Andrei Curăraru about Russian interference: It is a direct threat to national security
We see a direct threat to national security, and the discovery of the "almost terrorist" organization involving hundreds of young people trained in Moscow to create mass provocations is proof of the seriousness of the situation, argues Andrei Curăraru, public policy and security expert from The WatchDog Organization. The expert said, for Moldova 1 TV, that violent post-election protests or provocations on election day are not excluded.
According to the expert, Russian interference and the level of threat to national security "is above average". "We see a direct threat to national security through this almost terrorist-type organization because they were preparing to do some destabilizing actions that they had started. We saw the vandalization of public buildings, more violent marches by the representatives of these pro-Russian forces, especially led by Ilan Şor. The discovery of this part of the Şor team shows the seriousness of the situation".
Curăraru warns that it is not excluded that the facts that the governments of Canada, the USA and Great Britain have warned about will be put into practice. "It is unknown whether all the provocateurs in this network have been identified, and the risks can turn into threats and even human tragedies. We have to fear that. I would urge citizens not to pretend to various demonstrations of this type, because violence is still possible in post-election protests".
The expert recommends that citizens be vigilant on election day, and if they notice illegalities, report them to the observers and request the police. "It is important to conduct these elections with maximum transparency, because those challenges that will also be possible at the polling stations are eliminated. It is a state of alert for all state security organs and so it should be for all security organs during the election period. And vigilance is needed on the part of every citizen, to apply the principle "If you see something, say it!". If you notice certain actions, suspicious persons around the polling stations, it is important to report to the law enforcement authorities who will certainly be present there".
Over 300 young people from our country have been trained, in recent months, outside the country for mass destabilization actions. Some were selected for training in guerrilla camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Serbia. The head of the General Police Inspectorate, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, stated that the young people were going to Moscow in a coordinated manner, 20 people each, to be trained to fly drones and use pyrotechnic products, to induce panic and create provocations. They were also involved, including, in vandalizing some state institutions.
The head of the Intelligence and Security Service, Alexandru Musteață, announced that the instructions were carried out by people from private military groups such as "Wagner" and "Ferma", and the financing was covered by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, under the guise of the "Eurasia" NGO ".
On October 16, the law enforcement officers raided 88 addresses, in several localities in the country. The searches targeted young people who participated in the training - a large part in their 20s. More than 1,600,000 lei were raised for the protests that would degenerate into mass disorder. Also, other objects intended for the organization of mass disturbances were seized: lists of activists, leaflets, laptops, telephones, clothes with various inscriptions, electronic signatures, Russian bank cards, but also plane tickets with the destination Chisinau-Istanbul-Moscow .
