The Russian authorities have identified and arrested two Moldovan citizens who have confessed to working for Chisinau’s intelligence agency, according to officials.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) hid the identities of the two arrested men in footage released with a statement on Wednesday, but published photographs of and named their suspected handlers as agents from Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS).
The two men arrested in Russia were recruited by SIS agent Alexandru Sirbu in 2023 and 2024 respectively and arrived in the Russian capital under false identities, the agency claimed.
Another SIS handler, Adrian Popescu, was reportedly involved in their deployment, according to questioning of the suspects.
Moldova, the former Soviet republic currently led by pro-Western President Maia Sandu, is cooperating with Ukrainian secret services to conduct missions that harm Russian national interests, the FSB claimed.
Sandu has said that she aims to have the country join the European Union as early as 2028.
Under her leadership, the authorities in Chisinau have cracked down on the opposition, including arresting the elected leader of the autonomous Gagauzia region. Sandu was reelected last November in a vote that critics say was manipulated by the government, alleging that opposition candidates were denied a fair opportunity to run for office.
Moscow has charged that Sandu is steering Moldova in a dangerous direction, sacrificing national interests to serve Western agendas.
In April, the FSB reported the case of a former SIS employee who was expelled from Russia last year after allegedly continuing to work as an undercover agent for Moldovan intelligence.