Moldova expels head of Russian-controlled media outlet
The head of the Sputnik Moldova news outlet, Vitalii Denisov, has been expelled from Moldova.
Denisov, a Russian citizen, was declared a persona non grata by the Moldovan General Inspectorate for Migration. He was removed from the country under escort.
The Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the expulsion was ordered due to Denisov's involvement in the internal affairs of Moldova, which posed a threat to the country's information security.
Sputnik Moldova, a Russian-controlled entity, confirmed that Denisov was the person expelled.
"This morning, immigration officers from Moldova went to the journalist's home, put him in a car, and took him to the airport with a deportation order," Sputnik Moldova said, adding that the Russian ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Vasnetsov, was informed of the expulsion.
The Russian government quickly condemned the expulsion. Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, called it a "purge of the information space."
"This is not an isolated action. It is part of the same batch of inappropriate actions by the current leadership of Moldova in relation to the notion of democracy," Zakharova said. "It is simply a cleansing of their own information field."
It is worth noting that the Moldovan Intelligence and Security Service blocked the Sputnik Moldova website on February 26, 2022, for spreading hate speech and pro-war propaganda.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
