Moldovan parliament reportedly searched in connection to Russian espionage investigation.

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Moldova's Security and Intelligence Service is conducting a search on the premises of the Moldovan Parliament due to an investigation into a case of Russian espionage, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's Moldovan Service reported on July 31. The search is related to a case of espionage focused on the head of the Moldovan Parliament's legal department, Ion Creanga, sources within the intelligence service told RFE/RL Moldova. Creanga was allegedly caught transmitting information to employees of the Russian embassy in Chisinau.

"At the moment, procedural actions are being carried out in a criminal case under the leadership of the prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Crime and Special Cases," an Intelligence and Security Service spokesperson told RFE/RL Moldova. "We will come back with more details during this day," the spokesperson said. Tensions between Moscow and Chisinau have been mounting since February 2022 amid fears that Russia's war in Ukraine may spill into Moldova via Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway territory that has hosted Russian troops since 1991.

Moldovan officials have repeatedly accused Russia of election interference and destabilization attempts.

WTF is wrong with Russia?

Moldova expelled 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff in the summer of 2023 due to "numerous unfriendly actions." Moldova media reported that the Russian embassy in Chisinau had 28 "spy antennas" installed on its rooftop, which could be used for signals intelligence gathering purposes. News emerged in June 2024 that Igor Gorgan, the former chief of the General Staff of Moldova's army, was working as an informant for the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU).

The general, who lost his post in 2021 after pro-Western President Maia Sandu took office, reportedly continued to use his contacts in the Defense Ministry and passed sensitive information on Moldova and Ukraine to Russia.

Sandu faces reelection and a referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU in October.

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