The United States Department of the Treasury on October 26 imposed sanctions on nine individuals who include three Russian political consultants whose names were published by the editors of RISE Moldova and the Center “Files” in the international journalistic investigation Kremlinovich back in 2020, IPN reports.
In a comment for IPN, Vladimir Thorik, co-author of the Kremlinovich inquiry and editor of the Russian language department of RISE Moldova, said that in their rationale for sanctions, the U.S. authorities confirm the identity of the published group of Russians, whose names are Yuriy Gudilin, Olga Grak and Leonid Gonin”.
‘The U.S. Department of the Treasury, by stating that the sanctions were imposed for this group of Russians’ attempt “to influence the election results in Moldova”, confirmed our evidence pointing to the involvement of political consultants that the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova hasn’t noticed so far and that these met with a large group of Socialist MPs. Not less important is the confirmation of the fact that the Russians who came to elections in Moldova included people with experience in the FSB (Federal Security Service – e.n.)”, said Thorik, noting that the Russian political technologists were put on the list because they are Chayka’s associates.
In the argued part, the U.S. authorities explain that “Igor Chayka is the son of Yuriy Chayka, a member of Russia’s Security Council who used his father’s connections and influence to amass and secure his business empire. According to the Americans, Chayka brokered an alliance between supporters of Ilan Shor and the Moldovan Socialist Party (PSRM), represented by Igor Dodon (Dodon), the former President of Moldova,” said the investigative journalist.
“I would also draw attention to the United States’ conclusions that the Kremlin and Moldovan politicians associated with this “used Chayka’s companies as a front to funnel money to the collaborating political parties in Moldova. Some of these illicit campaign funds were earmarked for bribes and electoral fraud [in Moldova]”. These findings indirectly point also to other acts to finance Moldovan accomplices of the aggressor country by pro-Kremlin businessmen whose names we, together with the Center “Files”, will publish in the near future,” said Vladimir Thoric, announcing a new investigations.
According to him, the U.S. sanctions enable Moldova to catch corrupt fugitives as accomplices of the Kremlin no matter where they are.
The press release of the United States Department of the Treasury explains that sanctions are also imposed on companies owned by Chayka: Aqua Solid, Ekogrupp, Inzhiniring.rf, and Inovatsii Sveta. Ekogrupp owns Khartiya, which in turn owns Proekt-Ekologiya, Region-Comfort, and Mezhmunitsipalnoe Avtotransportnoyoe Predpreyatie. Ivan Alesksandrovich Zavorotnyi, a Russian national and an associate of Chayka who serves on the board of many of Chayka’s companies, was designated for being or having been a senior executive officer of Inovatsii Sveta. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated Agro-Region and Zolotoi Vek for being owned by Zavorotnyi.
