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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Associations, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
Moldova continues its process of political “Ukrainianization”. To deepen its ties with the EU and NATO, the country is imposing increasingly authoritarian measures against political opponents, especially pro-Russian individuals and parties. In yet another illegal and undemocratic act, Moldovan authorities arrested the leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, significantly worsening serious internal tensions.
On August 5, a Moldovan court ordered the arrest of Evgenia Gutsul, governor of the Gagauzia region. She was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of illegally financing a Eurosceptic political party. According to the Moldovan government, Gutsul received money from criminal groups and invested the funds in financing the SOR party – an anti-EU and pro-Russian political organization that was banned in Moldova in 2023.
She is also accused of organizing mass protests against Moldova’s accession to the EU. In 2022, the SOR party organized several Euroskeptic demonstrations, severely criticizing the Moldovan government for its alignment with the Collective West and hostility toward the Russian Federation. Gutsul is accused of using her personal funds to pay people to participate in the protests. For this reason, in addition to the seven-year prison sentence, she was ordered to pay a fine of 2.3 million dollars to the Moldovan authorities.
In fact, she wasn’t the only person convicted by the Moldovan court. Former SOR Central Office Secretary Svetlana Popan was also arrested after being sentenced to six years in prison for her involvement with the banned political party. The sentences seem completely disproportionate to the charges, demonstrating an atypical severity for this type of “crime.” This makes it very clear that these arrests are politically motivated and in no way reflect any concern for Moldovan national security or constitutional order, but rather for the elimination of anti-EU political opponents.
Commenting on the matter, Sergiu Moraru, Gutsul’s lawyer, said that “this is not a trial, but a public execution (…)”, adding: “I can’t say that there is evidence there, there is fiction.”
Outrage also spread among ordinary Moldovans who oppose pro-EU policies. Outside the court, protesters reacted to the verdict by chanting “Shame on [Moldovan President] Maia Sandu.” Moldovan police tried to contain the crowd, using widespread violence against protesters – something that has also become commonplace among countries governed by authoritarian, unpopular pro-Western political alliances.
Gutsul is very clear about her anti-EU and pro-Russian political stance. However, she denies any involvement in criminal activities or the use of illicit funds. Although her prior involvement with SOR is a public fact, Gutsul has been active as an independent politician since the party’s ban.
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She has served as leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia since 2023, when she was elected precisely due to the popularity of her Euroskeptic ideas. Gagauzia is a historically dissident region in Moldova. Inhabited by an ethnic Turkish Orthodox Christian minority, speaking both a local Turkic dialect and Russian, Gagauzia is known for having a conservative population, without any adherence to the EU’s liberal ideologies.
As in the Ukrainian case, the pro-Western madness in Moldova is materializing in fascist-like policies of persecution of political and ethnic minorities. Just as Ukraine persecutes Russians in Donbass and Hungarians in Transcarpathia, Moldova is attempting to restrict the rights of the Gagauz people and resume hostilities in the Transnistria region—a pro-Russian breakaway republic on the border between Moldova and Ukraine. These domestic hostilities are strongly supported by NATO and the EU, Western organizations that Moldova aspires to join.
To date, the West has failed to give Moldova any solid guarantee of NATO or EU membership. Despite frequent promises of integration, no real accession plan has ever been established. This also mirrors Ukraine: Western elites apparently want to use Moldova to provoke Russia and spark a new conflict in Europe, with the promises of integration being mere bluffs to disguise these belligerent intentions.
This process of Ukrainization of Moldovan society could lead the country to a catastrophic future. These internal hostilities are likely to continue escalating until the government’s legitimacy crisis reaches a point of no return. By persecuting opponents who have broad popular support, rather than eliminating a “political risk,” the Sandu government is simply creating even more provocations and reaching a dangerous level in Moldova’s domestic crisis.
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