Weekly Roundup: Moldova Bids Farewell to Eugen Doga

June 9, 2025

Legendary Moldovan Composer Eugen Doga Has Passed Away

On June 3rd Moldovan composer Eugene Doga passed away at the age of 88. In his career he composed dozens of symphonic pieces as well as soundtracks and scores for over 200 works of cinema and theater. His most famous pieces is a waltz that was an original composition for the 1978 Soviet romantic drama film "My Sweet and Tender Beast.” Ronald Regan called it “the waltz of the century” on a visit to Moscow and UNESCO declared it one of the 4 musical masterpieces of the 20th century. His music was played at the opening events of the 1980, 2014 and 2022 Olympic Games.

Listen to the waltz on youtube here.

Doga was buried on June 5th which was declared a national day of mourning. At his funeral, which was held at the National Palace, family as well as officials and cultural figures gathered to pay tribute to his life and career. Prime Minister Recean spoke at the event saying:

"The maestro is gone, but his music will resound through time. […] Eugen Doga united us all here, in this hall, and everywhere. Those who knew him closely will remember him as a man with a warm soul, who loved life and was very hardworking. And those who know him only through music will always applaud his genius. Eugen Doga made Moldova famous throughout the world, inscribed us in the world cultural heritage and made us proud that our small country gave the world an outstanding person, a titan,"

Prime Minister Recean speaking at Eugen Doga’s funeral. The maestro is pictured. Photo source: gov.md

While many political leaders attended the event, both from government and opposition, Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu did not as he was traveling in the Netherlands for the opening of Moldova’s embassy there. Also not present was President Maia Sandu with her spokesman saying only that "The President is on a private visit." The Presidency noted that she personally conveyed her condolences to his family.

Praise for Doga also came in from the Kremlin where Russian President Vladimir Putin released a statement calling him an “outstanding composer” and saying that Doga’s “educational and charitable activities are a bright page in the history of our multinational culture.¹”

The Fall of Plahotniuc Occurred 6 Years Ago this Week

On June 8th President Sandu marked the 8th anniversary of the key turning point in Vladimir Plahotniuc’s fall from power posting:

"When on June 8, 2019, I said from the rostrum of Parliament, 'The dictator has fallen,' I knew that this was just the beginning of a long and arduous path of cleansing the state, of modernizing and building a European, sovereign and free Moldova."

On this day in 2019, legislators from the ACUM Block (PAS and Platform DA) and the Socialist Party united in a temporary alliance and with 61 MP passed a "Declaration on the condemnation of the attempt to usurp power in the state in favor of the PDM by the CC [Constitutional Court]." This followed Plahotniuc refusing to accept the outcome of the elections and using his control of the Constitutional Court (CC) to try and compel President Dodon to dissolve parliament. He also sought to remove Dodon from office.

This declaration was passed in parliament in darkness, by the light of cellphone flashlights, since Plahotniuc’s confederates had cut power to the building in an attempt to prevent a government from forming against him. The precarious alliance of ACUM and the Socialists installed Maia Sandu as Prime Minister but the Constitutional Court ruled this unconstitutional setting up the last phase of the dramatic standoff.

During the following days hired thugs blockaded ministry buildings to prevent the new government from taking control of the government. Plans for mass protests and counterprotests were made and the city of Chisinau felt like it was a powder keg². On June 14th, after a famous “10 minute conversation” with the US Ambassador, Plahotniuc fled the country and his Democratic Party withdrew their hold on power. Ilan Shor also fled on the same day. The Constitutional Court promptly reversed its position once Plahotniuc was no longer in power.

