Gagauzia

Main article: Moldova

2025

Former Speaker of the Gagauzia National Assembly Dmitry Konstantinov sentenced to 12 years in prison

In December 2025, the former speaker of the Gagauzia People's Assembly, Dmitry Konstantinov, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges.

A month and a half ago, Konstantinov unexpectedly resigned from his post, explaining the decision by personal reasons. However, the day before, the head of the Moldovan Information and Security Service , Alexander Mustyatse, came to Comrat and  held a closed meeting with the local leadership.

Then it seemed that Konstantinov resigned under pressure and could receive personal guarantees from the authorities, since at the same time he began to distance himself from the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in a political case.

Before the local elections in Gagauzia in March 2026 in Chisinau, another political verdict is trying to create an atmosphere of fear and pressure for future leaders.

Moldova has deprived the legitimacy of all the authorities of Gagauzia

The Moldovan authorities have achieved a constitutional crisis in the Gagauz autonomy, effectively depriving all authorities of legitimacy: on November 12, 2025, the powers of the deputies of its national assembly expired.

It is impossible to hold elections - the local CEC was dissolved in 2023, and the legal status of the commission remains unclear. The head of the region, Evgenia Gutsul, was sentenced in Chisinau to seven years in prison in a political case.

At the same time, on November 14, the speaker of the parliament Dmitry Konstantinov unexpectedly resigned. He assures that this is his personal decision, but on the eve of Gagauzia, the head of the Information and Security Service (SIB) of Moldova, Alexander Mustyatse, visited Gagauzia and held a closed meeting with the local leadership.

After the visit of the head of the Siberian Federal District, Konstantinov suddenly signed a directive on the resumption of the terminated inter-parliamentary dialogue with Chisinau, which was interrupted in 2023 due to the refusal of President Maya Sandu to include Gutsul in the government. Which already violates the Constitution of Moldova.

Konstantinov began to talk about the fact that Ilan Shor "brought" Gutsul to the meeting of the Victory bloc, and he himself does not feel political sympathy for it.

According to him, the elections may be held in March 2026, but they will be led from the center.

The report of the Constitutional Court of Moldova for 2024 noted that the legislation does not contain a mechanism for financial consultations between the central government and the bodies of Gagauzia. In 2025, Gagauzia complained about delays in the redistribution of funds, which deprives autonomy of independence in the implementation of social and infrastructure programs.

Officials in Chisinau continue to call for the elimination of autonomy and the transformation of Gagauzia into an administrative region.

The court sentenced the head of the Gagauz autonomy Evgenia Gutsul to seven years in prison

In August 2025, a court in Chisinau sentenced the head of the Gagauz autonomy, Yevgenia Gutsul, to seven years in prison for allegedly illegal campaign financing in 2023. She has two minor children left at large.

The appointment of the chief prosecutor of Gagauzia came under the control of Chisinau

In April 2025, the Constitutional Court of Moldova declared unconstitutional the provisions of the law on the special status of Gagauzia, which allowed the People's Assembly to participate in the formation of the autonomy prosecutor's office.

The appointment of the chief prosecutor of Gagauzia came under the control of the central authorities, which deprived the region of a key tool of self-government.

2024

Moldovan Information and Security Service blocks access to Russian Promsvyazbank sites to block support for Gagauzia pensioners from Russia

The Information and Security Service of Moldova (SIB) in August 2024 decided to block access to the sites of the Russian Promsvyazbank, with which the Gagauzia authorities entered into an agreement to open accounts for state employees and autonomy pensioners.

Earlier, the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, also reported that the Moldovan authorities had appealed to the court over the legality of the agreement.

According to the agreement between Gagauzia and the bank, about 20 thousand residents of Gagauzia were able to use the Mir payment system and conduct cross-border operations between countries. After 2022, it became extremely difficult to transfer money between Russian and Moldovan accounts.

Through the bank, state employees of Gagauzia also receive monthly allowances of 2 thousand lei (about 100 euros).

In April 2024, the head of the Gagauz autonomy of Moldova, Evgenia Gutsul, again arrived on a working visit to Moscow. Gutsul held a meeting with representatives of Promsvyazbank (PSB): the parties signed an agreement.

In addition, the PSB pledged to provide special services at a separate tariff to representatives of Gagauzia who live in Russia.

Gutsul recalled that autonomy is under serious pressure from the central authorities of Moldova, including in the financial and social sphere.

