Moldova has expelled three Russian diplomats after accusing Moscow’s embassy in Chisinau of helping a convicted pro-Russian lawmaker escape justice, escalating one of the sharpest diplomatic confrontations between the two countries in recent years. DW reported that Moldova’s Foreign Ministry declared the diplomats persona non grata, said there was clear evidence they had acted outside their diplomatic responsibilities and ordered them to leave the country.
The immediate trigger was the case of Alexander Nesterovschii, a parliamentarian aligned with pro-Russian forces. He had been sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison after being convicted of illegally funding a political party linked to fugitive businessman and former lawmaker Ilan Shor. Moldovan prosecutors say Nesterovschii funneled money from Shor-linked sources into key political contests, including local elections, the presidential race and a referendum tied to Moldova’s European Union ambitions.
According to Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service, surveillance footage showed Nesterovschii entering the Russian Embassy in Chisinau the day before sentencing. The agency said he was then transported in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates to Transdniestria, the breakaway region that has existed under de facto Russian control since the early 1990s. If correct, that would mean diplomatic privileges were used not for protected state business but to remove a convicted politician from the reach of Moldovan law.
Russia rejected the accusation. The Russian Embassy in Chisinau called the allegations unfounded and unacceptable, and Moscow’s Foreign Ministry promised retaliation without spelling out its next steps. That response all but guarantees the dispute will continue beyond the expulsions themselves. Yet the Moldovan government framed the affair as more than a bilateral diplomatic quarrel. Intelligence chief Alexandru Musteata described it as part of a mechanism of hybrid aggression aimed at the Republic of Moldova.
President Maia Sandu reinforced that message by condemning what she called direct interference in Moldova’s judicial system. Her reaction reflects the broader worldview of Moldova’s pro-European leadership, which has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to destabilize the country as it pursues closer ties with the EU. Moldova was granted candidate status in 2022 and has set a goal of joining by 2030, making questions of sovereignty, foreign influence and institutional resilience central to its politics.
The Nesterovschii case also connects to the longer saga around Ilan Shor, a central figure in one of Moldova’s biggest banking scandals. DW said Shor has since aligned himself with Kremlin-friendly causes and is believed to have built intermediary companies, some tied to sanctioned entities, to help Russian businesses bypass Western restrictions. His network has supported parties accused of undermining Moldova’s pro-European course, which helps explain why Moldovan authorities see money, elections and external influence as parts of the same problem.
This is not the first rupture. Moldova expelled a Russian diplomat in August 2024 over spying accusations, and in July 2023 it removed 45 Russian diplomats after reports that the embassy was being used for surveillance operations. Even after those expulsions, officials believed some people with intelligence links remained in place. The latest move therefore looks less like an isolated spike and more like another chapter in a sustained effort by Chisinau to reduce Russian leverage.
The timing is especially sensitive because Moldova is approaching parliamentary elections that will test support for its pro-European leadership. Against that backdrop, the alleged use of embassy channels to spirit away a convicted politician carries significance beyond one criminal sentence. It raises the stakes around whether Moldova can enforce its laws, protect its elections and pursue its Western course while facing persistent pressure from a far more powerful neighbor.
