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Moldovan broadcaster's headquarters targeted in pre-election vandalism spree

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Moldovan broadcaster's headquarters targeted in pre-election vandalism spree
Photo for illustrative purposes. A view of the Parliament building on July 22, 2022 in Chisinau, Moldova. (Giovanni Mereghetti/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Moldova's state-owned broadcaster reported on Sept. 28 that vandals had splashed paint across the entrance of its building in the capital, Chisinau. This incident occurred a day after police attributed similar acts to a group trained in Moscow with the aim of destabilizing the upcoming elections.

"We are not afraid of this act of vandalism, as long as we are devoted to society and citizens," Andrei Zapsa, deputy director general of Teleradio-Moldova, was quoted as saying, according to Reuters. Zapsa noted that the station had always anticipated potential attacks from "radical groups."

Police also reported that vandals poured paint on the Supreme Court building overnight.

Moldovan authorities have connected these incidents to a group trained in Moscow to provoke instability ahead of next month’s presidential election, where pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu is favored to win against 10 challengers.

Sandu's main opponents include Alexander Stoianoglo, who lost his position as prosecutor general and is supported by pro-Russian opposition parties, and Renato Usatii, who advocates for good relations with both the West and Moscow.

On Sept. 27, Moldovan law enforcement agencies detained two young men in connection with similar incidents that occurred overnight, where they splashed yellow paint—the color of Sandu's ruling pro-European party—on two other government buildings. Police apprehended a 21-year-old man in a park and his 20-year-old accomplice near the parliament.

According to police, the detainees said that they received 5,000 euros for one attack and underwent training in Russia. One of them admitted to recruiting young individuals who later traveled to Moscow and were paid 500 euros a month.

Moldova’s ex-military chief charged with treason over alleged espionage for Russia
The Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases said on Sept. 18 that Igor Gorgan stands “accused in the case concerning alleged espionage on behalf of Russia.”
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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