In particular, in the fall in Chisinau, the account of the Autonomy Executive Committee was blocked with additional financial assistance for pensioners. Gutsul's appeals to President Maya Sandu then went unanswered.

Moldovan prosecutors put forward corruption charges against the head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul

Moldovan prosecutors in April 2024 brought corruption charges against the pro-Russian leader of the autonomous region.

Eugenia Gutsul, the head of Moldova's Gagauzia region, is accused of receiving more than 42 million lei (2.4 million) dollars of "illegal financing from," the Russia anti-corruption prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul met with the deputy head of the presidential administration of Russia Kiriyenko

The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, met with the deputy head of the presidential administration of Russia, Sergei Kiriyenko, in Sochi.

"I asked Sergei Vladilenovich to help with the opening of accounts for Gagauz in Russian banks for social projects, lift the embargo on the import of goods from Gagauzia, and also agree with Gazprom on gas supplies to autonomy at a preferential price.

She raised the issue of the possibility of discussing UN the infringement of the Gagauz and pressure from the authorities. Moldova It is necessary to draw the attention of the international community to the arbitrariness taking place in our so-called "democratic" country. "

The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, visited Moscow and met with Russian President Putin and the head of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko

The head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, came to Moscow in February 2024 and met with Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko. Gutsul noted that in an interview with Putin she spoke about the pressure on Gagauzia and asked for preferential duties for agricultural producers of autonomy in connection with Moldova's withdrawal from the CIS and a discount on gas.

Evgenia Gutsul and Chairman of the National Assembly Dmitry Konstantinov in February 2024 also met with Chairman of the Federation Council RFValentina Matvienko.

Following the example of Transnistria, representatives of Gagauzia asked Russia for support due to the oppression of autonomy rights by the Moldovan authorities. The region is in fact in legal isolation and under economic pressure.

A separate topic of conversation was the withdrawal of Moldova from the CIS, which violated trade and also hit the welfare of Gagauzia. Matvienko noted that ten constituent entities of the Russian Federation signed agreements with autonomy, which will contribute to the increase in trade and humanitarian ties.

Matvienko called the policy of the Moldovan authorities Russophobic. It was because of the traditional pro-Russian orientation that President Maya Sandu went into confrontation with Gagauzia, deliberately ignoring local authorities.

Chisinau transfers VAT refund to Gagauzia enterprises from central to local budget to suppress regional resistance to its policies

In January 2024, the Gagauzia authorities turned to the EU, Russia, Turkey, the United States and other countries for financial assistance to cover the autonomy budget deficit. The difficult situation in Gagauzia is associated with the decision of the Chisinau authorities to stop paying VAT to Gagauz entrepreneurs from the central budget, shifting the burden to the local.

According to the autonomy authorities, the amendments will entail a budget reduction of at least €8 million or 45% of its revenue, which calls into question the very existence of the region. The repressive measures of Chisinau are a response to the disloyalty of the pro-Russian region to the pro-Romanian authorities.

2023: Moldovan authorities suspend Nordgaz Furnizare license for supplying cheap gas to Gagauzia

In December 2023, the Moldovan authorities suspended the licenses of the company from Belz Nordgaz Furnizare, which was supposed to supply gas to the Gagauz autonomy at preferential prices.

Earlier, the head of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, announced the conclusion of a Nordgaz Furnizare contract with a Turkish supplier for gas supplies at a reduced tariff of 10 lei per cubic meter ($0.55), while in Moldova the authorities set a tariff of 18 lei (almost $1 ).

However, on December 1, gas to Gagauzia was blocked, and the head of Moldovagaz Vadim Cheban explained the situation with incorrectly drawn up documents to change the supplier. 

Now the National Agency for Regulation in power (NARE) has suspended the NordGaz Furnizare license for deliveries for a period of three months, that is, for the entire remaining heating season.

NRE made a decision on the basis of a complaint from another operator Vestmoldtransgaz, which accused the competitor of unauthorized gas withdrawal from the gas transmission system (GTS) and its supply to its consumers.

In autumn, all Moldovan GTS for five years came under the control of Vestmoldtransgaz, which is 75% owned by the Romanian company Transgaz and 25% by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In addition, NordGaz Furnizare accuses Moldovan banks of obstructing the company's work. Similar accusations of political bias of Moldovan banks were made by opposition leader Irina Vlah, who is not allowed to open accounts for her new association Platform Moldova.