Hello and welcome back to Moldova Matters! This is part 2 of this week’s roundup. If you missed part 1, which dealt with the flurry of news related to national security, you can find it here.
Moldova and Romania Bid Farewell to Ilie Ilaşcu
Ilie Ilaşcu, aged 73, passed away on November 17th in Bucharest. Ilaşcu was the founder of the National Liberation Movement of Bessarabia (1988 - 1992) and became a symbol of Moldovan and Romanian resistance to the abuses of the Transnistrian “authorities.” Living in Tiraspol Ilaşcu campaigned for the 35,000 ethnically and linguistically Romanian residents (17% of the city’s population at the time) who had no schools or other public facilities in their native language. He led the Tiraspol branch of the Popular Front of Moldova from 1989 until it was liquidated by the Transnistrian “authorities” in 1992.
During the war he fought behind the lines with a special purpose military unit under the Ministry of National Security of the Republic of Moldova. In 1992 he was arrested along with other leaders of the group in Tiraspol by elements of the Soviet / Russian 14th Army and sentenced to death.
While in prison, Ilie Ilașcu was elected to the Moldovan parliament and became an MP from 1994-2000 during his prison tenure. He was then elected to the Romanian parliament and became a Romanian parliamentary delegate to the Council of Europe - all while sitting in a Tiraspol prison. After 9 years in prison he was released following international diplomatic pressure. In later life he served as a Romanian Senator before retiring from public life in Bucharest.
On his passing, Romanian President Nicușor Dan stated:
“Today we say goodbye to a patriot who believed and acted without hesitation for a dream of union and freedom. Ilie Ilașcu, an example of uprightness and courage, reminds us that the fight for national identity and dignity is worth the price, no matter how high it may be,”
“When we refer to heroes, we often think of those who sacrificed themselves in the past to preserve freedom. However, Ilie Ilașcu was a contemporary hero with us, a symbol of Romanian resistance in the separatist Transnistrian region who, faced with terrible threats and long years of political detention, remained steadfast and was not afraid to risk everything for his ideal,”
President Sandu declared November 20th a day of national mourning and Speaker Grosu commemorated Ilașcu saying:
“We said goodbye to Ilie Ilașcu, who will remain in the collective memory a symbol of the fight for the sovereignty and integrity of our country. He had a difficult and unjust fate. We are obliged to learn from the lesson that his courage transmitted to us. May God rest him in peace,”
One of the most potent commemorations was a piece written by ZdG journalist and co-founder Alina Radu, titled “Ilie Ilașcu. Homage.” In it she published excerpts of dozens of letters she exchanged with Ilașcu during his tenure in prison.
Ilie Ilașcu was buried with military honors in Bucharest.
Political News
Here’s a roundup of the top political stories of the last week:
Prime Minister Munteanu attended the EU enlargement forum November 17-18 in Brussels. There he touted the tangible results of Moldova’s closer relationship with the EU starting:
“ Almost the entire banking sector has integrated into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which allows for transfers to European countries with significantly reduced fees. At the same time, from January 1, Moldovans will benefit from “Roaming like at home” throughout the European Union.”
Governor of the National Bank Anca Dragu released early data on SEPA integration. She noted that in the 1 month since Moldova joined the payments area, transactions between Moldovan entities and the EU have increased by €300 million euros (to over €1.3 billion), of which 50% were by individuals. The lower transaction fees resulted in €1.4 million euros of savings for individuals and companies.
Mayor Ceban announced plans to finally seal off the Hotel National. Following the tragic death of a 13 year old girl in the derelict building, and many attempts to deflect blame to the national government, the mayor has ordered a fence to be build and security cameras installed. City Hall is also looking to create a plan for other dangerous buildings in the city as well.
Mayor Ceban called on the government to declare a state of emergency regarding illicit drug use. He cited a 6% increase in the number of people registering for addiction treatment over the last 2 years as evidence of a crisis1.
Crime & Corruption
Here’s a roundup of the top justice sector stories of the week:
On November 19th a court ruled that Plahotniuc will remain in preventative custody for another 30 days. Under Moldovan law the custody order must be reviewed monthly. Prosecutors continue to argue that he is a flight risk, while the oligarch’s lawyers claim that there is no evidence of this2.
A London court has delayed extradition hearings for Veaceslav Platon. The fugitive oligarch was supposed to be in court on November 24-28, but his lawyers successfully argued for more time to examine his case. Hearings are now scheduled for May 11-15. Platon was arrested in March of this year and released on £330,000 pounds bail in July.
Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, announced the arrest and pending deportation of Moldovan fugitive Victoria Sorocean. In September 2013 Sorocean and an accomplice were convicted of murder and sentenced to 17 years in prison. She and her accomplice tortured their victim with beatings and using an electrical chord before they threw her out of the window of a 9th story apartment building. ICE first arrested Sorocean in 2020, but she was released in 2022 pending an appeal for asylum. She will now be deported to Moldova to serve her sentence.
Igor Dodon’s trial in the Kuliok case will restart from scratch. In June 2025 one of the judges on the 2 judge panel was elevated to a seat on the Constitutional Court causing a pause in the trial. A new judge has been appointed and the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) ruled that the judicial investigation should be restarted. The first hearing is scheduled for November 25th.
Economics & Infrastructure
Here’s a roundup of the top energy stories of the week:
A mini-scandal has unfolded with state energy company Energocom. Following the handover of natural gas sales operations from MoldovaGaz to Energocom, tens of thousands of consumers reported highly inflated energy bills. This resulted in numerous accusations against the government and not a few conspiracy theories. The company explained that local distributors are responsible for reading the gas meters, and when they are unable to access the meter, utilities are billed at an average consumption rate from past years of the same period. With unusually warm temperatures this year this resulted in many consumers getting inflated bills. Energocom has asked affected users to contact them if they are concerned and assured that rates will automatically be corrected once the next meter reading occurs.
The Ministry of Energy announced that the Vulcănești-Chișinău high-voltage power line is 99% complete. The last pillars and last kilometer of line are currently being installed. In order to be put into use, the Chisinau 330 kV Power Station and Vulcănești 400 kV Power Station must also be upgraded. These are at 78% and 58% completion respectively. Following the completion of the power stations a 60 day gradual power up and test period will begin. This leaves it unclear if the line can be operated in an emergency this winter, but the work is largely proceeding on schedule. Once completed, the 157 km power line will carry 630 MVA of power, 50% of the country’s peak use.
Ending on a High Note!
This week students Arsenie and Arina Chițanu, 6th and 4th grade respectively, made a fascinating archeological find. The students of the Nicolae Kasso Lyceum in Chiscareni, Sîngerei District found an ancient carved figurine of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. The Cucuteni–Trypillia peoples built a neolithic civilization centered on modern day Moldova from 5050 to 1950 BC. They are known for their pottery and the vast quantity of figurines they produced - modernly thought to be statues of a goddess. Representatives from the National Agency for Archeology thanked the children and their geography teacher for the find. The figuring will be donated to the Museum of History and Ethnography of the city of Sîngerei.
This seems to be a new line of political attack against the government aligned with accusations of corruption and smuggling at border points. There are no clear statistics or indications that there is any rise in illicit drug use.
Who doesn’t have dozens of passports and fake identities?