Moldovan ex-top general mired in Russian espionage allegations stripped of rank, medals

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Alison Mutler
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The former Moldovan chief of staff is accused of handing over classified information about the former Soviet state’s defenses to Russian intelligence services, an investigation has revealed.

Igor Gorgan, was the head of the Army until he was dismissed by pro-Western President Maia Sandu in 2021. Insider reported passed over confidential information about weapons used by the Moldovan Army as well as on Ukrainian supply lines running through the country. Moldova is a militarily neutral country and is not a NATO member.

A report published Wednesday by independent Russian investigative outlet The Insider published messages on Telegram dating from April 2022 allegedly between Gorgan and his handlers in Moscow’s GRU military intelligence service. The Insider said it had been leaked the messages from an anonymous source.

Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Gorgan studied at a military school in Russia. He also was trained in the U.S and took part in NATO missions in Bosnia, Georgia and Iraq.
Since being dismissed from the Army in 2022, Gorgan has been working for the UNHCR, the U.N.’s refugee agency. He has not publicly commented on the allegations.

However,  POLITICO reported that Sandu’s chief of staff, Adrian Balutel, said “such crimes against the state must be punished in the harshest manner for treason” and announced that Gorgan’s military awards and honorary ranks would be revoked.

In recent years, Russia has been accused of meddling in Moldova’s internal affairs particularly since the election of a pro-European government.

The small country which lies between EU member Romania and Ukraine has been targeted by hybrid warfare from the Kremlin.

Russia has an estimated 1,500 troops stationed in the separatist republic of Transnistria in its east.

The EU opened accession talks with Moldova last year and despite its neutrality has signed defense agreements with countries like France.

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