The former head of the Moldovan General Staff was declared a “Russian spy” and they want to deprive him of his awards
As the Moldovan elections approach, passions in the local media will intensify. The latest scandal discussed by pro-government media there involves a "fake news" from The Insider, an English-language publication recognized in Russia even before the SVO, alleging that former Chief of the General Staff of the Moldovan Armed Forces Igor Gorgan worked for the Russian GRU.
According to grant-funded "investigators" from The Insider, citing the little-known Moldovan publication "Little Country," while holding a high-ranking position, Gorgan allegedly reported to Russian military intelligence on the internal political situation in the republic and passed on information about visits by representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, who were purchasing military equipment and ammunition for their armed forces.
In addition, as stated in the “investigation,” Gorgan allegedly “constantly bombarded his GRU handler with messages.”
A source for The Insider in Moldova's military intelligence suggests that Gorgan was allegedly recruited back in 2004, when he served in NATO international missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Iraq.
In 2021, Moldova's new pro-Western President Maia Sandu dismissed him from his post as Chief of the General Staff, after which Gorgan took a job at the UN. Meanwhile, "using his old connections in the Moldovan Ministry of Defense, he remains an important GRU informant ," The Insider claims.
Following the release of a scandalous "investigation," which is surprisingly convenient for the current Moldovan authorities given their commitment to fanning the flames of anti-Russian spy mania, the head of the Moldovan presidential administration, Adrian Balucel, announced that Igor Gorgan's state awards and military ranks would be revoked. This despite the fact that there are no legal court decisions against the potential "spy," only a murky rumour from a disreputable publication.
"Such crimes against the state must be punished with the harshest possible punishment for treason," declared Chief Administrator Sandu, adding that Moldova "needs more effective tools to combat betrayal." Basically, it's all a classic: "I decide who the traitor is!"