President Sandu went on to write about the years that followed posting:

“Complicated years followed, with crises at the regional and global levels, a bloody war on the border, we also made mistakes, we experienced resentments, but we always took care of the people and the country. And I would not like us to forget, in the face of daily challenges and current problems, where we started. And what we managed to achieve – the status of a candidate country for EU accession, respect from the countries of the world, peace in troubled times, freedom of speech and protest in Moldova, the real chance of well-being. We remember why we came – we did not come for applause, we said it 6 years ago, we are not ideal, we are learning, but our goal has remained the same over the years – for things to be well at home,”

She ended with a warning not to forget the past and to consider what the fate of the nation might have been had Plahotniuc, Shor, Platon and others of the oligarchic class not been driven from power.

Also this week, the State Tax Service moved to freeze more assets associated with Plahotniuc, Platon and 2 Shor affiliates on the basis of EU sanctions. Plahotniuc is assumed to be hiding in Turkish Cyprus avoiding his Interpol Red Notice.

Political News

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

• The Alternative Block of political parties has called for amnesty for those accused of electoral corruption in the 2024 elections. The block, led by Chisinau Mayor Ceban, former Socialist backed presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo, former Socialist Prime Minister Ion Chicu and Mark Tkachuk, called on law enforcement to focus on the “real organizers” of electoral corruption “among government officials, law enforcement agencies, and election structures.³” Speaker Grosu responded saying “Alternative is asking us to accept the theft of votes. The demand by Ceban, Tkachuk, Stoianoglo and Chicu for an amnesty for those who sold their votes is, in fact, a demand for an amnesty for Shor.”

• The Ministry of Culture has allocated 13.3 million lei for the production of 9 films in Moldova. The money will be awarded following a competition held by the National Cinematography Center. The plan is designed to bolster Moldova’s movie industry by funding 2 full-length original Moldovan feature films, 4 feature films of joint Moldovan-foreign production, and 3 joint production documentaries.

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed a bill amending the laws regulating firearms ownership. The bill aimed to exempt holders of public office from the requirement to undergo psychological evaluation, and to receive firearms training before holding a gun permit⁴. It also creates a temporary import status for firearms held by security officials of foreign dignitaries and bans the sale of weapons to Transnistrian residents who currently, or previously, worked for the region’s local “authorities.” The bill caused swift public backlash, and backlash from MPs, leading to the Ministry of Internal Affairs withdrew segments of the bill exempting public officials from the above requirements within days.

** Correction: In an earlier version of this article it incorrectly stated that parliament had registered this bill. In fact the Ministry of Internal Affairs registered it for public consultation and MPs broadly pushed back on the bill. It is still being consulted publicly but the Ministry withdrew aspects of the bill as stated above. Parliament did not officially register the bill and these changes were made early in the public consultation process. .

• Journalists and a former Defense Minister propose to unite the opposition under the “For Moldova” platform for the September elections. The initiative comes from former Communist MP and TV journalist Ludmila Belcencova, journalist Dumitru Chubashenco and former Defense Minister Victor Gaiciuc. The Communist and Socialist Parties announced their support for this initiative and Vasilie Tarlev announced that his Future of Moldova party would also join. In addition to Tarlev, who has been widely reported as Shor’s man, Ludmila Belcencova is also closely connected to Ilan Shor. She is (or was⁵) the director of his astroturfed NGO “Stop Media Ban,” which has been responsible for generating disinformation about Moldova in English speaking countries. Moldova Matters has previously reported extensively on these efforts. A PAS spokeswoman called this effort the "unification of pro-Kremlin forces."

Shor / Hybrid War News

Here’s a roundup of the top news related to the Kremlin’s hybrid war against Moldova:

• Bashkan Evghenia Gutsul’s trial for illicit campaign financing has now completed. On June 6th the trial examination ended with judges scheduling closing arguments for July 1st. Following this date the court will adjourn for the judges to consider the verdict. The Bashkan’s lawyers are continuing to make motions to derail the trial challenging the constitutionality of the law on illicit financing of parties and trying to removed judges from the panel hearing the case. The case against Gutsul has been in court since April 2024 and is now expected to wrap up in the coming month.

