Moscow Strikes Back: Moldovas Diplomatic Tensions Escalate with Fresh Expulsions

On Friday, Russia announced the expulsion of three Moldovan diplomats in response to Moldova’s earlier decision to oust Russian embassy staff accused of facilitating the escape of a pro-Moscow lawmaker.

This week, Moldovan officials ordered the removal of three Russian diplomats, alleging that the Russian embassy assisted Alexandr Nesterovschi, a lawmaker facing imprisonment, in fleeing to the pro-Moscow region of Transnistria.

In response to these allegations, Russian officials dismissed the accusations as baseless and declared their own diplomatic expulsions.

«The accusations against the Russian diplomatic mission regarding meddling in Moldova’s internal affairs are completely unfounded,» said a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Nesterovschi disappeared shortly before a Moldovan court sentenced him to 12 years in prison for corruption and illegally financing a political party associated with the fugitive businessman Ilan Shor, who is currently in Russia.

In recent years, Russia and Moldova have expelled numerous diplomats from each other’s countries, with relations deteriorating as Moldova pursues EU membership amidst Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.