Speaker confirms: Leadership of Russian troops in Transnistrian region declared undesirable in Moldova

Speaker Igor Grosu officially confirmed this evening that several members of the leadership of the Operational Group of Russian Troops (OGRT) in the Transnistrian region have been declared undesirable persons on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The statement was made at a TV show, putting an end to the speculation that had emerged throughout the day.

According to the official, the measure targets approximately 4–5 people from the OGRT command structure, including the commander Dmitri Zelenkov, his deputies, and the chiefs of staff of the Russian military unit. Igor Grosu explained that the decision was taken by the competent authorities, in particular the General Inspectorate for Migration (formerly the Bureau for Migration and Asylum), because these military personnel do not hold diplomatic status and therefore cannot be declared persona non grata by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“ I confirm, it is true. There are about 4–5 people on the list declared undesirable. The reason is very simple and concrete: the Russian army is illegally on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. We have plucked up our courage and taken this decision,” stated Igor Grosu.

The official explained that, from a legal standpoint, foreign citizens have a period of 90 days to formalize their legal status of stay in the country. In the case of OGRT commanders, they are in a situation of continuous illegality, representing a foreign military force stationed without the consent of the host state.

The immediate effect of this decision is the restriction of the freedom of movement of the targeted individuals. Although the constitutional authorities do not exercise direct control in the Transnistrian region to carry out immediate expulsion, the persons declared undesirable will be detained and sent to their country of origin when they attempt to cross the checkpoints toward the right bank or to leave the country through Chișinău International Airport.

“From the moment they arrive on the right bank, we will politely ask them to go home. For now, they remain in the Transnistrian region without the possibility to travel across the rest of the territory or to go abroad through checkpoints controlled by us,” the official concluded.

Several media outlets reported today that this status was applied both to the OGRT commander, Dmitri Zelenkov, and to his deputies, Dmitri Opalev, Serghei Mașenko, and Serghei Șirșov. Entry is also banned to the chief of staff of OGRT, Marat Iarulin, as well as to Alexei Bogomolov, who is responsible for illegal financing schemes of OGRT.

The measure substantially limits the room for maneuver of the OGRT leadership, which can no longer leave the Transnistrian region without risking deportation and being banned from returning to the separatist area.

At the end of March, the former so‑called Minister of Internal Affairs of the Tiraspol regime, Ruslan Mova, was not allowed to enter the Republic of Moldova. This came after, in February, Mova and eight other former and current officials of the separatist Transnistrian regime were stripped of the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova by a decree signed by President Maia Sandu.