Ziarul de Gardă once again penetrated Ilan Shor’s network. For three months we have documented from the inside with the help of a hidden camera how money circulates and how people working for Ilan Shor are recruited and lured to serve Moscow. The stakes – hijacking the country’s European course by compromising the October 20 referendum and the organized vote for a Shor-backed candidate to be announced just one day before the elections.

For three months, an undercover ZdG reporter, acting under a false identity, attended events organized by Shor’s people: so-called protests before or after court hearings of Shor’s corrupt politicians, electoral meetings with one of Shor’s candidates, whom the oligarch’s people believe will be eliminated from the race, and even handed out leaflets with false information about the European Union and the Eurasian Union.

The Shor network opened an account for the ZdG reporter in a Russian state bank using personal data that does NOT exist in reality. With the help of ZdG’s technical team, an identity card with made-up data was “cloned”, and in September, after almost two months in the service of Shor and Moscow, the ZdG reporter received the promised “iablociki”, i.e. 15 thousand Russian roubles, equivalent to about 2.7 thousand MDL (140 Eur). After all, the reporter ended up with less money for her “work” after being charged several fees along the way, both by the banks involved in the transactions and by the individuals who coordinated it. In October, another 15 thousand Russian rubles were transferred to the same account. Throughout this period, the ZdG reporter received several phone calls “from Moscow” thanking her for her work.

The scheme operated even on the day when the police and prosecutor’s office announced that they had dismantled a national bribing network. They had discovered that around 130 thousand Moldovans had been bribed for their vote on October 20, however this scheme was still in effect after the law enforcement bodies had uncovered it.

Two years after the publication of the investigation “Protesters to rent”, in which we showed that the participants in the protests organized by the former “Shor” party were paid, ZdG has penetrated again into Ilan Shor’s network. We found a similar reality, where money dictates and fuels any protest movement and spirit. But the differences are at the level of organization and circulation of money.

“People (those in Ilan Shor’s team, ed.n.) come here because they still pay. If they didn’t pay, you wouldn’t see anyone here”

June 26, 2024. In front of the Buiucani branch of the Chișinău court, where the case file of the Governor Evghenia Guțul (Governor of Gagauzia, ed.n.), under criminal investigation for involvement in the illegal financing of the former “Shor” party, was being examined, a protest in her support was about to take place. The reporter Măriuța Nistor invented a story, chose a new name – Ana Nastas and began the adventure of infiltrating among the people working for Ilan Shor, in the service of Moscow.

The ZdG reporter arrived an hour and a half before the protest began. On a nearby bench, a woman and a man, both in their late 60s, were hiding from the sun. They turned out to be citizens serving Shor. Under the pretext of being invited to a protest for the first time, Măriuța Nistor, alias Ana Nastas, tried to find out details about the organization and remuneration.

Protester: We have to sit on the chair now, until people pile in. Then we’ll stand up for everyone to see us, they’ll show us on TV later.
ZdG: Do we have to publish something on the internet after the protest?
Protester: No. Even if someone asks you for an interview, don’t talk to them!

The “training” continued with other details.

Protester: You have to shout here!
ZdG: Shout what?
Protester: See the one with the big microphone, with that apparatus… you have to pay attention to what they say, you must not only come here, but also you have to shout. We must repeat what they say, that’s what we shout: Down with Sandu, Down…!

The man that’s near gets involved in the discussion and reveals the real reason why he is present at the protest: “People (those in Ilan Shor’s team, ed.n.) come here because they still pay. If they didn’t pay, you wouldn’t see anyone here”

The woman says the same thing.

Protester: There used to be more people, now there are very few of them.
ZdG: But why?
Protester: I don’t know.
ZdG: Maybe they don’t pay?
Protester: Then if they won’t pay, I won’t even come. I left my housework…

“You’ll get 1000 MDL a month”

Although it was a protest where people supposedly came on their own initiative to show their dissatisfaction with the government and to support Evghenia Guțul, the discussions about money overshadowed other topics.

Another protester: You are free to come if you want, you will get 1000 MDL per month (50 Eur). At least that much, it will be a win. Just don’t tell anyone!
ZdG: Per month, not per protest?
Protester: Per month, not per protest. It used to be per protest.

Organizer: “Can you hold (a placard)?” Protester: “No. My stomach hurts.” Organizer: “Your stomach hurts, not your hands.”

