Photo: dialog.ua
In connection with the presidential elections in Moldova to be held on 20 October 2024, along with a national referendum on the country’s accession to the European Union, there have been alarming reports of the involvement of priests of the Moscow Patriarchate in voter bribery schemes. According to the website risu.ua, these actions were organised by the Kremlin to manipulate the will of Moldovans.
The Kremlin’s operation
Viorel Cerneucănu, the head of the General Inspectorate of Police of Moldova, spoke on TV8 about the network of political propaganda and direct bribery of voters. The clergymen received funds to the accounts of the Russian Promsvyazbank and then withdrew cash in unrecognised Transnistria, where elements of the Russian banking system continue to operate.
Inclusion of priests in the scheme
According to Cerneutanu, the process involved various people from Ilan Shor’s “asset” who cashed the money. Among them were 15 to 20 priests who withdrew from 500 to 800 euros per month to distribute the money for bribing voters. The priests could keep part of the money as a reward for their activities.
“At least 15-20 church leaders have been recorded by the police as having used this mechanism and travelled to Transnistria to withdraw money from their accounts,” Cerneutanu said.
Relations with Moscow
A study published by investigative journalists on the Deschide.md portal indicates that dozens of priests from the Metropolitanate of Moldova, which is subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, visited Moscow. Their trips were allegedly paid for by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor. These visits included pilgrimages and instructions on political campaigning against the candidacy of the current president, Maia Sandu, who is in favour of rapprochement with the EU and is planning to be re-elected, as well as against a referendum on European integration. Upon their return, the clergymen received Russian bank cards “Mir”, which were used to pay their salaries and “financial assistance to churches”.
This situation is a cause for concern not only in Moldova, but also in other countries that suffer from Russia’s influence on their politics and society.
