“In such circumstances, defusing the important and dangerous battle... of the Shor criminal group will not be achieved without a massive effort to inform the citizens about what can happen to the Republic of Moldova if the referendum on European integration fails, and the Republic of Moldova will be engaged in eventual projects to join the EAEU...”
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An important and dangerous attempt

The string of recent events reminds us of the declared goal of the “Pobeda” bloc to turn the electoral competition for the post of President of the Republic of Moldova and the referendum into a battle – an important and dangerous attempt. This programmatic goal was established at the congress of June 9, 2024, in Moscow. At first glance, nothing surprising. The Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), only three months ago, in March 2024, published a document entitled “Assessment of the Russian Federation’s involvement in the electoral processes in the Republic of Moldova in 2024-2025”, in which it described the arsenal that the criminal group led by Ilan Shor intends to use to destabilize the Republic of Moldova. The SIS’ document highlights the criminal group’s interest in provoking clashes in order to incite interethnic hatred.

The authorities and the population of the Republic of Moldova were warned not only by the SIS, but also by the development partners about the dangers of the hybrid war carried out by criminal groups, especially by the Shor group, with the financial support of the Russian Federation. In order to discourage the destabilizing impulse against the Republic of Moldova, the U.S., the EU and other states have extended the sanctions against the exponents of the criminal groups.

Shoot a pigeon and kill a crow?

Only two weeks after the congress held in Moscow by the “Pobeda” bloc, on June 23, 2024, a truly dangerous battle took place in the Russian Federation. The irony of fate is that it happened in the homeland of the wife of the fugitive murderer, Ilan Shor, in her hometown – Derbent, in Dagestan. According to public information, a group of young people from wealthy families, whose parents belong to the parties ruling in Russia – “United Russia” and “A Just Russia” - attacked an Orthodox church and set fire to a synagogue, after which they entered into a dangerous battle with representatives of the security forces.

Predictably, Russian propaganda, as in the case of the terrorist committed in March, at the Crocus City Hall in  Moscow, spread false information about the involvement of Ukraine and the West in organizing and carrying out the terrorist attack. Shortly after, it turned out that the terrorists acted out of convictions and, if they had any affiliation with foreign bodies, these are of religious, Islamist origin. Russian experts believe that the terrorists purportedly opened the southern front of jihad (holy war) against Russia.

Therefore, the “Pobeda” bloc of the Shor criminal group, which is financially supported by the Russian Federation, has the opportunity to convince itself that those who sow the wind reap the whirlwind. It is worth noting that the whirlwind had been announced as early as October 2023, after the HAMAS attack on Israel, when a genuine anti-Semitic pogrom took place at the airport of the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, which President Vladimir Putin, as usual, blamed on the West, demanding lenient treatment of the participants in the pogrom, who were looking for Jewish citizens in the plane’s turbines, to express their attitude towards the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In the mentioned circumstances, it is curious that the Shor criminal group enjoys Russia’s support for the destabilization of the Republic of Moldova. The curiosity lies in the fact that exponents of that group had the courage to accuse the Moldovan authorities and the EU of genocide against Jews on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, arousing the indignation of Israel’s ambassador, but they did not have the courage to condemn the anti-Semitic pogrom in the homeland of Shor’s wife. Obviously, they did not have the courage to condemn the recent burning of the synagogue in her hometown, which she probably visited with her close relatives, although she had recently announced her commitment to defend traditional values.

About holy wars

The version of Russian experts regarding the opening of the southern front of jihad against Russia could be an exaggeration. Still, the idea itself is interesting. The fundamental question is whether there is a basis for such assumptions? The answer is rather positive. First of all, the Russian Federation started a war against the Ukrainian brotherly people , which was blessed by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) himself – Patriarch Kirill. Moreover, the Patriarch said that participating in the war out of patriotic feelings entails the forgiveness of all sins and it does not matter if the war is for defense or for occupation. In this regard, according to Patriarch Kirill, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a righteous holy war. Secondly, the head of the ROC spreads untruths about the fact that Russia has never aggressed anyone. Anyone with the most basic knowledge in the field of history or at least curiosity can be convinced that in the hundreds of wars it had fought, in at least half of them, under various pretexts, Russia was an aggressor.

