The authorities of the Republic of Moldova detected 107 million dollars in cryptocurrency, “prepared for pro-Russian parties”. Disclosure made in Washington

Mihai Popșoi, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in the Republic of Moldova, said during a debate in Washington that the authorities have detected cryptocurrency worth 107 million dollars, in a file regarding the illicit financing of some pro-Russian political formations in the country, according to the portal Deschide.md and Moldova 1, reports Agerpres.

Popsoi, who is on a working visit to the US from December 1-9, said the $107 million cryptocurrency case is just one episode in a much larger campaign of interference and destabilization funded by Moscow.

“In one case, our investigative bodies managed to block cryptocurrency wallets worth 107 million dollars, prepared for pro-Russian parties in the Republic of Moldova,” said the deputy prime minister of the Chisinau government, in a debate organized at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

According to the minister, this is not an isolated case, but a coherent strategy of undermining the Republic of Moldova, in which “networks fed by the Kremlin” tried to buy political influence, finance protests and organize violent actions in Chisinau.

“It was not easy. We had to face networks built with millions of dollars with one goal: to sabotage our democracy and the European course. But we managed to secure the information space and defend our institutions from this avalanche of interference”, added Mihai Popșoi.

The Republic of Moldova, used as a “testing ground”

Popșoi warned that the Republic of Moldova is being used as a “testing ground” for tactics that can later be applied in other countries as well – from disinformation campaigns and the purchase of political influence, to the introduction of illicit money into the economy through complicated schemes, including cryptocurrencies.

The head of diplomacy of the Republic of Moldova said that the authorities have “strengthened the capacity of the institutions” and collaborated with partners from Romania, the EU and the USA “to protect the electoral infrastructure”. He believes that the country is “much more resilient than five or six years ago”.

The deputy prime minister claims that the resources used by Moscow to destabilize the Republic of Moldova are comparable to the state's internal expenses for key areas.

In addition to the $107 million cryptocurrency case, according to the official, there are estimates that tens and hundreds of millions of lei are used to finance pro-Russian parties, paid protests and influence networks.

“For a small country, like the Republic of Moldova, such sums are a real tsunami. If we allowed this money to circulate freely, the impact on our political and economic stability would be catastrophic,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi.