Moldova's challenges: From defense to real estate woes
The status of neutrality as viewed by the Danish Minister of Defense, the flight of deputies Lozovan and Nesterovschi and the authorities' reactions, and the 10-day lawyers' strike are among the main topics currently making headlines.
Neutrality doesn't exclude the necessity of being able to defend yourself and your country. IPN presents an interview with the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Denmark, Troels Lund Poulsen, who stated that in the current regional security context, a state's neutrality doesn't mean a lack of defense, but rather the necessity to be prepared. The Danish official also noted that while it's natural for different opinions to exist on this subject, there's a strong sense that Russia has actively spread disinformation to undermine the Moldovan authorities.
During his visit to Chișinău, the Danish Defense Minister stressed that for Denmark and other EU member states, it's crucial for Moldovan citizens to maintain their freedom and decide their own future, free from Russian interference in the parliamentary elections, as reported by deschide.md. The official also announced €7 million in support for Moldova to improve its defense system, enhance cybersecurity, provide military training, and boost education. Copenhagen will provide these funds over the next four years.
Fugitive deputies Irina Lozovan and Alexandr Nesterovschi have reportedly left the breakaway Transnistrian region. Jurnal TV spoke with deputy Lilian Carp, who stated the two fled the separatist zone, though it's currently unclear when and how. Renegade deputy Alexandr Nesterovschi was sentenced to 12 years in prison for passive bribery and accepting party funding from a criminal group. The day his sentence was announced, Russian media reported that Nesterovschi had received Russian Federation citizenship, and the parliamentarian thanked "the Russian leadership for their support." Deputy Irina Lozovan, also affiliated with fugitive Ilan Șor, was sentenced to six years in prison.
However, the escape of the two from the separatist territory hasn't been officially confirmed. NordNews features a statement from Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu, who said the information needs verification, as it wouldn't be easy for someone to reach the Russian Federation, their presumed destination, by crossing all of Ukraine.
Regarding this matter, TV 8 spoke with IGP Head Viorel Cernăuțeanu. He stated that according to information held by the authorities, the two haven't left the territory of Moldova. At least, there's no confirmation, not even from the Russian Federation. Therefore, in Cernăuțeanu's opinion, the two are hiding on the left bank of the Dniester, awaiting the parliamentary elections.
Last year, political parties in Moldova failed to report expenses totaling 20 million lei. Agora.md presents a report from the Promo-LEX Association showing that over 80% of the unreported expenses belong to the "Victory Bloc." These funds were allocated for renting and maintaining their offices. Similarly, the same bloc and the Socialist Party reportedly didn't report labor remuneration expenses exceeding 1.3 million lei. Another 1.4 million lei in unreported expenses pertains to foreign travel. Allocations from the state budget and donations were the main sources of party funding in 2024, according to Promo-LEX.
TVR Moldova reports that prosecutors have requested a 13-year prison sentence for Marina Tauber, along with the deprivation of her right to hold public office and the confiscation of 206 million lei, representing funds accepted by the defendant for the illegal financing of the "Șor" Party. The prosecutor requested pre-trial detention because Marina Tauber didn't appear at court hearings. The defendant is in Russia, and Russian investigative bodies are refusing to cooperate with Moldovan authorities.
Lawyers in Moldova are entering a general strike starting July 15 and lasting until July 25, in protest of amendments to the Law on Advocacy. Newsmaker.md reports that the decision was taken unanimously by members of the Lawyers' Union Council at an extraordinary meeting. During the protest, lawyers won't provide legal assistance. According to Dorin Popescu, President of the Lawyers' Union, the new amendments "seriously affect the functioning of advocacy as a free and independent profession." The Lawyers' Union Council is appealing to President Maia Sandu not to promulgate this law.
Apartment prices in Chișinău are hitting a new record, while sales are plummeting, reports mold-street.com. The number of apartments sold in Chișinău and its suburbs fell threefold in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Real estate specialist Victor Cernomorcenco attributes this decline to the Chișinău real estate market being negatively affected by both the continuous increase in apartment prices and the tightening of regulations regarding the justification of funds used for property acquisition and requiring payment via bank transfer.
Approximately 28,000 Air Moldova passengers are still awaiting compensation from the national airline, privatized in 2018. Moldova 1 reports that it's currently unclear when the affected individuals will receive their money back for tickets for flights that were canceled. According to the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, the funds are frozen in a deposit at a commercial bank. In October 2019, the Criminal Asset Recovery Agency of the National Anti-corruption Center and the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office froze assets worth over 300 million lei as part of a large-scale money laundering case related to the privatization of Air Moldova. Currently, the total value of frozen assets in this case is approximately one billion lei.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
