympic medalist Anastasia Nikita resigned from parliament. The PAS MP wrote on her social media that she was unable to juggle the work of parliament, being a mother and “remaining an athlete who still dreams of Los Angeles 2028.” The later was almost certainly the driving factor as rules against holding multiple jobs meant that she would have had to give up her athletic career while an MP. She joins 5 other PAS MPs who have resigned since the recent elections - most to pursue their former careers.
Gagauzia’s elections for the People’s Assembly, scheduled for March, are now on hold indefinitely. The news comes amidst a political squabble between the autonomous region and the central government. According to Moldova’s electoral legislation (updated in 2022) Gagauzia appoints a Central Electoral Council to run their elections. This body is subordinate to the national Central Election Commission. In December 2025 the People’s Assembly voted to create their own Central Election Commission in defiance of the law, actions which led to the Supreme Court of Justice suspending this “commission.” What appears on its face to be a semantic argument is really a case of the national government seeking to bring the region back into line after years of Shor control and mass electoral corruption1. On January 25th anti-government protests “In Defense of Gagauzia” took place in the autonomy. The events began and ended with prayers and included appeals to Donald Trump to intervene and to release Bashkan Gutsul from prison.
The government has initiated a process of Local Public Administration reform. This will begin with a series of public consultations, lead to a draft concept and further discussions in Spring and to an eventual presentation to parliament in Fall. Currently the plan is light on details but seems to envision merging small villages into common administrative centers and replacing defunct mayors offices with new public service centers. The stated goal is to empower local authorities and give them enough size to be competitive for absorbing EU funds. No statements have yet indicated a reform to the Raion system or some new vision for Moldova’s extremely small and fragmented regional governments.
International Affairs
Here’s a roundup of the top stories of the week:
President Sandu visited Poland this week and announced new defense cooperation agreements. Polish President Karol Nawrocki praised Moldova as a “model for many countries around the world, demonstrating how to escape Russia’s sphere of influence” and promised support for Moldova’s EU path as well as new bilateral military support. This visit is part of President Sandu’s diplomatic push in line with her 2026 priorities that included a recent speech in Strasbourg to PACE which Moldova Matters published in full:
Romanian AUR leader and Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) champion took part in a huge AUR delegation to Washington DC. There, he attended a gala event hosted by the “Republicans for National Renewal” that included US Representatives Ana Paulina Luna (R-FL), Andy Ogles (R-TN) and Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ). In a video from the event, Simion helps to carve up a Greenland shaped cake draped in the American flag. The event was also attended by Brian Brown, who seemed to accompany Simion on the whole trip and referred to him as “the next president of Romania.” Recall, Brown attended and spoke at the pre-election MEGA conference in Chisinau. Simion got an award at the gala and spoke of the need to unite the MAGA and MEGA movements. While carving the cake he can be heard to say “We need to get rid of Macron.” When challenged about his participation in the Greenland cake cutting he simply replied “This is the atmosphere at a reception in Washington DC these days.”
George Simion will attend the “International Alliance of Sovereigntists” gathering in Washington DC. The event, alternately called the “Alliance of Sovereign Nations,” was announced by US Representative Ana Paulina Luna with few details except that it will be a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum whose attendees can quote “keep their creepy bug eating dystopian bs to themselves” - Ana Paulina Luna. The event will take place on March 4-5 and is sponsored / organized by Turning Point USA.
President Sandu confirmed that she was not invited to join the “Board of Peace.” Answering a question about it, she stated that she “appreciates any genuine efforts aimed at achieving peace” but then pivoted to center questions of international law and territorial integrity - noting that Russia is currently violating Moldova’s territorial integrity and has been invited to the board. Most of Europe is refusing Mr. Trump’s board invitation for the time being and Canada’s invitation was withdrawn after Prime Minister Mark Carney offended Trump. You can see the current invitees and those that have accepted here.
Security - Another Drone Crashed in Moldova
This one was armed. This week a Geran-2 drone was found crashed in the garden of an uninhabited house in Crocmaz, Ştefan Vodă. The drone was armed with a BST-52 warhead including 50kg of explosives. Sappers removed the drone to a safe location and destroyed it in a controlled explosion.