Obviously, there can be no justification for acts of terrorism and aggression, whoever commits them. But this does not mean that we cannot do imaginary exercises to understand what are the triggers of reckless actions of this kind. Respectively, we can admit that some young Muslims, believers, from wealthy families, relatively well educated, see and hear everything that happens in the case of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its justification on the part of the Russian political elites and the ROC, the Patriarch himself, who appeals to the religious feelings of the citizens. Therefore, against the background of Patriarch Kirill'’s statements, we can admit that such a category of Mohammedans knows the work of the great writer Leo Tolstoy, at least read “Hadji Murat”, studied the history of the Caucasian wars, through which Russia subjugated the Caucasus, etc. In such circumstances, why should we not admit that young Mohammedans in Dagestan could have patriotic impulses similar to those of the head of the ROC.

The aforementioned assumption is absolutely legitimate, if we refer to the inscriptions that the terrorists in Derbent left on the doors of the burned synagogue – “2:120 and 8:39”, meaning verses 120 and 39 of surahs 2 and 8 of the Quran:

• Jews and Christians will not be satisfied with you until you adhere to their religion. Say: “The way of Allah is the right way.” If you begin to satisfy their desires after the knowledge has come to you, then Allah will be neither your Protector nor your Helper...
• Fight the disbelievers until they stop seducing the believers from the path of Allah and until they worship Allah alone.     

Indeed, how does the truth of Patriarch Kirill differ from the truth of the terrorists in the hometown of the wife of the murderer Ilan Shor? Probably, there are differences. Anyway, all sins, both of the Russian aggressors in Ukraine and the sins of the terrorists in Derbent should be forgiven, alike. If we were to insist on differences, then we should emphasize the following: Patriarch Kirill justifies a war, without risking anything, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, on both sides, the absolute majority of them being Orthodox Christians. On the other hand, the terrorists in Dagestan, for religious reasons, committed attacks sacrificing their own lives.

Obviously, we would have overlooked the behavior of Patriarch Kirill, if it had not had a direct impact on the Republic of Moldova. But Metropolitan Bishop Vladimir’s letter to the Patriarch in September 2023 highlighted that the actions of the ROC can have very diverse echoes. For example, the reaction to Patriarch Kirill’s truth of a segment of the clergy in the Republic of Moldova was to leave the Metropolitan Church of Moldova, and the reaction of a group of Mohammedans in Derbent was the one we learned about recently.

What fate does the Pobeda bloc prepare for the Republic of Moldova?

The declared goals of the “Pobeda” bloc, set up by the Shor criminal group, are limited to destabilizing the Republic of Moldova in order to bring it into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Respectively, the undermining of the holding of the referendum on the European integration of the Republic of Moldova is the first stage of this important and dangerous battle.... In this regard, we were informed that the Shor group is launching an operation of the “50,000 ambassadors”, paid from obscure sources, from the Russian Federation. It is a force that is difficult to ignore, against which only civilized countermeasures of the rule of law can be applied. So, the Shor criminal group, together with its 50,000 ambassadors, will use all legal and illegal methods, and the authorities will have to act only within the limits of the rule of law.

In such circumstances, defusing the important and dangerous battle... of the Shor criminal group will not be achieved without a massive effort to inform the citizens about what can happen to the Republic of Moldova if the referendum on European integration fails, and the Republic of Moldova will be engaged in eventual projects to join the EAEU. The war in Ukraine and the recent events in Dagestan, their causes are just some benchmarks for a medium-term future to which others will be added, such as the international isolation of the Republic of Moldova, as Ukraine’s ambassador, Marko Shevchenko, recently mentioned. So, both the political class and the voters have what to think about.