The Security Service of Ukraine, known as SBU, has summoned the so-called foreign minister of Tiraspol, Vitali Ignatiev, for questioning on January 17. The separatist leader was supposed to appear at the Ukrainian authority’s Vinnytsia representation.
In the meantime, the authorities in the Republic of Moldova are not aware of the fact that the Ukrainian institutions are looking for Ignatiev. The first statement on the subject was made by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Oleg Serebrian, who stated that he had not seen any notifications sent to Moldovan officials.
“So far, we have not received any requests from the Ukrainian authorities in this regard,” said the press service of the General Prosecutor’s Office, in response to a request from the editorial staff of Realitatea.
A similar response was received from the Moldovan Police. The Information and Security Service (SIS) has also not received any information from Kiev about the search for Ignatiev, nor about the charges brought against him.
“The SIS has not been notified by external partners about any suspicions against Ignatiev and/or about a possible announcement of him being wanted by the authorities in Kiev,” reads the response received by Realitatea’s editorial staff.
It should be noted that, according to the summons published in the Ukrainian government publication “Урядовый курьер” on January 9, citizen Ignatiev Vitali Victorovich, born on July 5, 1980 and residing in the city of Tiraspol on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, is informed about suspicions against him regarding “public calls for changing the borders of Ukrainian territory or state borders, in violation of the established order of the Ukrainian Constitution, conducting information activities in cooperation with the aggressor state and its occupation administration, supporting the aggressor state and its occupation administration.”
It is not known whether the official from Tiraspol appeared for questioning on the specified day or not.”