• The Insider reports a major disinformation campaign targeting Maia Sandu has been ongoing since April 16th. The Russian investigative outlet (in exile) reported that the campaign is pushing 2 narratives - first, that Maia Sandu would be executed on June 1st. Second, that the President and Ukraine’s first lady were engaged in a conspiracy to sell Ukrainian children into sexual slavery in the EU. The campaign is being conducted by the Matryoshka botnet and fake news websites affiliated with the late Yevgeny Prigozhin’s “Internet Research Agency.” The insider reports that the threat actor was previously dubbed “Storm-1516” by Microsoft researchers and brings together the Internet Research Agency, Russia’s GRU spy agency and former American police officer, turned internet troll, John Mark Dugan⁶. The most notable aspect of this campaign is the scale, with experts reporting to the Insider that the campaign rivals Russian attempts to interfere in the German Bundestag elections in February of this year.

• Disinformation posing as Euronews attacks Moldova. A fake media campaign that stole the branding of Euronews and the likeness of various Euronews journalists, is spreading disinformation about Moldova online. The stories allege that Moldova has the highest rate of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Europe and is a threat to the EU due to mass migration. It also alleges that Romania warned France against interfering in their elections last month. The campaign also steals the likenesses of various Romanian officials on social media posting various claims attacking Moldova’s EU integration as a security threat for the EU.

International Affairs and Security

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

• Bloomberg has reported that the Trump administration pressured Moldova to take deportees from other countries. The reporting states that the US government had been pressuring countries in the region, especially Serbia, Moldova and Kosovo, to take unwanted deportees⁷. Currently, the US has such an arrangement with El Salvador. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “switched the vector to himself” putting Serbia forward to take these deportees as part of his strategy to get close to the new American administration. Vucic is currently working with Jared Kushner on a new Trump Tower in Belgrade, has met recently with Donald Trump Jr. and awarded Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell with the country’s highest civilian honor. The story notes that efforts to identify more countries in the region to take deportees are ongoing.

• Newly elected Romanian President Nicușor Dan will visit Chisinau on June 10th. On his official visit he will meet with President Sandu, Prime Minister Recean, Speaker Grosu and other political leaders. In addition to an official state dinner, President Dan will jointly appear alongside President Sandu at a public event entitled "The Common European Future of Romania and the Republic of Moldova" at the Organ Hall.

• Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned citizens against travel to Russia. The ministry cites the “deteriorating security situation in the region” as well as cases of “coercive measures” against foreign citizens including Moldovans as reason to avoid all non-essential travel.

• Prime Minister Recean alleged that Russia hopes to deploy 10,000 troops to Transnistria. In an interview with the Financial Times the Prime Minister spoke of Russia’s hybrid war stating that "This is a huge effort to undermine Moldovan democracy. They want to consolidate their military presence in Transnistria." He alleged that a Kremlin friendly government could facilitate the stationing of troops in Transnistria that would be used to threaten Ukraine.

Crime and Justice Reform

This week a 23 year old Ukrainian woman named Anastasia Shadrina escaped from Prison No. 13 in Chisinau. The inmate was able to remove the bars from a window in a facility where she was attending a training and escape. Police have circulated her picture and are asking residents to call 112 should they see her.

Anastasia Shadrina was sentenced to 5 years in prison in March for fraud related to her participation in a “relative got into an accident” scheme. These schemes, which have become much more prominent in the last 5 years costing victims an estimated 36 million lei, involve extorting money from people by telling them that their loved ones are hurt and in need of medical care. Fraudsters use AI and other tricks to convince victims that they are really with their loved ones and they need help. Shadrina was caught after a fraudster contacted a serving police officer who helped facilitate a sting which led to the arrest of Shadrina when she came to receive the money. She faced deportation to Ukraine following her 5 year prison sentence and the payment of a 250,000 lei fine.

