Moldova expels three Russian diplomats

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry declared the three "persona non grata" and ordered them to leave, saying there was "clear evidence'' of actions that violated their diplomatic responsibilities.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry has handed a note to Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov.

"The Foreign Ministry has sent the Russian diplomat a note declaring three employees of the Russian Embassy as persona non grata," the Moldovan foreign policy agency said in a statement. It insisted that the decision by the country’s authorities was based on "clear evidence of activities in the Republic of Moldova incompatible with diplomatic status."

Russia's Foreign Ministry pledged to take retaliatory measures, though it has not specified what those might be, as confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement to TASS.

In response, the Russian ambassador described the accusations from the Moldovan side as "untenable and unfounded." He called on Chisinau to "refrain from provocative speculation" and to return to a pragmatic dialogue on the full range of bilateral issues, which he said aligns with the fundamental interests of both the people of Moldova and Russia.

The expulsions came shortly after Moldova accused the Russian Embassy in Chisinau of helping a pro-Kremlin lawmaker evade a prison sentence. Russian officials have dismissed the accusations as baseless.

Alexandru Musteata, director of Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, stated at a briefing that the Russian Embassy had allegedly assisted Alexander Nesterovsky, a legislator from the Victory political bloc, in evading justice. He claimed that a day before Nesterovsky’s verdict was issued, the opposition activist was granted access to the embassy, and the following day, he was transported to Transnistria in a vehicle with diplomatic plates.

Nesterovschii was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison after being convicted of illegally funding a political party linked to Ilan Shor — a fugitive businessman and former lawmaker.

Shor, who fled Moldova after being linked to one of the country's biggest bank fraud scandals, has since aligned himself with pro-Kremlin causes.

According to regulatory filings, he is believed to have set up intermediary companies — some in partnership with sanctioned entities — to help Russian businesses evade Western financial restrictions. His political network has backed parties accused of undermining Moldova's pro-European trajectory.

Moldovan prosecutors say that Nesterovschii funneled money from Shor-linked sources to influence key political events — including the 2023 local elections, the 2024 presidential race, and a referendum on Moldova's bid to join the European Union.

The latest diplomatic tensions come as Moldova gears up for parliamentary elections this autumn, which will gauge the popularity of its pro-European leadership.

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