Judge for themselves: Moldova is speeding up the consideration of cases against the opposition

The Moldovan authorities accelerated the conduct of criminal cases against representatives of the Party of Socialists in order to sentence them as soon as possible, Izvestia found out. Its members were more often summoned to the courts and the prosecutor's office. Initiated cases threaten with arrest, deprivation of a mandate and a ban on holding public office. Earlier, the authorities arrested the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, who has repeatedly advocated closer relations with Moscow and criticized the ruling forces. And on March 31, Irina Lozovan, a representative of the Pobeda bloc, was sentenced to six years in prison. What other measures will the Moldovan authorities take before the elections and what role does the EU play in this case — in the Izvestia article.

Pressure on the opposition in Moldova

The Moldovan authorities have stepped up criminal investigations against members of the Party of Socialists in order to sentence them as soon as possible.

— Now the authorities have accelerated the consideration of criminal cases in courts and prosecutor's offices against deputies and the leadership of the Party of Socialists. Judicial and legal pressure is growing. They accelerated all this in order to bring charges faster. Party members are more often summoned to the courts or the prosecutor's office," Bogdan Tsyrdea, a deputy from the parliamentary Bloc of Communists and Socialists, told Izvestia.

Prosecutors are requesting data on the costs of politicians: the cost of car maintenance, the price of housing, and even tuition and sports sections for children, the deputy added. They face imprisonment for several years and deprivation of their mandate. In addition, party members may be banned from holding public office.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

Earlier, the Party of Socialists protested in connection with the detention of Bashkan of Gagauzia Evgenia Hutsul. She was captured on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. First, the Hutsul were detained for 72 hours, after that they were arrested for 20 days. Hutsul was accused of violating the procedure for managing the financial resources of election funds, illegally financing election competitors, forgery of documents and false statements in declarations. The prosecutor's office demanded that the Bashkan of Gagauzia be arrested for 30 days.

The day after Hutsul's detention, the head of the Chance party, Alexei Lungu, also received a summons to the national Anti—corruption center at the Chisinau airport. On March 31, a Chisinau court sentenced Irina Lozovan, an opposition MP from the Victory bloc, to six years in prison, and her husband to five years. All the detainees opposed Chisinau's radical anti-Russian policy. Members of the Pobeda bloc generally call for rapprochement with Moscow.

After the detention of Evgenia Hutsul, protests intensified in various settlements of Gagauzia. The residents of the autonomous region demand from the central authorities the immediate release of Bashkan and the cessation of pressure on the autonomy. Rallies are also taking place at the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow.

The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul

Photo: RIA Novosti/Rodion Proka

It is still not worth expecting that the protests will spread to the whole of Moldova after the detention of Evgenia Gutsul, says political analyst Oleg Bondarenko. But closer to the parliamentary elections, the situation will change rapidly. According to his forecasts, the situation will develop unpredictably.

On March 31, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry declared three employees of the Russian Embassy persona non grata. Earlier on Monday, the head of the Information and Security Service, Alexander Mustatse, said that MP Alexander Nesterovsky had fled to Transnistria, allegedly with the assistance of the Russian Embassy. Prior to that, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in a case of voter bribery. The Russian side called the accusations "unfounded and unacceptable." On March 19, Nesterovsky received Russian citizenship due to political persecution by the Moldovan authorities.

Visibility mode: mass protests began in Moldova against the arrest of the head of Gagauzia

The authorities in Chisinau are trying to destroy the opposition before the situation in Ukraine is resolved.

The situation in Moldova

The Moldovan authorities will continue to restrict the work of the opposition, Oleg Bondarenko believes. It is obvious that after the Victory bloc, Chisinau will begin to switch to other opposition parties, he believes.

But it's not just about politicians. Earlier it became known that the Moldovan authorities intend to introduce censorship on the Internet before the parliamentary elections. It is assumed that websites can be blocked without a court decision in 24 hours. Officially, the project is aimed at preventing crimes, but it is possible that it can also be used as a restriction on freedom of speech. In recent years, 13 TV channels and dozens of websites have already been closed in the republic. In the fall of 2024, more than 100 Telegram channels were blocked there.

On March 28, 2025, the broadcasting license of the opposition TV channel TVC21 was suspended in Moldova. It is noteworthy that Maia Sandu herself gave interviews to this media outlet before becoming president.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

Chisinau has received carte blanche from Brussels for such actions, Oleg Bondarenko is sure.

— Sandu has received the go-ahead from Brussels for the toughest actions. Europe began to pursue an aggressive policy on all its outskirts. This applies to the Balkans and specifically Serbia, Moldova, and Romania. Brussels is preparing for a long and very tough confrontation with the Russian Federation and defends any areas where it is not confident in its abilities," he says.

The ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and President Maia Sandu advocate rapprochement with the West and severance of relations with Moscow. Although with the coming to power of the PAS in Moldova, the already existing economic crisis has worsened. The situation worsened in the winter of 2024 after Kiev blocked the transit of Russian gas to Transnistria. Moldova received most of the electricity from the Transnistrian GRES, therefore, after the cessation of supplies, Chisinau was forced to buy it from Romania at higher prices. Against this background, unrest has been going on in the republic for a long time due to a sharp drop in living standards and dissatisfaction with the actions of the authorities. Farmers, railway workers, and teachers come out to protest.

In the same winter, gas prices also jumped. In December 2024, the growth was 27.6%. Moreover, in 2025, the National Bank of the Republic expects inflation to rise to 7.3%.

Photo: Global Look Press/Marcus Brandt

The decline in living standards is reflected in the rating of the ruling party: according to the results of the first iData opinion poll in 2025, only 27.2% are ready to vote for it in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Back in December 2024, this figure was 29.8%. The situation now generally resembles the situation on the eve of the presidential elections in 2024. Then, too, they began to open criminal cases against the opposition.

Increased pressure: what will happen to the detention of the head of Gagauzia

Repressions against the opposition have intensified in Moldova, as it advocates improving relations with Moscow.

The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2025. There is no exact date for the vote yet, but it is expected to take place between July and October. Moldova is a parliamentary republic, so these elections play a key role in terms of what policy Chisinau will adhere to both inside and outside the country.