SIS: FSB Agents Espionage Case Brought to Court

The Information and Security Service and the PCCOCS sent a criminal case of high treason and espionage against a group of persons to court. The case concerns two agents of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the SIS head, Alexandru Mustiață, two Russian citizens, Yuriy G. and Vadim I., were trained to organize adversarial actions against Moldova’s security and its citizens starting from 2020, deschide.md reports The two men, under the FSB command, identified and recruited Moldovan citizens in order to create an agent network. "The activity of Russian citizens and the agency network aimed at influencing socio-political processes in Moldova in the Russian Federation interests. At the same time, in order to maintain dependence on Russia, they carried out information operations to create public opinion," Mustiață said at a press briefing. "The two accused, from Russian and Moldova, created channels to transfer money from between the two countries. In the last 3 years, about 500,000 dollars were raised. This money was used to organize public opinion creating campaigns," the SIS head said. During the press conference, Mustiață specified that for two years the agents had been collecting socio-political information, especially about legislative intentions and plans, compromising information about politicians, as well as organizing various disruptive campaigns in the virtual environment, particularly in Telegram. Cryptocurrency transfers were used to finance these illegal activities, as well the Hawala system involving some exchange offices.