July 8. A new court session in the case of illegal financing of the “Shor” party, in which Marina Tauber is under investigation. A young man walks through the crowd and hands out placards with slogans in support of Marina Tauber, Evghenia Guțul and Ilan Shor.

The same young man approached ZdG reporter Măriuța Nistor and asked her to go in front of the video camera recording the event to fill in the gaps created behind the speakers, including Reghina Apostolova, Valerii Klimenco and Alexei Lungu (Shor politicians).

Organizer: Please come closer to the front!
ZdG: But it’s hot there.
Organizer: Near the carabinieri. There’s shade, by the way. Here. Come closer!

That’s how the ZdG reporter ended up right behind Alexei Lungu – she had interacted with him several times as a journalist and risked being recognized. She tried to hide her face behind a placard and then walked away. The gesture annoyed the organizer. In a tone that betrayed his displeasure, the young man addressed the ZdG reporter: “Why are you here? I put you there!”

Protester: “One thousand MDL. That’s their payment. Then, from August 1, they’ll give three thousand”

Away from the protest leaders, Măriuța Nistor started talking again with the people at the demonstration. One of them assured her that the monthly payment would increase from August 1, from one thousand to three thousand MDL.

Protester: In short, a thousand MDL, whether you come or not, you get it.
ZdG: But if I come to the protests, how much more?
Protester: Still 1000. That’s their payment. Then, from August 1, they’ll give 3 thousand. From 3 to 6… It’s something…

“Propiska” (The address, ed.n.)

After a few minutes of discussion, the protester introduced Raisa – his “komandira” (commander, editor’s note) from Dobrogea, a village in the town of Sîngera, mun. Chișinău.

ZdG: Can I go to Auntie Raisa or Raia, whatever her name is… I came here on my own.
Protester: Auntie Raisa, can we welcome her in our collective? We know each other.
Raisa: Who?
Protester: Her…
Raisa: Where is she from?
ZdG: I’m a student, I live on the campus.
Raisa: Where?
ZdG: On Gheorghe Cașu street.
Raisa: But where do you have your “propiska” (residence address)?
ZdG: Well, not in Chișinău.
Raisa: If not in Chișinău, we cannot. We need for you to have your “propiska”.
ZdG: What if I change it?
Raisa: If you temporarily register her at your “propiska”, yes (pointing to the man with whom she was talking, editor’s note).

In order to join the group coordinated by Raisa, Măriuța Nistor had to change her address for an address in the village of Dobrogea, where she lives and leads a Shor group.

Raisa: You know, all of us have residence in the same village. You need to find someone to get a temporary residence address. I am from Dobrogea. I am the leader. I’ll accept you and others, but you have to change your address, at least temporarily. You won’t vote for Maia Sandu anyway.

ZdG: But I can vote… I was at the protests, but I’m not registered yet (in the Shor team).
Raia: For you to get registered, you have to get a residence address in Dobrogea. I’m the leader from Dobrogea.

With the help of ZdG’s technical team and image editing programs, we created an imitation of an ID. Ana Nastas was now a character with ‘documents’. We did not forget the most important detail – the “propiska”, i.e. residence address. Once the imitation ID was perfected, the ZdG reporter forwarded a copy of it to Raisa so that it could be registered in their database.

‘Did PAS (Action and Solidarity Party, ed.n.) send you? I know they’re spies. I hope you are not sent by the police.’

July 24. Raisa called the ZdG reporter to Dobrogea, where a meeting of her group with one of Raisa’s superiors was to take place. Măriuța Nistor was met with doubts and many questions.

Raisa: Ana, I am surprised. But do you know why? There were so many people there and you decided to approach us specifically. I don’t want any problems with my people. Did PAS (Action and Solidarity Party, ed.n.) send you? I just ask you. If yes, say yes.
ZdG: Auntie Raia, I have a stipend. Do you know what scholarship I have?
Raisa: I know it’s small. But you know they are spies.
ZdG: So how can I live?
Raisa: That’s why I asked you…
ZdG: No, Auntie Raia, I thank you. Do you know why? Because you accepted me. I’m telling you, I talked to everyone and they told me that I had to have the same address, but no one told me: go, girl, go and change your address. Nobody told me that. You told me that I must have that address, so go and change it.
Raisa: I’ll find out where you came from. We’ll find out who sent you and where you’re from. I don’t want any trouble. Everything’s good here, our people are friendly. And if you’re an honest girl, we’ll accept you. I hope you are not sent by the police. But if you are, we’ll say goodbye to you.

