A community of Russian freelancers called "Четвертый сектор" ("Sector Four") has been classified as a foreign agent by the Russian Justice Ministry on the grounds that it is financed by a Moldovan foundation, PRO NOVA, says Russian media.
The Russian NGO is accused of engaging in "political activities aimed at putting pressure on the development and implementation of state policy, influencing the decisions of state bodies and of shaping public opinion". One of the project's founders, Ana Sechina, replied that it was the duty of journalists "to shape public opinion and influence the decisions of the authorities".
As for the funders of the Russian freelancers, the PRO NOVA Foundation from the Republic of Moldova is listed alongside the local branch of the internationally well-known Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
According to avaialbe sources, the PRO NOVA Foundation in Moldova was founded on May 15, 2018 and is managed by a certain Vadim Vasiliev. The legal address of the foundation is registered in an apartment in the Ciocana sector of Chișinău. In terms of activity, the entity is practically invisible to the public. The Foundation registration data, which is currently listed as active, does not contain phone numbers, a mobile fax, a website or an email. Moreover, internet search engines show that "proNova" is, among other things, a patented system of "recognition of automated operations (US patent 6.892.812), using rig sensor data to recognize drilling operations", with no reference to any social-political institution.
