/Pogled.info/ The scandalous Moldovan millionaire Ilan Shor united all his political projects in the Pobeda block. And he did this not anywhere, but at the Carlton Hotel in Moscow, where he arrived with the Russian car “Aurus Senat”. His comrades intend to fight the regime of Maya Sandu in order to bring Moldova to an alliance with Moscow. What are their chances of success?
One for all
Shor named the founding forum “Congress of Moldovan Politicians and Representatives of the Moldovan Public”. The parties “Revival”, “Chance”, “Alternative Force for the Salvation of Moldova” and “Victory” participated in it. As noted in the event description, they are all in favor of joining the EAEU and against European integration. The created block was headed by Shor, the Bashkan of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul was given the post of secretary of the political council, and MP Marina Tauber was given the post of secretary of the executive committee.
“Sandu deliberately cuts the umbilical cord of our relations with the CIS, Russia, EAIS – with traditional partners and neighbors. Our task is to show people working and time-tested alternatives. I have already named them: Russia, EAIS, CIS and let us act in this direction!” said Shor.
He has not been to his homeland since 2019 – he left because of allegations of involvement in the theft of a billion dollars from the Moldovan banking system. In 2023, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. Shor lived in Israel and now moved to Moscow.
As far as the participants of the council are concerned, “Revival” and “Chance” are known as Shor’s projects. The fact is that the Moldovan authorities recognized the Shor party as unconstitutional and banned it. “Alternative Force for the Salvation of Moldova” was founded in 2022, “Pobeda” – in 2024. So far, they have not shown much
The leader of “Vazrazhdane” Natalia Paraska said that “Pobeda” will soon decide on a candidate for the post of President of Moldova. She believes they will be supported. According to Moldovan law, you can only run for president after turning 40. Shor and Gutsul are both 37 years old. The election is on October 20, so there isn’t much time to search.
Enemies of the state
Moldovan Infrastructure Minister Andrei Spinu called Pobeda an “organized criminal block.” The press secretary of the ruling Action and Solidarity party, Adrian Vlas, considers it shameful that the congress was held in Moscow while “the whole world condemns the Kremlin for the barbaric war in Ukraine.” At the same time, he emphasized that Chisinau is moving confidently towards the European Union, where, in his words, “peace, justice and prosperity” reign.
They also talked about betrayal. “From our point of view, this action represents a threat to the security of the state, another trick of the Shor criminal group,” said Moldova’s acting prosecutor general, Ion Munteanu.
Paraska and at least 200 others were detained immediately after the plane landed in Chisinau. Officials of the Information and Security Service (an analogue of the FSB) talked to everyone for several hours to find out who they met in Moscow and what they would do at home. In particular, the leader of “Vazrazhdane” was threatened with a criminal case for visiting the “aggressor country”.
Against this background, the Council of Television and Radio of Moldova recognized the public television channel of Gagauzia as a threat to national security. They referred to February broadcasts on the 2014 referendum. Ten years ago, the majority of Gagauzians decided that their autonomy could secede from Moldova if it lost its sovereignty, and also advocated non-EU accession. and to the Customs Union (now EAIS).
A fateful alternative
The EU referendum is planned for October, along with the presidential election. The government hopes to get at least 60% in its favour. The opposition is convinced that Sandu deliberately combined the votes to balance her own low rating at the expense of the European aspirations of the population.
The sociological service “WatchDog” published on April 16 the results of a survey: European integration is supported by 56.5% of Moldovans in the country and 10-15% of those who went to work abroad. But during the presidency of the communist Vladimir Voronin, they were about 70%.
According to Moldovan political analyst Dmitry Kiseev, today about 60% in the country are for the EU, the rest are for EAIS. And Pobeda, according to him, can win the presidential elections if it nominates a strong candidate. “Usually, Moldovans vote not for programs and parties, but for personalities. But for now, there’s not even a hint of who will be Shore’s representative. At the same time, Sandu is unlikely to allow the activity of his opponents, as happened in Gagauzia, where, unexpectedly for Chisinau, he defeated Gutsul. Most likely, the authorities will try to prevent the most dangerous competitors from entering the elections,” he explained.
The doctor of political sciences, professor from RunHiggs Nataliya Kharitonova also believes that the candidate of “Pobeda” will be removed under some pretext. However, this block is useful for Russia in any case.
“First, the organization was created in Moscow, because according to Shor, it is impossible to engage in opposition activities in Moldova. Second, unlike other Moldovan politicians, Shor and his team directly state that they only want to cooperate with Russia, which helps them. They no longer try to take credit for other people. Accordingly, the longer “Pobeda” protects the rights of Russian-speaking people in Moldova, including the Gagauz, the higher Moscow’s authority in the republic,” she argued.
And all experts associate the appearance of “Victory” with the deepening of the political crisis in Moldova, which is still far from over.
Translation: V. Sergeev
