Voter bribery and protests
Moldova accuses Wagner of attempting a coup
October 6, 2023, 7:16 p.m
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The Russian mercenary group Wagner works in many countries, sometimes undercover. They are even said to have prepared a coup in Moldova. We’re talking about smuggling, bribery and demonstrations.
According to information from Chisinau, the Russian mercenary group Wagner has planned a coup in the Eastern European Republic of Moldova. The plan was to bribe voters and turn protests against the government into violence. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said this in an interview with the Financial Times.
“The situation is really dramatic and we have to protect ourselves,” said Sandu. Money was smuggled from Russia into the ex-Soviet republic lying between Ukraine and Romania, partly with money couriers and partly via bank accounts and cards from Dubai. It is not clear from the text exactly when the coup was planned.
There were warnings about an impending coup at the beginning of the year. In March, the government in Chisinau also said it had a Wagner mercenary arrested. According to Sandus, the plan was developed by the team of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has since died. The Wagner Group fought alongside regular Russian troops in Ukraine for a long time and achieved prominence there in the battles for the city of Bakhmut. However, Prigozhin later expressed sharp criticism of the military leadership and started a march on Moscow in June, which he called off on the same day.
Two months later, Prigozhin’s plane crashed over Russian soil. The cause of the crash is not yet officially known. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that the air disaster was caused by a grenade on board. Political observers, however, suspect the Kremlin itself of being behind the crash.