Gagauz leader who previously traveled to meet Putin detained in Moldova

Moldova detained Evghenia Guțul, the pro-Russian leader of the Gagauz minority, at Chisinau airport, amid a criminal probe into illegal funding of the banned ȘOR Party, Reuters reported, citing Moldova’s Anti-Corruption Center official Angela Starinschi.

The official confirmed to Reuters that Guțul, the Bashkan (head) of Gagauzia, was held for 72 hours late on Tuesday following the disappearance of two other wanted pro-Russian MPs, Alexandr Nesterovschi and Irina Lozovan.

"The action is being taken within the context of a criminal case," Starinschi said, linking Guțul to allegations of funneling Russian money into Moldova between 2019 and 2022 as a secretary for the now-outlawed ȘOR Party.

The detention follows the vanishing of Nesterovschi—previously sentenced to 12 years for similar charges—and Lozovan, who awaited indictment, both allies of fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, convicted in 2023 for a $1 billion bank fraud.

Elected Gagauzia’s leader in 2023 with Șor's backing, Guțul met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in 2024, cementing her Kremlin ties.

Prosecutors allege she systematically imported funds from a Russian organized crime group to bankroll Șor’s political machine, aimed at swaying Moldovan elections.

On February 13, two Shahed drones exploded in southern Moldova, prompting a diplomatic protest to Russia.

On March 2, French President Emmanuel Macron warned of Putin’s potential designs on Moldova and Romania.

On March 20, Ukraine’s SBU security service foiled a Transnistrian's attempt to steal drone tech for Russia.