The recruiter of the eight individuals from the Republic of Moldova, accused of planning four contract killings in Kiev, has been sent to trial. The budget allocated for the elimination of the targets was said to be 400,000 dollars. The money was to be transferred in cryptocurrencies.
Prosecutors announce among the targeted individuals were a military officer, a well-known journalist, a member of the management of a strategic state enterprise, and a representative for communication from the Ukrainian public administration, writes jurnal.md.
The eight Moldovans recruited by the accused would have divided their roles and started preparations in Kiev. They would have rented a residence and would have monitored the victims, including disguised as couriers of delivery services.
At the same time, they would have established the way in which they were to receive the weaponry and the places where it needed to be stored. The group included citizens of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
A woman from Ukraine has already been convicted in this case, after she allegedly placed two grenades in an abandoned car near the workplace of one of the targets.
The assassinations were prevented, thanks to the intervention of law enforcement forces from Moldova and Ukraine. During the searches, grenades, detonators, including remote-controlled ones, firearms, and a Kalashnikov machine gun were seized from the suspects.
The man who recruited the individuals involved in the commission of the act is in pretrial detention. His case is set to be reviewed by the Chisinau Court. For contract killing, the Penal Code of the Republic of Moldova stipulates penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
In February 2026, 11 people were detained suspected of preparing contract killings of individuals in Ukraine. According to the press, among the potential victims was also the Ukrainian journalist Dmitrii Gordon.