Latest news with #YevgeniaGutsul
The Guardian
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Moldovan regional leader sentenced to seven years in prison over Russian funding
A court in Moldova has sentenced the pro-Russia regional leader Yevgenia Gutsul to seven years in prison for funnelling Russian money to finance a political party, in a landmark case that will further fuel tensions with Moscow. Prosecutors said Gutsul systematically funnelled undeclared funds into Moldova between 2019 and 2022 to finance the now-banned pro-Moscow Șor (Shor) party, founded by Ilan Shor, a pro-Russia businessman living in exile who was convicted of fraud in Moldova. Gutsul, 38, was elected head of the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region in 2023, becoming the region's bashkan, or governor, in a surprise vote that Moldova's pro-western government said was tainted by Russian influence and funding. She has previously been placed on the EU and US sanctions lists on suspicion of destabilising Moldova. Last March, Moldovan police arrested her at Chișinău airport as she was boarding a flight to Turkey, accusing her of electoral fraud. On Tuesday Gutsul described the verdict by the court as an attempt by the authorities to intimidate the people of Gagauzia. 'This is a warning to the entire opposition: go against the regime and you'll end up in prison, have your property confiscated, and your life destroyed,' she said, adding that she did not recognise the verdict and would fight to clear her name. She has always denied wrongdoing and her lawyer, Sergiu Moraru, has vowed to appeal against a ruling he called 'a public execution'. Gutsul's sentencing comes at a crucial moment for Moldova's pro-EU, western-oriented president, Maia Sandu, who narrowly won re-election last year. Her Action and Solidarity party now faces challenging parliamentary elections in late September against a coalition of Russia-friendly forces. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, tiny and impoverished Moldova has gravitated between pro-western and pro-Russia courses, though the shadow of the Kremlin has always loomed large. Moscow also has 1,500 troops stationed in Transnistria, a region run by pro-Russian separatists who broke away from the control of Moldova's government in a brief war in the 1990s. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Under Sandu, Moldova applied to join the EU and has pursued a decisive break with Moscow, whose invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has raised fears that Moldova could be next. Sandu has accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country with the help of Shor, a billionaire who has also been sanctioned by the west. Shor was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison last year in connection with his role in the disappearance of $1bn from Moldova's banking system. He fled to Israel and later to Moscow, where he founded a political movement with Kremlin backing. Moscow was quick to condemn Gutsul's sentencing. The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moldova had trampled 'the rules and norms of democracy' by sentencing her to seven years in prison. Gagauzia, a small region populated by a Turkic ethnic minority, has emerged as a stronghold of pro-Russian sentiment in Moldova. It has had an uneasy relationship with the capital, Chișinău, since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, but unlike Transnistria, which has its own de facto government, has remained under Moldovan control. Since her election as head of Gagauzia, Gutsul has made frequent trips to Moscow, meeting high-level Russian officials and securing an audience with Vladimir Putin.
Malaysia Sun
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysia Sun
EU creating liberal dictatorship in ex-Soviet country Moscow
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the prosecution in Moldova of regional head Yevgenia Gutsul as politically motivated repression Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denounced the Moldovan authorities' efforts to imprison the leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Gutsul, calling it an example of "European anti-values in action." Gutsul, who was elected as Gagauzia's governor in July 2023, was detained on March 25 while attempting to leave Moldova. Authorities have accused her of illegally financing the banned Euroskeptic SOR party. She has denied the charges and called the case politically motivated. The Moldovan Prosecutor's Office requested a nine-year prison term for on Tuesday. In addition, authorities have called for a five-year ban on Gutsul holding public office. "The European anti-values are in action. From a hardworking country, Brussels is forging a liberal dictatorship," Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. Gutsul's arrest has triggered protests outside the courthouse in Chisinau, with supporters calling the proceedings a politically driven attempt to neutralize opposition in the region. In October 2024, the EU also sanctioned Gutsul for "promoting separatism," maintaining "close ties with Russia," and allegedly threatening Moldova's sovereignty. President Maia Sandu's government, in power since 2020, has pursued rapid integration with the European Union and NATO. Opposition figures, including former President Igor Dodon and members of the Victorie party, have accused the government of repressing dissent and abandoning Moldova's traditional ties with Russia. Gutsul has appealed to foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene. In a March letter, she urged Putin to exert pressure on Moldovan authorities for her release. Russian officials and opposition groups in Moldova have warned that the central government is increasingly using law enforcement to suppress political rivals and religious institutions. In recent months, clashes between police and Orthodox Christian demonstrators at protests have drawn additional criticism from pro-traditionalist factions. Gagauzia, a largely Russian-speaking autonomous region in southern Moldova, has historically favored closer ties with Russia and has opposed Moldova's integration with the European Union. In a 2014 referendum, more than 98% of voters in the region supported joining the Russia-led Customs Union. (
Russia Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU creating ‘liberal dictatorship' in ex-Soviet country
