Moldova's intelligence service reformed with European support, says president

Moldova’s Security and Intelligence Service (SIS)  has undergone a major reform with the support of a European country, President Maia Sandu said, without naming the state involved.

Sandu made the remarks in an interview with a Moldovan video blogger, highlighting what she described as a “deep reform” of the intelligence service, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“The SIS was restructured with the support of a European state; a deep reform was carried out there. I highly appreciate the transformations that have taken place over these years,” she said, adding that she now trusts Moldova’s intelligence service following the changes.

“I trust the Security and Intelligence Service. And I say this because I trust not only it, but also our partners. In serious states, intelligence and security services do not develop close cooperation unless there is trust,” Sandu noted.

At the same time, she acknowledged that the risk of operational failures cannot be fully eliminated, referring to recent intelligence-related incidents involving Moldovan operatives.

She pointed to the arrest of two service agents in Moscow and the transfer to Belarus of former SIS deputy head Alexandru Balan, who was allegedly an agent of Belarusian intelligence.

“This does not mean that there cannot be such people in one direction or another. It is a risk that has always existed,” she said.

The Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the failure of the two Moldovan agents in Moscow. The probe was launched following allegations by opposition lawmakers, who claim the operatives were exposed by SIS leadership that had prepared them for the mission.

According to the MPs, both agents were arrested immediately upon arrival in Moscow and later gave confessions before being exchanged for Balan, who subsequently left for Belarus, and the wife of an officer of the Russian Operational Group in Transnistria, who was detained at Chișinău airport.

The SIS reportedly expressed gratitude to the intelligence services of Romania, Poland, and the United States for their assistance in facilitating the exchange.

By Vafa Guliyeva