Weekly Roundup: ZdG Wins Europe's Top Investigative Journalism Prize and Other Stories
June 2, 2024
Signs of Growing Ties Between Shor’s Network and Romania’s Far Right
Last week Mateea Petrescu was stopped at Moldovan customs for 3 hours before being allowed in the country. Petrescu is a Romanian citizen who rose to prominence as a public relations advisor for the Tate brothers during their many legal troubles in that country. In Romania’s recent elections she was a communications advisor for George Simion and the AUR party. In that capacity she represented AUR in their $1.5 million dollar contract with American PR and lobbying firm BGD Legal & Consulting LLC.
The Romanian outlet G4Media reports that Petrescu was traveling to Moldova to meet with Shor-linked political figure Victoria Furtună. The journalists reported that she had meetings scheduled with various people in the Shor network, but no public confirmation of such meetings has emerged and Furtună denied the reporting claiming that she had never heard of Petrescu.
In a separate report this week, Romanian investigative outlet Snoop reported on how Ilan Shor’s “Eurasia” NGO has been placing paid stories in major Romanian press outlets. These stories, which were marked as “advertorials,” were published on PRO TV News and Libertatea, two of the largest national news outlets in Romania. Both articles were clearly marked as paid placements and identified Eurasia as being behind it. The articles praised the work of Eurasia in supporting farmers in Moldova and organizing cultural exchange events.
Shor’s Eurasia project started last year when members of his team created the NGO for use in various aspects of his hybrid war against Moldova. Eurasia has opened bank cards to provide “donations” to Moldova citizens in Gagauzia and frequently promoted Russian narratives and propaganda. Last autumn ZdG reported that Eurasia had sponsored free trips to a summer camp in Russia for “dozens” of children from Moldova. These children were sent to a camp in Russia that is used for the “reeducation” of children stolen from Ukraine - part of the criminal actions that led to the International Criminal Court indicting Vladimir Putin and others in the Russian government.
Both news sites removed the advertorial content when stories linking Eurasia to Shor, and reminding them that Eurasia is under EU sanctions, were released. Neither publication provided a clear explanation to Snoop about how they started doing business with a sanctioned entity in the first place. The site reported that these were the first instances of such materials appearing in the national press, but that previous article have appeared in Romania’s local press - and some of them are still active.
Other Shor and Hybrid War News
Here’s a roundup of the other Shor related stories of the week:
Shor lieutenant and Chance party leader Alexei Lungu has had his Romanian identity card revoked. Lunga had received Romanian citizenship through a repatriation program but was found to have registered fictitiously at an address where “many” other Moldovans were registered. Romania has been working to crack down on similar schemes after finding as many as a thousand people fraudulently registered as living in the same space in order to apply for citizenship.
Ilan Shor’s company A7 has made major property acquisitions in Moscow. They purchased a 26,700 sq meter business center and a car dealership of 7,100 sq meters. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, except that Shor purchased the properties from state-owned Promsvyazbank1.
Moldova’s State Tax Service (STS) has blocked accounts and frozen assets for 5 Shor linked figures. Bashkan Eugenia Gutsul and NGO Eurasia director Nelli Parutenco were among them. The STS took the action in response to Moldova’s enforcement of the EU’s sanctions against these individuals "for actions aimed at destabilizing, undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence of Moldova."
ZdG journalists Măriuța Nistor and Natalia Zaharescu won the European Press Prize for their investigation "In the Service of Moscow." The jury called the it “A mind-blowing undercover investigation showing how Russian money and networks of influence operated in Moldova — paying off people in cash to show up at rallies and vote against pro-EU candidate Maia Sandu.” They are the first Moldovan journalists to win this highest award in European investigative journalism. Speaking in parliament following the news, Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu remarked:
"The undercover investigation "In the Service of Moscow", carried out by journalists Măriuța Nistor and Natalia Zaharescu from Ziarul de Garda, was awarded the prestigious European Press Prize in the Investigative Journalism category.
It is the highest distinction at the European level in journalism and this shows the extraordinary quality of investigative journalists from Moldova. Congratulations to the editorial staff of Ziarul de Garda and the entire team that promotes free, courageous and quality journalism."
International Affairs and Security
Here’s a roundup of the top international affairs stories of the week:
In his first speech after his inauguration, Romanian President Nicușor Dan reiterated his support for Moldova. In it he stated:
"This is support for the European path of the Republic, consolidation and expansion of joint projects in the field of energy and transport infrastructure, creation of the Fund for Guaranteeing Romanian Investments in Moldova, continuation and expansion of cultural and academic exchanges of experience. This is also ensuring the functioning of those institutions that create difficulties - customs and the National Citizenship Authority,"
Romanian politician Călin Georgescu has announced that he is retiring from politics. The far-right politician says that he plans to focus on his family and will not join or promote any political parties or movements. He stated that he believes “this stage of the sovereignist movement has ended from my point of view” without elaborating.
