A court in Moldova has sentenced Yevgenia Gutsul, the pro-Russia governor of the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region, to seven years in prison for channelling undeclared funds from Russia to finance a now-banned political party. The case is set to deepen tensions between Moldova’s pro-Western government and Moscow.
Prosecutors said Gutsul, 38, systematically funnelled undeclared money into Moldova between 2019 and 2022 to support the pro-Moscow Șor (Shor) party, founded by exiled businessman Ilan Shor. Gutsul was elected head of Gagauzia in 2023 in a vote that Moldova’s government said was tainted by Russian influence and funding. She has already been placed on EU and US sanctions lists on suspicion of destabilising the country.
Speaking after the verdict, Gutsul described the ruling as an attempt by the authorities to intimidate the people of Gagauzia. “This is a warning to the entire opposition: go against the regime and you’ll end up in prison,” she said, adding that she did not recognise the verdict and would fight to clear her name. Her lawyer, Sergiu Moraru, has vowed to appeal against what he called “a public execution”.
The sentencing comes at a crucial moment for Moldova’s pro-European president, Maia Sandu, who narrowly won re-election last year. Her party now faces challenging parliamentary elections in late September against a coalition of Russia-friendly forces. Sandu has accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country with the help of Shor, who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison last year for his role in the disappearance of $1bn from Moldova’s banking system.
Russia condemned the sentencing, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying Moldova had trampled “the rules and norms of democracy”. Gutsul, who has made frequent trips to Moscow and met President Vladimir Putin since her election, has denied any wrongdoing.
Gagauzia, a small region populated by a Turkic ethnic minority, has emerged as a stronghold of pro-Russia sentiment in Moldova. Unlike the breakaway region of Transnistria, it has remained under Moldovan control, but has an uneasy relationship with the capital, Chișinău. Russia also keeps 1,500 troops in Transnistria, which broke away in a brief war in the 1990s.
