The Moldovan government on 25 June called “groundless and speculative” the accusations of the Russian authorities that two Moldovan citizens detained in Moscow are linked to the Moldovan special services. This was reported by the Moldovan service of Radio Liberty.
In addition, Moldova’s foreign ministry issued a travel warning against travelling to Russian Federation, claiming that several Moldovan citizens are being harassed, intimidated or ill-treated on its territory.
“Such behaviour reflects the systematic policy of the Russian authorities against Moldovan citizens,” the foreign ministry said.
According to the ministry, the Moldovan embassy in Moscow asked for access to several detained Moldovan citizens, but the Russian side denied it. The Moldovan authorities say they are now taking diplomatic steps to be able to provide them with the necessary consular assistance.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on 25 June, citing the Federal Security Service (FSB), that two” undercover agents “of the Moldovan secret service whose task was to “undermine Russia’s security” had been detained in Moscow.
Video footage released by the agency shows the two men speaking in Russian with a strong accent. They say they were recruited by a Moldovan Security Information Service (SIS) officer in June 2024 and July 2023 respectively, trained to gather information and then sent to Moscow to carry out “an important mission for SIS”.
According to the report, they would plead guilty and co-operate with investigators. A criminal case has been opened under the article “cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organisation”. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to 8 years.