Russian Embassy helps Nesterovschi to evade prison. SIS confirms
The convicted MP Alexandr Nesterovschi is currently in the Transnistrian region, where he arrived with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Chisinau, the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) announced. Alexandru Musteața, the SIS director, claims that the operation is a component of a hybrid aggression mechanism that Russia has orchestrated against the Republic of Moldova.
"In 2023 and 2024, we informed the public and the competent institutions about several risk scenarios, as well as about the use of organized crime in electoral corruption to create chaos and destabilization in the Republic of Moldova," said Alexandru Musteața.
According to SIS data, on March 18, 2025, the day before the sentencing, Alexandr Nesterovschi was caught entering the territory of the Russian Federation embassy in Chișinău. The next morning, he was transported in a car with diplomatic numbers of the Russian Federation to the Transnistrian region, where he is currently "under the direct protection of Russian special services," claims the head of SIS.
Escape timeline
On March 18, after several trips in Chișinău, Nesterovschi got into a "Hyundai Tucson" car, belonging to an acquaintance. At 20:15, the car was spotted parked opposite the Russian Embassy, at the entrance from Toma Ciorbă Str. It stayed there for about a minute, then continued its journey.
Seven minutes later, the same “Hyundai Tucson” was spotted again parked in front of the entrance to the embassy, also from Toma Ciorbă Str. SIS believes that this “circle” around the embassy was carried out to check whether the vehicle was under surveillance.
The driver got out and spoke on the intercom with a person inside the diplomatic mission. After about two minutes, he waved to the car. Immediately, Alexandr Nesterovschi got out of the back seat, quickly crossed the street and entered the embassy courtyard, without stopping.
“Later, he made several chaotic movements in the embassy courtyard, talking on the phone, being visibly guided by someone, after which he entered the embassy building,” the SIS director said.
The driver’s identity was established and transmitted to law enforcement agencies, and he confirmed that he had transported Nesterovsky to the Russian embassy.
SIS also reports that between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, an atypical activity of Russian diplomats was observed, who were travelling to the embassy outside of working hours.
On the morning of March 19, exactly the day the court hearing was scheduled, at 11:19 a.m., a “Mercedes Sprinter” minibus with diplomatic numbers of the Russian Federation left the embassy. About an hour later, the same minibus was caught at the Gura Bîcului internal customs post, speeding towards the Transnistrian region.
"At the time of crossing the internal checkpoint, the embassy's vehicle ignored the installed road traffic signs and entered the territory on the left bank of the Nistru River without being subject to established procedures," Musteața said.
Deputy Alexandr Nesterovschi was sentenced on March 19 to 12 years in a closed prison. The sentence was pronounced in his absence, and the authorities announced that he is still missing. According to the Ministry of Interior, there is no evidence that Nesterovschi has legally left the territory of the Republic of Moldova, and one of the hypotheses of the investigators is that he is hiding on the left bank of the Nistru.
Nesterovschi is accused of passive corruption and involvement in the illegal financing of a political party by an organized criminal group. Investigators claim that the deputy received at least $35,000, plane tickets to Tel Aviv and an important position in the "Renastere" Party, in exchange for leaving the Bloc of Communists and Socialists and contributing to the formation of a new faction affiliated with Ilan Shor.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the authorities in Romania and Ukraine were informed of the existence of an arrest warrant for the fugitive deputy.
His party colleague, deputy Irina Lozovan, investigated in a case related to the illegal financing of the "Renaștere" Party, also disappeared a week before the sentence was pronounced. Even though she was not officially wanted, information appeared in the media that she was also hiding on the left bank of the Nistru.
Prosecutors demanded six years in prison for Lozovan and five years for her husband, Pavel GÎrleanu, accused in the same case. The sentence is to be announced by the judges.