After the ZdG reporter managed to gain her trust and convince her that she was not a spy, “komandira” (commander, translated from Russian) Raia introduced her to her staff.

Raisa: New girl in our collective.
Nadejda: Your last name?
ZdG: Nastas.
Nadejda: And the first name?
ZdG: Ana.

Raisa insisted to inform Măriuța Nistor that “I don’t know when there will be money, but there will be… eventually. We don’t get them every month, they give us money one in two months… or differently.”

Monthly salary and “iablociki”

An hour late, what seemed to be something normal, the man for whom Raisa had gathered the activists in Dobrogea – Alexandru or Sasha, as the “komandira” allowed herself to call him – arrived. Unhappy that people were afraid to give their passport data, Alexandru explained: “We need your passport to make your contract. From now on, you will not get ‘iablociki’ (Merishor – in Romanian, apples in eng, ed.n.) from Raisa, but every month, from the 1st to the 10th, you will receive 3000 MDL (150 Eur) as an activist. If you fulfill the plan as an activist – 3+3, that’s 6 per month. We don’t know the plan yet, you will be informed.”

So, we learn that the money is called “iablociki” and that it will no longer be handed out in cash, as it was two years ago, but will come on the cards that were to be opened.

Surrounded by activists, i.e. people whose role it is to collect sympathizers – the lowest stratum of the political pyramid at the top of which Ilan Shor sits, Alexandru points out the latest indications from Moscow.

“Every activist must recruit… remember, you used to write the names of sympathizers on the sheet, now you don’t have to write it there. They must have cell phones and I’ll give a link to Raia. I will give Raia the link and she will give it to you. They will sign up, there will be questions. Each sympathizer gets 2000 MDL a month (100 Eur). You have 3+3. So that you know the figures. Are there any questions?” – he said.

And there were questions. About money, of course.

Raisa: The question on everyone’s mind is when the payment will be.
Alexandru: What?
Raisa: Why are you silent? (Raia “komandira” addresses the gathered people)
Alexandru: Raia brought you. She went to Moscow and brought you money. You were to receive it for January, February. But in February we gave you a bonus, because we didn’t work, I decided with the management to give you a bonus. And for March too. You were supposed to get three (thousand, ed.n.). Now for July. In April we didn’t work, we were all in Moscow. In June and May we didn’t work at all, nothing, no newspapers, we were in Moscow again. You have contracts, those who gave the passport information on time. In July, none of you worked. The protests are included in the payment of one thousand MDL that you received.

First mission – demonstration in front of the airport

July 27, 2024. A day after the Dobrogea meeting, the ZdG reporter was called to the first mission – a demonstration to be held at the airport. It was not explained to her why she had to go there and what she had to do. Arriving at the airport, Măriuța Nistor asked the organizers what was the purpose of their presence there.

ZdG: Auntie Raia, what will we have to do?
Raisa: I don’t know, we’ll see, girls, how should I know? They said to come, and that means we are coming.

Some of the more experienced protesters suggested to Ana (ZdG reporter) what she should say if she is asked by the police what she is doing in front of the airport.

Protester: If someone asks, you say you are waiting for your mom. And if they ask why are you standing here? You say that you don’t know.
Protester: You say that you saw people gathered here, so you decided to stay here too.
Protester: You are here just to meet someone…
Protester: Yeah.

The crowd was about to meet Mika Bodalyan, one of the coordinators of the “Evrazia” Platform founded by Ilan Shor in Moscow. He was not allowed to enter Moldova. However, people summoned by Shor to the airport were not allowed to go home until late in the evening.

Account in the Russian bank “Promsvyazbank”

August 6, 2024 is the day when we received confirmation that Ana Nastas, i.e. the fake identity of the ZdG reporter, was registered in the database of the Russian bank “Promsvyazbank”. A Russian bank owned by the Russian state opened an account for the undercover reporter only on the basis of a forged ID card and without her having written any request to that effect. In a text message she also received the code she was to use to access the account.

The ZdG reporter installed the Promsvyazbank application and logged in with the data received by text message. The balance was 0, but she got assurances from her “superiors” that money could appear any time.

