Russian ambassador to Moldova summoned after suspected surveillance uncovered
Russian Ambassador to Chisinau Oleg Vasnetsov was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry after the publication of an investigation into the surveillance by Russian special services ofthe country's authorities using antennas on the embassy building, local outlet NewsMaker reported on July 25.
The ministry called espionage and foreign interference in Moldova's internal affairs unacceptable.
The department noted that it is analyzing the nature and scale of espionage activities, "in particular the activities of the persons mentioned in the investigation."
"We consider any espionage and foreign interference in the internal affairs of Moldova, which constitute a direct challenge and threat to the sovereignty and national security of our state, absolutely unacceptable," the Moldovan Foreign Ministry added.
The Russian ambassador was asked to clarify the situation. Depending on further developments, the Moldovan authorities will consider several options in response.
Earlier, journalists from Jurnal TV and The Insider reported that the number of satellite dishes and tracking devices on the roof of the Russian Embassy in Moldova is growing. Activity on the roof has often been observed ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections or visits of foreign delegations to Moldova.
The surveillance was noticed on the eve of the European Summit on June 1, as well as in May after a hacker attack on Moldovan government networks, when thousands of classified documents fell into the hands of criminals.
Journalists managed to identify the people on the embassy roof: they were classified liaison officers from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff (GRU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service.
They were reportedly closely connected to hacker groups believed to be responsible for hacking the emails of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, and Hillary Clinton.
GRU officer Pavel Yakunin was spotted on May 14 on the roof of the residential building of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau.
Moldova continues to condemn Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its war crimes. Chisinau said that Moscow has not given up trying to regain influence in Moldova and is trying to destabilize the political and economic situation in the country.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu stated that Russia's current plans to overthrow the government have failed, but they will certainly try again.
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