Following the Tuesday arrest of Bashkan Evghenia Gutul, a protest was organized on Wednesday in Comrat by Ilan Shor's party, "Pobeda." Protesters demanded Guțul’s release, despite her being implicated in a case regarding illegal party financing, reports IPN's correspondent in the Gagauz region.

Gutul's advisor called for her release, assuring that the Bashkan would not leave Moldovan territory. "There is no reason for her to be kept in detention," stated Mihail Vlah, while authorities in Chisinau have been investigating illegal party funding for several months.

Vlah claimed that Gutul "is innocent and entered politics with a clean record" and argued that her arrest was Chisinau’s retaliation for last autumn’s referendum on European integration.

To escalate pressure on Moldovan authorities, MP Alexandr Suhodolski called for intervention from Russia and Turkey, while Mihail Vlah mentioned former U.S. President Donald Trump in his remarks.

During the protest, an emergency meeting of the Gagauz People's Assembly was announced. However, only 18 out of 35 deputies attended. They demanded the Bashkan’s release and issued a joint statement to the national leadership, accusing Chisinau of exerting pressure on Gagauz autonomy.

The Moldovan government has not responded to the statement. Government spokesperson Daniel Voda said that the executive in Chisinau would not comment on the remarks made by Comrat officials regarding the Bashkan’s detention.

The Gagauz People's Assembly has also appealed to the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and law enforcement bodies in Turkey and Russia to "objectively investigate the actions of prosecutors and anti-corruption officers" in Gutul’s case. Comrat officials believe these authorities should resign, alleging their involvement in "fabricating cases against political opposition".

Additionally, the Assembly has threatened large-scale protests across the Gagauz region and announced plans to take legal action in international courts.