Economic and Infrastructure

Here’s a roundup of the top economics, infrastructure and energy security stories of the week:

• PAS MPs and Ministers refute new poverty statistics. Last week we wrote about how a new report shows Moldova’s poverty rate is increasing and that a large portion of the population, especially the rural population and households with 3 or more children, are living in poverty. Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Buzu stated this week that these statistics do not take into account government aid and subsidies - particularly around energy. PAS MP Radu Marian echoed this and also cited increases in the minimum wage (150%), average wage (90%) and minimum pension (160%) over the last 4 years. The National Bureau of Statistics responded by agreeing that state aid to families is not captured in the general poverty metric but cited a new metric developed in 2022 called “multi-dimensional poverty” which does take this information into account. Under this metric, poverty saw a slight decrease in the last 4 years. Marina Solovieva, expert at Expert Grup, called out this debate saying that politicians do not have the “right to act as statisticians” when they don’t agree with the numbers.

• Moldova will guarantee a €400 million euro loan from the EBRD to Energocom for the purchase of gas supplies. This loan is to provide liquidity for the state owned company to purchase and stockpile natural gas and electricity for Moldovan consumers. Similar mechanisms have been used in past years, but starting in 2025 Energocom will begin directly supplying customers with gas in place of MoldovaGaz. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called out this loan saying:

"Moldova will take a €400 million loan to refuse the services of the Russian-Moldovan gas distribution company Moldovagaz, the Moldovan government reports. Translating from Romanian to Moldovan, we get: to plunder and drive the country into energy bondage,"

It’s worth noting that Russia alleging that the EU is trying to put Moldova into “energy bondage” was stated without any sense of irony. It’s also worth noting that the “Romanian to Moldovan” translation seems to be a new formulation for the Kremlin to indicate when they are about to translate facts into lies.

1. “our multinational culture” is the way one might refer to the subject of a multinational empire, not a citizen of Moldova. While this was likely very intentional from Putin, it is fascinating to view Doga’s life through the lens of all of the history he witnessed. This list of his citizenships on his wikipedia page, and their respective years correlating to the changing authorities over the territory of modern day Moldova, highlights a long life in a tumultuous part of the world.

2. As a personal note, I remember those days vividly. At the time I was not writing about politics but simply running a BBQ restaurant. My business partner and I would stand outside the restaurant and sip coffee in the morning and watch as a mob of paid ruffians milled around outside the Ministry of Internal Affairs across the street. Plahotniuc claimed these were patriotic individuals protecting the country from Sandu and Dodon’s “usurpation of power.” Curiously, they came with portable toilets and had catered food delivered. Also, they would periodically come over to my restaurant with crisp 200 lei bills looking for beer - but left when they discovered that our prices were higher than they hoped (craft beer - you pay for that quality). Mass demonstrations against the dictator oligarch were planned for Sunday June 16th. I felt, as did many people, that this was a moment of real peril - that the oligarch would likely soon resort to violent repression and that the street movement and legal government would not back down. As it was, he left on Friday, most likely seeing the writing on the wall. Moldova has indeed come a very long way since those days. If you’re curious, you can read a detailed chronicle of the events of June 7th to June 13th 2019 here (in Romanian).

3. Essentially they are saying that Shor and the Kremlin did not try and steal the elections but that President Sandu, PAS, the police and the Central Election Commission did. Obviously no evidence was presented and they have refused to engage with the massive evidence of Kremlin election interference and voter bribery.

4. Moldova has an interesting system whereby members of parliament are permitted to request a handgun free of charge when they take office. Moldova is the only post-Soviet country, and one of the very few in Europe, that permits firearms ownership for the express purpose of self defense. People who request permits must undergo periodic psychological evaluation and attend trainings on proper use, storage and care of firearms.

5. It’s unclear if the organization still exists and its website appears to be defunct.

6. The NYTimes wrote a fascinating piece on Dugan and his strange path from law enforcement to fugitive running troll farms in Russia.

7. To be clear, these “deportations” whereby someone is expelled without due process to a country other than that of their citizenship are more properly referred to as extrajudicial renderings.