Tiraspol’s separatist leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, will be barred from leaving Moldova if he returns from Russia. However, the authorities in Chișinău have declined to disclose the legal basis for the measure.
According to publicly available information and statements by the constitutional authorities, Krasnoselski is not a Moldovan citizen. Lawyer Vadim Vieru says that, in such circumstances, criminal proceedings and a trial are required before the measure can be applied.
“Once the person in question returns to the Republic of Moldova, the necessary measures will be taken in accordance with the aforementioned decision,” Mihai Popșoi told reporters on November 9.
Asked whether a criminal case had been opened, Moldova’s foreign minister said: “I have no way of knowing.”
Moreover, when asked by the press whether Krasnoselski might be planning to return to Moldova, Popșoi said that “the lady from Etulia could help.”
“The Lady from Etulia” is the name given to a woman who became widely known after Igor Dodon recounted, during his presidential election campaign, how she had supposedly foretold his political future by reading eggs. The phrase was picked up by Mihai Popșoi, who frequently uses it ironically.
Vadim Krasnoselski was awarded a decoration by Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 4. The separatist leader had traveled to Russia under the pretext of negotiating gas prices.
Later, Vasile Tofan reported that the authorities in Chișinău had thwarted the Kremlin’s plans to portray Vadim Krasnoselski as a victim of repression. Rather than banning him from entering the country, they would bar him from leaving for five years if he returned. The legal basis for the decision was not made public.