Denis Dermenji is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Moldovan Service.
RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service infiltrated a secretive outreach effort affiliated with fugitive billionaire Ilan Shor’s banned political party that lavishes free trips and gastronomic delights on young foreigners so they “get to know Russia.” In exchange, all they must do is “show interest.”
Moldova has rejected a Russian request for polling stations in the breakaway Transdniester region, another sign that countries on Russia's periphery are committed to countering Kremlin influence.
Priests from the Russian-led Moldovan Orthodox Church are joining a rival church based in neighboring Bucharest. The defections indicate the groundswell of anti-war sentiment among Moldovans and the widespread frustrations with the Russian Orthodox Church's "promotion of pro-Russian interests."
In August, Moldova kicked out 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, citing fears of Moscow's efforts to "destabilize" the country. But among the diplomats remaining in Chisinau, a new investigation by RFE/RL has found that many of them are linked to Russian intelligence agencies.
