Three Moldovan nationals have been arrested for allegedly training in Russian-run subversion camps in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, authorities said, amid growing concerns over foreign attempts to destabilize the country.
The Moldovan Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) alleges that the three men – aged 27, 36, and 50 – attended the camps in August 2024, as per Balkan Insight.
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“The purpose of the training was to prepare the organisation of mass unrest during the presidential elections and the referendum in autumn 2024.”
Maia Sandu, Moldova’s incumbent pre-European president, was re-elected in November 2024 – after a presidential campaign fraught with accusations of Russian interference.
The authorities said the arrests were made on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The previous month, Moldova voted narrowly in favour of joining the European Union – despite what Sandu described as an “unprecedented assault” on Moldovan democracy. Moldovan police claimed at the time that hundreds of young people had been trained in Russia and the Balkans to provoke “mass disorder” on the streets.
In their statement, PCCOCS accused the three men of travelling to the Republika Srpska, a Serb-controlled territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to train in subversion techniques.
“They learnt how to operate drones, studied [Moldovan] government buildings, embassies and institutions, received instruction on crowd psychology, and trained in clashes with the police.”
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For each training module, they reportedly received between $300 and $400.
Moldovan authorities had previously made four arrests in connection with the camps, according to RFE/RL. Police suspect Ilan Shor, a Russia-based oligarch wanted for embezzlement in Moldova, of master-minding and funding the operation.
The French and Polish presidents, along with Germany’s chancellor, visited Moldova on Thursday to express their solidarity with Sandu in advance of Moldova’s parliamentary elections, which will be held on Sept. 28.
As per Reuters, Sandu warned that a pro-European victory is far from guaranteed, citing threats of illegal foreign financing, disinformation, cyber-attacks, and paid protests.
“It depends on the choices we make,” the Moldovan president said.