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denounced the Moldovan authorities' efforts to imprison the leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Gutsul, calling it an example of 'European anti-values in action.' Gutsul, who was elected as Gagauzia's governor in July 2023, was detained on March 25 while attempting to leave Moldova. Authorities have accused her of illegally financing the banned Euroskeptic SOR party. She has denied the charges and called the case politically motivated. The Moldovan Prosecutor's Office requested a nine-year prison term for on Tuesday. In addition, authorities have called for a five-year ban on Gutsul holding public office. 'The European anti-values are in action. From a hardworking country, Brussels is forging a liberal dictatorship,' Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. Gutsul's arrest has triggered protests outside the courthouse in Chisinau, with supporters calling the proceedings a politically driven attempt to neutralize opposition in the region. In October 2024, the EU also sanctioned Gutsul for 'promoting separatism,' maintaining 'close ties with Russia,' and allegedly threatening Moldova's sovereignty. President Maia Sandu's government, in power since 2020, has pursued rapid integration with the European Union and NATO. Opposition figures, including former President Igor Dodon and members of the Victorie party, have accused the government of repressing dissent and abandoning Moldova's traditional ties with Russia. Gutsul has appealed to foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene. In a March letter, she urged Putin to exert pressure on Moldovan authorities for her release. Russian officials and opposition groups in Moldova have warned that the central government is increasingly using law enforcement to suppress political rivals and religious institutions. In recent months, clashes between police and Orthodox Christian demonstrators at protests have drawn additional criticism from pro-traditionalist factions. Gagauzia, a largely Russian-speaking autonomous region in southern Moldova, has historically favored closer ties with Russia and has opposed Moldova's integration with the European Union. In a 2014 referendum, more than 98% of voters in the region supported joining the Russia-led Customs Union.
Russia Today
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Court extends Moldovan governor's arrest
A court in Moldova has ordered Governor Yevgenia Gutsul, who heads the autonomous region of Gagauzia, to be held in custody for 20 days. Prosecutors had asked for her to be remanded for one month. Gutsul is a vocal critic of the country's pro-Western government. The official was first detained on Tuesday at Chisinau International Airport, with the Moldovan authorities saying she was on a wanted list. On Friday, prosecutors said the governor stood accused of complicity in illegal campaign financing in the 2023 election. The politician won the governor's post in Gagauzia that year. She was also charged with falsifying documents. Law enforcement officials did not provide any further details about the charges, citing a pending investigation. Gutsul herself maintains her innocence. Her lawyers have denounced the court decision as 'absurd' and vowed to appeal. 'When there are no legal arguments [in favor of such a court decision], there are other arguments. I believe they are political in this case,' one of the politician's lawyers, Sergiu Moraru, told journalists after the hearing. Read more Kremlin responds to arrested Moldovan governor's appeal to Putin The governor herself labeled the investigation a 'political case' linked to her role as Gagauzia's leader. She has accused Chisinau of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region's autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration. The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in southern Moldova. Their region has been granted broad rights to self-government. On Thursday, Gutsul appealed to both Russia and Türkiye to apply pressure on Moldovan President Maia Sandu's administration in defense of Gagauzia's rights. The Kremlin responded that it had 'reviewed' Gutsul's request. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the actions of the Moldovan authorities are at odds with the democratic principles proclaimed by the West. Chisinau claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country's attempts to become a member of the EU. Moscow has accused Moldova of cracking down on politicians and journalists who advocate closer ties with Russia.
Russia Today
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin responds to arrested Moldovan governor's appeal to Putin
The Kremlin said on Thursday it had reviewed an appeal by Yevgenia Gutsul, the detained leader of Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for help in securing her release. Gutsul was taken into custody on Tuesday evening at Chisinau International Airport, with the Moldovan authorities saying she was on a wanted list. In a statement released via her lawyers on Thursday, she accused the government of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region of Gagauzia's autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration. Also on Thursday, Gutsul appealed to both Russia and Türkiye to apply pressure on Moldovan President Maia Sandu's administration in defense of Gagauzia's rights. In her message to Putin – published on her Telegram channel – she said the region looks 'with hope and faith to Russia,' a country that has 'never betrayed friends' and always stood by those 'who fight for the truth and their legal rights.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to TASS that Moscow had 'reviewed' Gutsul's request, and said her detention was at odds with the democratic principles proclaimed by the West. Read more EU candidate's pro-Western government arrests autonomous region's leader Peskov had already condemned the arrest on Wednesday, calling on Moldovan authorities to stop putting pressure on political opponents. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova echoed that criticism, accusing the government in Chisinau of cracking down on politicians and journalists who advocate for closer ties with Moscow. According to Moldovan media, Gutsul was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, which she won. Her campaign was accused of financial irregularities. The Moldovan government claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country's attempts to become a member of the EU. The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in southern Moldova. Their region, Gagauzia, has been granted broad rights to self-government. Sandu has questioned Gutsul's mandate as governor, denouncing her former party 'Shor' as a 'criminal organization.' A court in Chisinau banned the party in 2023.
