US Sanctions Target Russian Influence Campaign in Moldova

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on members of a Russian intelligence-linked group for their role in Moscow’s efforts to destabilize democracy and influence elections in Moldova, the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions target seven individuals, several of whom maintain ties to Russian intelligence services, the department said in a statement.  

They include the group’s leader, Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, who organized the plot to destabilize the government of Moldova in early 2023.

“The sanctions imposed today shine a light on Russia’s ongoing covert efforts to destabilize democratic nations,” Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.

“Russia’s attempted influence operations exploit the concerns of the citizens of these countries, to destabilize legitimately elected governments for Moscow’s own interests.”
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