The head of the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Musteață, provides additional information about Nina Popova. She is a citizen of the Russian Federation, the wife of a Russian military man, handed over to Moscow along with Alexandru Bălan, in exchange for two SIS officers.
According to the official, Popova was sentenced in October 2025 to a year in prison, in the Republic of Moldova. The woman tried to bribe a Border Police employee, to facilitate her access into the country.
At the time of the exchange, the woman was in detention in Prison No. 13, reports the Security Zone, referring to a broadcast aired by ProTV Chișinău.
The head of SIS has confirmed that Nina Popova’s husband is in the Transnistrian region. According to the cited source, he would be affiliated with the external military intelligence agency from Russia. The woman, likewise, would hold a military rank.