Moldova detains 74 over alleged Russia-unrest plotStaff WritersAPMon, 22 September 2025 11:35PM
Moldovan authorities have carried out 250 raids and detained dozens as part of an investigation into an alleged Russia-backed plan to incite “mass riots” and destabilise the country around a critical parliamentary election.
The raids targeted more than 100 people and took place in multiple locations across the country, police said.
Seventy-four people were detained for up to 72 hours, said Victor Furtuna, Moldova’s chief prosecutor from the Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases.
Moldovans will vote to choose a new 101-seat parliament on Sunday, in an election many view as a choice between Moldova’s continued path toward European Union membership or closer ties with Russia.
Moldova’s police said that the unrest plot was “coordinated from the Russian Federation, through criminal elements”.
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Furtuna said that most of the suspects “systematically travelled” to Serbia, where they received training and that they were aged between 19 and 45 years old.
The head of Moldova’s police, Viorel Cernauteanu, said that some of the suspects didn’t know the real purpose of their trips, which were presented as pilgrimages, and only later became involved in “training for disorder and destabilisation”.
He added that the investigations were “not aimed at political entities, despite interpretations. Rather, it was aimed at documenting the criminal intent and organisation of these individuals who travelled to Serbia for training.”
Moldovan authorities have long accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war — meddling in elections, disinformation campaigns, illicitly funding pro-Russian parties — to try to derail the country’s path toward European Union membership.
Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in Moldova.
In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied to join the EU and was granted candidate status that year.
Brussels agreed to open accession negotiations last year.
Moldova’s westward shift further irked Moscow and tensions between the two nations skyrocketed.
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