Five indicted for Bosnia training linked to planned 2024 unrest
Five other defendants accused of participating in training in Bosnia and Herzegovina for planned mass disorder during the 2024 presidential elections and referendum in the Republic of Moldova were sent to trial. The defendants, aged between 27 and 50, are alleged to have received instruction in destabilization tactics, drone operation, and methods for creating panic in public spaces.
According to the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), the individuals accused in this case include a Finnish citizen and four Moldovan citizens, who are originally from Chisinau, Criuleni, and Tighina. Among them, two co-organizers have been identified as being "trained to coordinate subgroups of participants in destabilizing public demonstrations"; both of these individuals are currently under house arrest.
Investigators reported that three of the accused were recruited directly during a sports training session in Valea Trandafirilor Park by another accused person who has already been sent to trial. This recruiter allegedly proposed "sports training" in Romania, which promised "400–500 dollars per week, paid in cryptocurrency to electronic wallets." Two others agreed to participate following discussions conducted through the Telegram and Yandex applications.
After arriving in Romania, the group reportedly continued their journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where, according to the PCCOCS, they ended up "without passports and without phones." They were taken to a camp set up in a forest, which included several tents and tables with computers where other participants were learning to pilot drones. There, they were instructed by Russian speakers for one to two weeks in skills such as flying drones, tactics to provoke panic and chaos, breaching police cordons, and using incendiary devices.
Upon their return to the Republic of Moldova, the five individuals were detained immediately at the border. During searches, authorities found mini-drones equipped with video cameras and throwing mechanisms on one of the accused women, along with "pyrotechnic devices," drone components, VR glasses, and radio control equipment.
Additionally, almost 300 discriminatory leaflets were seized from another accused individual. These leaflets "promoted ideas of intolerance and hostility between followers of different religious denominations." In an opinion issued on October 16, 2025, the Equality Council found that the leaflets used images and expressions designed "to provoke feelings of hatred, rejection, and division." The materials contained images of a candidate who later won the presidential elections alongside a metropolitan from the Republic of Moldova. The Finnish citizen stated that the cousin who allegedly recruited him mentioned that the "documents" being transported were "intended to help a church in Moldova."
Following the judge's decisions, the two co-organizers were placed under house arrest, while the other defendants were subjected to judicial control.
Under the Criminal Code, organizing or leading mass disorder is punishable by imprisonment for 4 to 8 years. Additionally, in the case of the individual from whom the leaflets were obtained, prosecutors have added the charge of inciting violent actions motivated by prejudice, which could result in a fine of up to 30,000 lei or imprisonment for up to three years.
The PCCOCS has stated that the criminal investigation continues against other members of the group. All individuals concerned benefit from the presumption of innocence until a final decision is reached.
Furthermore, the prosecutor's office recalls that in a related case, seven men were convicted of mass disorder in September 2024, and five other individuals were recently sent to trial, including one defendant who has been targeted by European sanctions for vandalizing buildings in Paris.
