Two Moldovan spies are arrested by the Russian authorities, says a controversial politician from Chisinau
Renato Usatîi, the leader of Our Party and the vice-president of the Parliamentary Commission for National Security, Defense and Public Order, says that two spies are in custody in Russia, and Chisinau would have negotiated their release, including the release from detention of Gagauzia.
Usatii says that the spies were arrested last year. PHOTO: Facebook.com/ Renato Usatii
The vice-president of the Parliamentary Commission for National Security, Defense and Public Order, Renato Usatîi, states that two officers of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) of the Republic of Moldova were detained in April of last year in Moscow by the Russian special services, and now the Moldovan spies are deprived of their freedom in the Lefortovo detention center.
“The two officers of the Republic of Moldova, who were, so to speak, on a business trip in Russian Federation, were kidnapped by Russian special services last April. To this day, they are in one of the most guarded and strict isolation cells in the world, called Lefortovo. Officers and their families are waiting for them to return home as soon as possible to their parents and children, someone is waiting for a groom and even had a wedding planned,” added the leader of Our Party, Renato Usatii, during a program of the Jurnal TV channel from the Republic of Moldova.
The representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova (MAE) reacted to these statements, but did not provide details about the case. However, they emphasized that, in recent years, Moscow has intensified its actions of intimidation and even handcuffing Moldovans both upon entering Russia and on the territory of this country.
“Several citizens notify the authorities of the Republic of Moldova about such abusive actions, which led to the issuance of travel alerts in the Russian Federation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even in June 2025. The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in the Russian Federation, through the consular office, offers support to citizens and makes diplomatic efforts to obtain the release of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova”. the MFA employees mentioned.
Charges of power
Igor Grosu, the leader of the power and the president of the Parliament from Chisinau, accused Renato Usatîi of trying to obtain political advantages by making these revelations, but which he did not confirm or deny.
“In situations where it is about citizens of the Republic of Moldova who are, unfortunately, in such situations, especially in this country (no-Russia)a dangerous country to travel, to live or to travel, you need to get information from public, state institutions, not from politicians. Unfortunately, they do nothing but try to speculate and politically capitalize on such cases”, stated the president of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS).
Renato Usatîi offered a reply to the accusations.
“If Usatii wanted to make this a PR or a campaign, or, as political scientists say, to attract more votes, they would have done it then. The incident occurred in April last year, and I have been dealing with this situation since July last year. It would have been logical for me to come out publicly yesterday, after all their possibilities and negotiations with the FSB failed, or to go out in the election campaign. You can imagine how it would have been if Usatii he came out two weeks before the elections and said: Look at the government (…). For me, the most important thing is that these two young officers return home as soon as possible. Secondly, there must be criminal liability for those who sold their passports, because they had left with another identity.” concluded the leader of Our Party.
The parliamentary premiere of the controversial politician
Last fall, Renato Usatîi became a deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova for the first time.
In recent years, the politician and businessman Renato Usatîi is targeted in several criminal cases opened both in the Republic of Moldova and in the Russian Federation. For example, in 2020, the Kremlin authorities put him on an international wanted list, suspecting him to be part of a criminal group specializing in “illegal currency operations”.
Being pursued by the Chisinau authorities as part of a criminal investigation, he returned to the Republic of Moldova in June 2019, after being in Moscow for three years. As soon as he arrived in the country, the politician was detained and escorted to the headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), but was released after a few hours.