President Sandu awarded the Order of the Republic to former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili. Moldova’s highest state honor was awarded to her "for the protection of democratic values, the preservation and promotion of the dignity of citizens, human rights and peace, as well as for the consistent struggle for Georgia's European future." Zurabishvili is the last popularly elected President of Georgia and was pushed out of office in a move she and many others considered unconstitutional as part of the Georgia Dream’s recent consolidation of power.
President Sandu was awarded the Theodor Heuss Prize in Germany. The prize, which has been given yearly since 1964 to honor “exemplary democratic disposition” was given to her with the citation "exceptional commitment and great personal dedication to reforming Moldovan legislation and state institutions in order to advance democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Moldova."
Over 17 tons of humanitarian supplies were delivered to Moldova from the State of North Carolina. The aid included medical supplies, books, sports equipment, clothing and more. This delivery comes as part of the long enduring North Carolina - Moldova partnership.
Lithuania has donated 100 First Person View (FPV) drones to Moldova. This was announced by Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on a recent trip to Chisinau. Prime Minister Recean stated that they will be used "To monitor and ensure the safety of the airspace." This is the first publicly reported acquisition of drones by the Moldovan security services and comes at a time when the world has again been reminded by Ukraine how central small drones are in modern warfare.
Political Updates
Here’s a roundup of the top politics stories of the week:
Vladislav Kulminski will be Moldova’s new ambassador to the United States. For more information about this appointment see this weekend’s Moldova Matters article. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian will also be appointed as an ambassador to Türkiye. Commenting on Kulminski’s appointment President Sandu began be stressing how important Moldova’s relationship with the United States is, and saying:
"The approach of the new administration has changed, and now we need to review some details. I have had meetings with representatives of Congress - both Democrats and Republicans. There were very good discussions, but there are new topics on the agenda, and the new ambassador should deal with them."
Parliament did not support an initiative by former PAS MP Olesea Stamate to create an investigative commission to look into the scandal around the amnesty bill. The proposal was backed by 28 MPs including 4 from PAS, 2 “independents” and 22 from the Communist and Socialist parties. 15 PAS MPs voted against while 41 abstained. Stamate promised to conduct her own investigation and expressed “disappointment” in her former colleagues.
Chisinau still has no municipal budget. City counselors from the PAS and Socialist parties refused to support the mayor’s budget creating deadlock in the council. Last year Chisinau operated 6 months without a budget because the mayor refused to produce one on time. This year, Mayor Ceban presented his budget but internal fights have prevented it from getting passed.
Everyone claims they want to debate everyone else. This week PAS MP Radu Marian challenged Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban to a debate on the topic of flooded streets following the recent rains. Mayor Ceban then challenged President Sandu, Prime Minister Recean and Speaker Grosu to some kind of 1 vs 3 debate on the Chisinau municipal budget and "other issues of interest to citizens." Former PAS MP Olesea Stamate also challenged Speaker Grosu to a debate about the amnesty law that led to her being kicked out of the party. None of these debates will happen (nor was there any chance that they would), but the various challenges and political rhetoric can be seen as a sign of the unofficial start to this summer’s campaign.
A ZdG investigation has shown that 75% of the leadership of the MAN party are also employees or advisors in the Chisinau Primaria (city hall). A total of 48 people affiliated with the party work for the institution. They noted that there are multiple instances of prominent people joining the MAN party and then quickly being hired into paid positions advising Mayor Ceban. ZdG also notes how there is often little delineation between any public responsibilities these individuals have and their political roles - showing that many of them post political messages on their social media during work hours. Asked to comment on what this says about the meritocratic hiring practices at the Primaria, Mayor Ceban dodged the question saying only “You take a pea and turn it into an elephant."
The government announced a 3.2 billion lei investment in road construction, repair and maintenance in 2025. Prime Minister Recean called this an “unprecedented budget for roads” and promised to build or modernize 600 km of roads this year. Investments will focus on regional and local roads.
Mayor Ceban dodged a question from journalists about when he last traveled to Russia saying only “not for a very long time.” He was further asked about a 2023 Estonian journalistic investigation that reported that he was in Russia on February 24th, 2022 and that he covertly returned to Moldova via Germany and Romania. Ceban did not answer questions on this saying only that he would clarify his location on the day the invasion of Ukraine started sometime in the future. He rebuked the journalist for not focusing on other issues saying:
"I thought we would discuss current issues, because I have always been accused of representing someone's interests. The leftists have "married" me to Washington and Bucharest, the rightists are spreading in the media that I am "Moscow's canned goods" or "Moscow's hand,"
70 people including 7 MPs were cited for wearing the banned St. George’s ribbon on May 9th events. Igor Dodon was invited to appear at the police station and pay his fine, to which announced plans to appeal and responded:
"I am not going to give up the symbols of Victory just because Maia Sandu and PAS want it. (…) The St. George ribbon is not politics.2"
Crime, Corruption and Justice Reform
Here’s a roundup of the top justice sector stories of the week:
Prosecutor General Ion Munteanu was officially appointed as a judge on the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ). The Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) nominated Alexandru Machidon3, current interim deputy chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (POCOCSC) to become acting prosecutor general.
Hackers announced a major data breach from compensatii.gov.md on the dark web. They claim to have personal date for more than 700,000 families who registered with the site to claim energy compensation benefits last winter. The hackers claim to be auctioning the data. Moldova’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service (STISC) has categorically denied the information leak and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection stated that the website was guarded by the “highest cybersecurity standards” including access only by electronic signature. No evidence of the leak has appeared publicly as of writing.
The anti-corruption police (CNA) detained multiple people related to a major bribery scheme at Moldovan customs. Iurie Gorea, head of Central Customs Bureau, was detained in the case allegedly involving a bribe of over €40,000 euros. Cristian Olărescu, head of the Căușeni Customs was also detained in the same case along with a customs broker. CNA alleges that these bribes were made to “facilitate the passage of goods across the customs border of the Republic of Moldova when importing goods into the country intended for the Transnistrian segment.” The case has taken on a political context because Iurie Gorea is the former business partner of Andrei Spinu as well as the godfather to his children. Spinu, who formerly served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure in the PAS government, has denied any links to the case. Gorea’s facebook shows that he is a regular promoter of Spinu, PAS and European integration.
Economics and Infrastructure
Here’s a roundup of the top economic stories of the week:
Apartment prices in Chisinau have skyrocketed in 2025. New apartments now average in price €1906 / sq meter - up 25% since Q4 2024. Prices of existing / old apartments have climbed to €1324 on average. Experts are calling this rise a crisis in housing stock driven by increased demand by foreigners as well as internal migration of Moldovans to Chisinau from other parts of the country.
A report from the Center for Partnership for Development shows inequality in Moldova is growing. Their report shows that 31.3% of the Moldovan population lives in “absolute poverty” - defined as an income less than 3,500 lei / month. An additional 15% live in “extreme poverty” with no income at all. Poverty in rural areas is 21% higher than in cities and the poverty rate for families with 3+ children is over 50%. The income of the top 20% is 6x higher than the bottom 20%, a modest increase since 20184.
The Moldova Fruct Association has called on the government to declare "a state of national spring calamity in agriculture.” The association, which represents more than 250 modern agribusinesses in the field of fruit production and processing, cites 2 waves of unseasonal April frosts and late May hailstorms as the cause of the crisis. They estimate an average harvest loss of 70% across their industry with some areas of the country facing 90-100% loss of their harvest. They are asking the government for urgent force majeure5 declarations, allocations of EU money for support, help paying debts, etc. Government spokesman Daniel Vodă stated that the government is gathering data through local commissions and will react when they have a clear picture of the situation.
This is the same bank Shor used to facilitate his voter bribery schemes in last year’s election. Back when these oligarchs were running Moldova, property transactions involving controlled banks were a common way of repaying loyalties, making payments to supporters or conducting other schemes.
Yes, it is. Recent politics too - if you’re interested in the 20 year history of this symbol of Russian imperialism check out this article.
Alexandru Machidon is the Romanian formulation of “Alexander of Macedon,” which is the way Romanian speakers refer to Alexander the Great. I’m just noting this here because it strikes me as wild that parents with the family name Machidon would name their kid Alexandru. Perhaps they suspected that he was destined for great things?
I’ve written in detail about this topic in the past and highlighted the serious problems in the income reporting for people in the top income brackets - namely that it seems to be a major undercount. You can find that analysis here:
In Moldova the legal status of force majeure is certified by the Moldovan Chamber of Commerce. During COVID it became clear that this is a political process with the chamber refusing to declare force majeure even as businesses were prevented from operating. This meant that contractual clauses suspending payments of rent, etc could not be triggered by businesses that were shut down by government order. This was apparently a quiet decision by the government to protect banks and property owners at the expense of the lenders and landlords. This is relevant because it showed that while force majeure is supposed to be a legal tool it can (and has) been politically dictated in the past. This is why the association is calling on the government to act rather than simply applying for this status or going through the courts.
Wow, so much going on - everywhere - my head is swimming from Moldova - Russia - EU - USA . . . . trying to keep up is a daily battle. But I will do my best! Thanks for keeping Moldova in front of many of us who care but are so far away.