Moldova expels Russian embassy staffer after detaining 2 local officials

ISTANBUL

Moldova on Thursday said it expelled a Russian embassy staffer after the detention of two local officials on allegations of “treason and conspiracy.”

A statement by the Foreign Ministry said it summoned Russian Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov and handed him a note declaring the staff member as “persona non grata.”

The decision was taken based on activities conducted by the employee that are “incompatible with diplomatic status,” it added.

The ministry’s remarks come a day after Moldova's Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) said it detained two government officials who were suspected of "treason and plotting" against the country in their communications with an employee of an embassy in the capital Chisinau.

The SIS did not specify which embassy the accusations concerned, though multiple local media outlets referred to Russia’s diplomatic mission.

The Russian mission had termed the reports “another manifestation of the anti-Russian sentiments artificially whipped up in Moldova.”

Reminding that multiple Russian diplomats were expelled over similar accusations the previous year, the embassy claimed Moldova may be “preparing grounds” for a similar step.

Relations between Russia and Moldova, a former republic of the Soviet Union, have deteriorated since 2003 and completely degraded since pro-Western Maia Sandu was elected president in 2020.

Sandu’s condemnation of Russia’s “special military operation” in neighboring Ukraine has further escalated tensions. She has publicly accused Moscow of attempting to orchestrate her ouster and “destabilize” Moldova. Russia has denied the claims.