Chisinau: Moldova's national anticorruption body announced Wednesday that it detained the governor of the autonomous Gagauzia region. Evghenia Gutul was detained Tuesday at the Chisinau International Airport in a criminal case involving violations related to the management of financial means from electoral funds, illegal financing of electoral competitors, forgery of documents, and forgery of declarations connected to the 2023 elections.

According to Anadolu Agency, Gutul's detention is also part of a criminal case initiated Tuesday concerning the former treasurer appointed to the latest election campaign for the region's leadership in 2023. The Moldovan Prosecutor General's Office stated that Gutul was detained for 72 hours.

The Kremlin condemned Moldova for the detention and urged it to abandon such methods and provide freedom of action to all political forces in the country. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, criticized Chisinau for allegedly ignoring the law, principles of democracy, and political pluralism, while exerting pressure on political competitors.

Gagauzia's Executive Committee described the governor's detention as an "unprecedented act of pressure" on the region's autonomy. Gutul, a member of the Shor party, won the regional presidential election in Gagauzia in May 2023.