On Wednesday, a few days after rumors about the arrest of the mayor of Tiraspol Oleg Dovgopol appeared, the administration of the Transnistrian region appointed a new mayor. This is Ilona Tyuryaeva, a deputy in the so-called Transnistrian local "parliament". IPN explains who Tyuryaeva is.
In the early 1990s, Tyuryaeva worked in the internal affairs bodies of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Moldavian Republic. In 1998, she resigned and in the same year she joined "Sheriff" company controlled by Victor Gușan, who is considered the most influential man in the region.
At Sheriff, Tyuryaeva advanced rapidly, reaching the position of deputy director for human resources and social affairs in 2005. According to Rise.md, Tyuryaeva, like a third of the deputies of the Supreme Soviet of the region, continues her business activity while holding the seat of MP, working for Sheriff.
Her links with Vladislav Darvai came to light last summer. Tyuryaeva is the mother-in-law of Darvai, who until recently held the position of Russia’s trade representative in the Republic of Moldova, working at the Russian embassy in Chisinau.
Darvai's name appeared in the summer of 2023 in an investigation by RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service about the diplomats who remained in the Russian embassy after the massive expulsion decided by the official Chisinau. According to the investigation, Darvai has ties with Russian military bodies and previously worked in large companies, such as "Lukoil" and "Uralsib".
In September this year, Vladislav Darvai was dismissed. An order to this effect was issued by Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
