EU COUNCIL EXTENDS FOR ANOTHER YEAR SANCTIONS AGAINST PERSONS WHO DESTABILIZE THE SITUATION IN MOLDOVA

The Council of the European Union has extended for another year sanctions “against persons responsible for actions aimed at destabilizing, undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence of Moldova.” As INFOTAG reports, the EU Council made such a decision on April 27.

Until April 29, 2025, the sanctions have been extended against 11 people. They are fugitive Moldovan oligarchs Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor, MP from the former party “Shor” Marina Tauber, former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ggeorghe Cavcaliuc, Russian businessman Igor Chaika, who was a business partner of former Moldovan President Igor Dodon.

The sanctions list also includes the heads of a number of companies affiliated to Ilan Shor. Among them are the chairman of the Scutul Poporului association, Chiril Guzun;

the director of the company Telesistem TV SRL (owns the TV channels Primul in Moldova and Accent TV, the broadcasting of which has been suspended), Arina Corşicova; the director of the company Media Resurse (owns the TV channels TV6 and Orhei TV, the broadcasting of which has also been suspended), Dumitru Chitoroag, a former member of parliament from the “Shor” party, Maria Albot; the deputy governor of Gagauzia, Victor Petrov.

Also included in the sanctions list is Dmitry Milyutin, deputy head of the Operational Intelligence Department of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), who, according to the EU, was in charge of Russia's cover operations in Moldova, particularly in the Transnistrian region, since 2016.

The first sanctions were announced by the EU at Moldova's request on April 28, 2023. The EU established a framework of targeted restrictive measures against persons responsible for supporting or carrying out acts undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, as well as democracy, the rule of law, stability or security of the country. On May 30, 2023, the Council adopted the first set of 5 lists under the new framework. In February 2024, the sanctions list was supplemented.

The sanctions involve freezing the assets of those on the sanctions list. EU citizens and companies are prohibited from providing them with funds. In addition, six people are subject to a travel ban that prevents them from entering or passing through the EU territory.