The Moldovan authorities expelled the head of the Russian news agency Sputnik Moldova, Vitaly Denisov, from the country. According to the order, he must leave the country as a person posing a threat to the national security of the Republic of Moldova. RIA Novosti reports this.
Denisov is also banned from entering Moldova for ten years. The Russian Ambassador in Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov was notified of the situation.
As Denisov himself told RIA Novosti, migration service officers came to his home and took him to Chisinau airport, without allowing him to pack his things and pick up his pets. He will be sent on the first flight to Moscow.
Immediately after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Information and Security Service of Moldova blocked the Sputnik Moldova TV channel in the country, explaining this by the risk of spreading “disinformation affecting national security.” Later, the agency’s radio station also stopped broadcasting.
In July and August 2023, Moldova expelled 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, citing concerns about Moscow’s attempts to “destabilize” the country. This was preceded by an investigation that stated that there were antennas on the roof of the Russian embassy in Chisinau that made it possible to listen to telephone conversations. In addition, it was alleged that employees of the SVR and Russian military intelligence, closely associated with hacker groups, often appear there.