President Sandu was asked by the press about whether or not simply condemning such actions and summoning the Russian ambassador was a sufficient response. She replied:
“Russia violates our airspace. The solutions are not simple, I agree with you that just expressing our position and condemning, in the case of Russia, is not enough, because Russia continues, both in relation to the Republic of Moldova and other independent states, to violate airspace,”
“It’s not simple, because all countries, after this war of Russia against Ukraine began, are trying to acquire such [air defense] equipment, and the demand is greater than the supply. Sometimes there are resources, but you have nowhere to buy. We are also trying to identify the resources, because, in our case, they are also a problem, and the manufacturers, so that we can strengthen the protection of the airspace as quickly as possible,”
Shor & Hybrid War Updates
Here’s a roundup of the top stories of the week:
Shor’s A7A5 Cryptocurrency turns 1 year old - and keeps growing. British blockchain analysis firm Elliptic published a report with updates on the rubble backed stablecoin / sanctions evasion tool. A7A5 has now surpassed $100 billion dollars in transactions and a trading volume of $17.3 billion (see footnote2). They report that A7A5 is succeeding as a “safe harbor” for those wanting access to USDT3. The report stated that the total accounts with A7A5 have doubled since July 2025 in part because of 3 new features: 1) easy purchase or A7A5 from PSB bank cards in Russia, 2) Stablepay - a virtual debit card feature designed to help Russians make online purchases like Netflix or ChatGPT4, 3) Digital Promissory Notes - these are the crypto bearer bonds we previously wrote about. Elliptic reports that in spite of account growth and new features, A7A5 has plateaued as sanctions are succeeding at constraining its growth.
Natalia Morari decided to test her travel ban to the EU and found… she is banned. The disgraced journalist attempted to cross from Moldova into Romania at the Leușeni-Albița checkpoint and was given an official decision showing that she is banned from the EU, European Economic Area and Swiss Confederation for 5 years. The ban cites “national security.” We first wrote about this ban, which also affected Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban and Shor-network politician Vasile Tarlev, back in July. Morari tested the ban as an on-video stunt and claims that she wanted an official rejection so she can sue5.
The FSB claims they arrested a Moldovan SIS agent in Moscow. Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) denied any connection to the arrested man. Journalists have reported that the arrested man is Serghei Mișin, former advisor to former-President Igor Dodon on interethnic relations. Later he was one of the founders of Shor’s Renaissance Party. IPN reports, citing sources, that this is a “settlement of scores between the Shor group and other allies of the Kremlin in the Republic of Moldova.” They claim that Serghei Mișin remained Igor Dodon’s man and that while the FSB is looking for culprits in their failure to influence the outcome of Moldova’s elections, Shor’s people are trying to feed them the heads of people associated with Dodon and the Socialists. President Sandu also refuted the FSB claims that he was a spy and took the opportunity to reiterate the government’s warning that citizens traveling to Russia risk arbitrary arrest and detention.
Crime & Corruption
Constantin Țuțu was sentenced to 8 years in prison. The former kick-boxer, turned Democratic Party MP, turned Plahotniuc’s “bodyguard” in exile, was convicted on illicit enrichment, false income tax returns and influence peddling. He was fined 450,000 lei and banned from holding office for 5 years. His lawyers are appealing and prosecutors, who had asked for 15 years in prison, are considering an appeal as well.
This is only one of the ongoing cases involving Mr. Țuțu, who previously avoided accountability in a murder case by running out the clock on the statute of limitations.
The details of this case are… frankly, stupid. While an MP Țuțu twice extorted €20,000 euros from the same family with the promise of getting their relative released from detention. Both times he did nothing and both times he gave the money back after being confronted by the family (he kept €2000 at one point which only served to elevate the later extortion charges).
Mr. Țuțu is not famed for his brilliance. Recall, after initially being detained with Plahotniuc in Greece, he was released because there was no international arrest warrant for him. He then constructed a one man criminal chase spree (while not being chased) that culminated in sneaking across multiple borders and attempting to bribe a Moldovan border guard… and immediately getting arrested. Other criminal cases are ongoing, including charges of attempting to illegally cross the border.
Economics & Infrastructure
Here’s a roundup of the top stories of the week:
The first tests of the Vulcănești - Chișinau high voltage line were successful. Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu stated that the line is now being energized but that construction of the power stations at either end of the line must still be completed. When operational this line will be able to carry 50% of Moldova’s peak energy consumption.
The Ministry of Economy has announced a raft of new public services available on the EVO app. The digital app now integrates m-sign and m-cabinet as well as the ability to request a large number of digital services. Michelle Iliev, Secretary of State for Digitalization stated that this is only the beginning saying:
“Moldova will be among the first countries to implement the Digital Wallet and remote identification, to offer every entrepreneur and citizen a digital office anywhere in Europe.”
In the 2024-2025 elections around 4% of all Gagauzian residents have been fined for electoral corruption - more than 4x the national average.
Transactions are anytime a transfer happens between one wallet or another while trading volumes are a basic indicator of total liquidity. So basically the coins circulate quite a lot but have much lower liquidity.
US and European sanctions and seizures have made holding USDT dangerous as wallets can be seized or frozen. A7A5 is used for holding assets which are then switched to USDT and immediately used for transactions - the speed of which makes intervening harder.
These services are not sanctioned in Russia, but bank services are. Without VISA and Mastercard Russians have no way of conducting online commerce in most countries.
As she is not a citizen of Romania or any other EU country it is very unclear how she plans to challenge this in court… or even what court she will try. Mayor Ceban also made loud noises about lawsuits but quietly stopped talking about it later.