Moldova detains 74 over alleged Russian plot to stir up unrest around key election– www.euronews.com

Moldova detains 74 over alleged Russian plot to stir up unrest around key election– www.euronews.com
Source Link
Excerpt:
Authorities in Moldova said they had carried out 250 raids and detained dozens of people on Monday as part of an investigation into an alleged Russia-backed plan to incite “mass riots” and destabilise the country in the run-up to critical parliamentary elections.
The raids targeted more than 100 people and took place in multiple localities across the country, police said.
Seventy-four people were detained for up to 72 hours, said Victor Furtuna, Moldova’s chief prosecutor from the Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases.
Moldova’s police said that the unrest plot was “coordinated from the Russian Federation, through criminal elements.”
Furtuna said that most of the suspects “systematically traveled” to Serbia, where they received training and that they were aged between 19 and 45 years old.
Moldovans will vote on Sunday to choose the new 101-seat legislature, in an election many view as a choice between the country’s continued path toward European Union membership or closer ties with Russia.
Online disinformation aimed at discrediting Moldova’s pro-European government in the run-up to the vote.
