Interior minister on people seeking refuge in Transnistria

The Transnistrian region remains a vulnerable area when it comes to identifying and apprehending individuals evading legal responsibility, including those who have committed crimes on the right bank of the Dniester. The constitutional authorities continue to investigate such cases, even though direct cooperation with law enforcement structures on the left bank of the Dniester is not possible. The statements were made by Minister of Internal Affairs Daniella Misail-Nichitin during “Pe Față” program on the public television station Moldova 1.

Asked about the case of a person declared undesirable in the Republic of Moldova who allegedly later reached the Transnistrian region, the minister said that the individual had not entered the country through border crossing points under the control of the constitutional authorities.


“According to official information, this person entered the territory of the Republic of Moldova in January, before being declared persona non grata. This person did not enter through the state border crossing points under the control of the constitutional authorities,” Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.


According to the minister, the person may have reached the Transnistrian region through the left bank of the Dniester, a territory not controlled by the constitutional authorities.

During the program, the minister was also asked about information that emerged in August claiming that a former Polish deputy justice minister was in the Transnistrian region.

Daniella Misail-Nichitin said that the authorities could neither confirm nor deny the information.

She emphasized that a person’s legal status and responsibility do not change, regardless of the position they previously held or currently occupy.

According to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, when such individuals reach territory controlled by the constitutional authorities, law enforcement agencies apply the law. The same applies to people wanted nationally or internationally.

The minister noted that not only people holding public or political positions may reach the Transnistrian region to evade law enforcement authorities. At times, individuals suspected of committing serious crimes on the right bank of the Dniester retreat to this area.

According to Daniella Misail-Nichitin, such situations have been recorded periodically, including in localities in the Security Zone.

Asked how the police cooperate with structures in the Transnistrian region to identify and apprehend suspects, the minister said that there could be no direct communication between the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova and the self-proclaimed structures on the left bank of the Dniester.

However, the absence of such cooperation does not mean that investigations are halted or that the individuals concerned can no longer be held accountable.


“This does not mean that the procedure is stopped or that the criminal investigation is not completed and the case does not reach the court, depending on the prosecutor’s decisions,” the minister explained.


She added that wanted individuals may be identified later, including after leaving the Transnistrian region. In the case of people wanted internationally, the authorities can use cooperation mechanisms and notifications through the Interpol system, as well as border alert measures.


“We have had cases in which people wanted internationally were identified in other countries,” Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.


In early 2026, approximately 10,000 people were wanted internationally, according to the Minister of Internal Affairs.