Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova (RSI)

Main article: Moldovan Government

Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova (RSI) (May Serviciul de Informaţii şi Securitate al Republicii Moldova, SIS) is the main intelligence service of the Republic of Moldova. It is headquartered in Chisinau.

History

2022

Activation against the background of the conflict in Ukraine

In November 2022, the Moldovan Information and Security Service (SIS) intensified its activities. After the arrest of five people for money laundering, fraud and forgery of SIS documents, led by Alexandru Mustyatse since June, she took a number of active measures after the American newspaper Washington Post in an October 28 article described Moldova as a country largely influenced by the special services of Russia and its oligarchs. "

Chisinau knows that the EU and the United States have been showing much more interest in the country since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Both sides send significant financial assistance to Moldova to encourage broad national reforms.

Along with SIS, prosecutors specializing in anti-corruption, organised crime and "special cases" have also stepped up their communications efforts and operations recently. On November 11, 2022, a search was carried out in the offices of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) as part of an investigation into the financing of the PSRM, among whose members there are allegedly a large number of political advisers from Moscow.

The Washington Post investigation, which was based on documents collected by Ukrainian intelligence, revealed the activities of the FSB in Moldova, as well as the activities of pro-Russian politician Ilan Shor and businessman Igor Chaika. Two days earlier, on October 26, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on the two, trying to stop Russia's operations to expand influence in Moldova.

Chaika, who has found close ties with the FSB, is a spokesman for the Russian business lobby Business Russia in Chisinau and the Transnistrian capital Tiraspol. At the same time, Chaika is also the chairman of the Rossotrudnichestvo Public Council.

Along with infiltrating political and economic circles, SIS is also involved in disinformation campaigns. Mustyatse takes very seriously the issue of the involvement of "foreign services" in the hacking on November 9 of private Telegram channels belonging to Moldovan politicians and high-ranking officials. Chisinau even demanded to strengthen the protection of his officials. This includes protecting social media so that outsiders cannot read private messages, as well as fighting the spread of "fake news" on those networks.

Recently, SIS pointed to two such, in its opinion, networks in Moldova: Rusnod and Moldnov. Both channels were created by the National Liberation Movement, whose goal is to restore Russian sovereignty over the former Soviet territories (Moldovan branch of the movement). SIS has blocked at least nine other sites since February.

After SIS identified Rosnod, it was hacked by the Ukrainian hacker group Cyberpolk, which conducts DDoS attacks on Russian servers, examines network vulnerabilities and publishes open data investigations.

Alexander Mustyatse at the age of 34 was appointed the thirteenth director of the Siberian Federal Security Service at the height of Russia's special operation in Ukraine

On June 2, 2022, the thirteenth director of the Siberian Federal District, against the background of a military special operation Russia on, was To Ukraine appointed Alexandru Mustyatse and the service again acquired a radically new look. The appointment of Mustyatse at the age of 34 represents a break with past experience, when it was common practice to appoint a former minister or experienced diplomat to the post of head of service. However, President Moldova Maya Sandu replaced many of the security personnel and political figures appointed by her predecessor with younger personnel. For details, see. Mustyatse Alexandru

2021: The resignation of Alexander Esaulenko after the arrest of President Igor Dodon

The investigation, launched by the SIB in 2021 under the head of the service, Alexander Esaulenko, revealed the scale of financial and political ties between Dodon's entourage and Russian agents of influence, such as political advisers sent from Moscow to support Dodon's Moldavian Socialist Party. The former president was placed under house arrest in May 2022, and Esaulenko resigned a few days later.

2019: President Igor Dodon appoints Alexander Esaulenko as head of SIB

On June 25, 2019, Alexander Esaulenko, Colonel of the SIB, was appointed by President of Moldova Igor Dodon as head of the Information and Security Service of Moldova. Read more here.

1991: Establishment of a post-independence service by Moldova

The SIB was established after Moldova gained independence in 1991 as the Ministry of National Security, but has since undergone a number of major changes.