The United Kingdom targets the Russian-based Evrazia group, accusing it of undermining Moldovaโs democracy.
The United Kingdom says it will impose sanctions on a Russia-based organisation it accused of attempting to rig a referendum in Moldova.
Announcing the measures on Wednesday, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the sanctions targeted a pro-Russia network of actors that was seeking to โdestabilise Moldovan democracy and spread Russiaโs malign influenceโ.
The Moldovan government has accused Russia of trying to undermine its democracy, including during last yearโs presidential election, won by pro-Western leader Maia Sandu, and during an October referendum on whether the countryโs constitution should be amended to include support for European Union membership.
Russia has rejected the claims.
The new UK sanctions target the Evrazia organisation, freezing its assets and banning travel for the group, its founder Nelli Parutenco and board member Natalia Parasca.
The Russian non-profit was used to bribe citizens to vote โnoโ in last yearโs referendum on whether the Moldovan constitution should be amended, the FCDO said.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the measures demonstrate the UKโs commitment to defending democracy.
โWhen dirty money flows freely, it erodes public trust, destabilises economies and enables malign actors to subvert the rule of law,โ Lammy told the news agency Reuters. โBy tackling these threats head on, weโre defending the foundations of democratic governance โ institutions which citizens can trust and which hold those in power to account.โ
London has previously accused Moscow of using disinformation, illicit finance, and political interference to weaken Moldovaโs democracy. Sandu welcomed the sanctions, saying they were โa clear signal that subversion has consequencesโ in a post on X.
The FCDO said Evrazia was operated by Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, who is based in Russia and was sanctioned by the UK in 2022. The EU also imposed sanctions on Evrazia last October.
Moldovan police have said that approximately 130,000 citizens received a total of $15m from Evrazia โ with payments ranging from $50 per month for โsupportersโ to more than $2,500 per month for โleadersโ.
Later on Wednesday, Moldovaโs prime minister said that Russian agents spent around 200 million euros ($217m) on efforts to buy votes at its presidential election and EU referendum last year.
โThe Kremlinโs agents launched a mass vote-buying campaign, spending about 200 million euros โ almost 1 percent of Moldovaโs GDP โ in order to destabilise our country,โ PM Dorin Recean told a briefing in Chisinau.
Moldova has repeatedly accused Moscow of meddling in its affairs to keep the former Soviet country in its orbit and stymie its bid to join the EU by 2030.
