Adrian Albu. Photo: social media
A senior member of Moldova’s socialist party and ally of pro-Moscow presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo has been linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), independent media outlet EU Reporter reported on Wednesday, citing audio recordings of wiretapped conversations.
The recordings show that Adrian Albu, a Moldovan MP from the Party of Socialists, has been in frequent contact with FSB officer Yury Gudilin, who is wanted in Moldova on charges of spying for Russia, and that Gudilin even paid for Albu’s flights to Moscow on one of his frequent trips to the country.
As well as attending various conferences in Russia, Albu is alleged to have met Nikolay Patrushev, a close aide to Vladimir Putin and the former director of the FSB, as well as the Russian Security Council’s deputy secretary, Alexey Shevtsov.
Yuri Gudilin and Ilan Șor associate Olga Grak. Photo: RISE Moldova
According to the EU Reporter, Gudilin visited the Moldovan capital Chisinau with a group of political strategists in the run up to Moldova’s 2020 presidential election, where they enjoyed unrestricted access to then-Moldovan President Igor Dodon’s administration. During his visit, Gudilin met at least seven socialist MPs, a former adviser to former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, and the mayor of Chisinau.
In April, Gudilin and Albu reportedly discussed ways to enhance the image of disgraced Moldovan pro-Kremlin politician and businessman Ilan Șor, who was convicted in absentia last year of stealing €920 million from the budget, but who Gudilin continued to see as a “reliable partner” who simply suffered from “a tarnished image in the West”.
Ilan Șor, photo: European Pravda
The Moldovan police confirmed the existence of the recordings, but could not establish their authenticity.
The investigation was published on the eve of the second round of voting in Moldova’s presidential elections due to take place on Sunday, in which incumbent Maia Sandu goes up against Stoianoglo after neither candidate secured an absolute majority in the first round of voting on 20 October.
After the first round of voting ended, however, Sandu accused Russia of carrying out “an unprecedented assault on our country’s freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months”, and accusing criminal groups of attempting to buy 300,000 votes.