“We used to receive (money, editor’s note) easily, but now we need to use phones”

August 7, 2024. Măriuța Nistor was invited again to Dobrogea village for a “zasedanie” (meeting, ed.n.), as people used to call these meetings. And this time Alexandru, the boss from Chișinău, kept them waiting, being an hour late. Meanwhile, the so-called Shor activists, mostly elderly, unaccustomed to modern phones and mobile apps, approached disgruntled, with phones and ID cards in their hands, as they were asked, to register in a Telegram chatbot. “Komandira” Raia was trying to calm the spirits.

Raisa: It’s for you, not for me. He (Alexandru, ed.n.) said that all of you have these phones. That’s why he’s coming, to install the program in the phone.
Activist: He gave us phones to program the phones?
Raisa: Everyone must have a telephone.
Activist: I don’t. I have this one.
Raisa: If you want to get something, you must have a phone.

Activist: We used to receive (money, editor’s note) easily, but now we need to use phones… I understand nothing, nothing…
ZdG: Oh, so they’re going to send the money on our phones?
Activist: I don’t know, I don’t understand… I worked on a farm, I didn’t work on the phones.

After Alexandru’s arrival, the “activists” started registering in the Telegram chatbot. Măriuța Nistor, being the youngest of those present at the gathering, was given the role of helping the activists from the organization, mostly elderly people, to register in the Telegram chatbot.

Immediately after accessing the chatbot, called “Condrița 44”, the language had to be selected, with Russian or Moldovan being the options (The official language in Moldova is Romanian, ed.note). After that, activists had to go through a few more steps, including sending a photo of their ID. At the end, the steps were confirmed by a video selfie of a few seconds.

Raisa: What do we have to give the ID cards for?
Alexandru: For you to get a physical card so you can get the money. Now it’s electronically. Digitally, I see the money, but if you don’t have the card… But in order to receive it, you have to fulfill the plan as an activist. I’m not going to fly to Moscow 20 times, to get money to pay for you and for me 1000 euros. Plus hotel and living. That’s everyone’s problem.

Alexandru: “What, you came just for money?”; Raisa: “Of course we come for the money.”

The fact that the ZdG reporter, being a newcomer, received a message from Promsvyazbank, while some older activists from Dobrogea had not yet received it, got people upset.

An activist: I didn’t receive a message.
Alexandru: Which message?
Activist: She says that we should have gotten the message.
Alexandru: What did she do?
Raisa: I see that everyone got it.
Activist: Uh, if we’re not on Telegram, does that mean we won’t get such a message?
Raisa: Ana got the message, what did she do to get the message? We…
Alexandru: I’m going to block all your cards for this.
Raisa: Why?
Alexandru: I check the new ones, so that the accountant can transfer money. I give impetus to the new ones, so that they move and give us new people.

Then came another discussion about money versus loyalty to the party. People were honest with their bosses and told them that money is all that matters.

Alexandru (speaking in Russian): I ask again: what do you want money for?
Raisa: People ask for money for the protests.
An activist: I don’t know Russian…
Alexandru: Why are you asking me for money for the protest? Do you want money?
An activist: Yes! Did I work for nothing?
Alexandru: What? What for? Did you get 1000 MDL? For January, February, March… I gave money for February. Did you thank me?
Activist: Many times…, but you don’t speak Moldovan.

Alexandru: What about you, you come just for the money?
Raisa: Of course they come for money, Sasha, they won’t tell you. Of course they come for the money.
Alexandru: Why? Is it hard for you to come for the idea?
An activist: Of course it’s complicated.
Alexandru: Why do we need you in the team if you just come for the money?
Activist: Everyone comes for the money, and so do we.

August 12, 2024. The ZdG reporter signs up on the Telegram chatbot as an activist. A day later, she receives the link attributed to “activist” Ana Nastas, which she was going to use to “recruit” new sympathizers, as in a real economic pyramid. Each sympathizer attracted to the group means extra money for each activist and a possible extra vote for Shor’s parties.

First “salary” – 15 thousand Russian rubles on the Promsviazbank account

August 26, 2024. 15 thousand rubles, equivalent to 2.7 thousand MDL (140 Eur) were transferred from the Russian bank “Promsviazbank” on the account of the ZdG reporter, i.e. party activist Ana Nastas, as much as was promised for the activist’s work. The only problem was that the Promsviazbank application could not be accessed, as the Information and Security Service (ISS) of the Republic of Moldova had asked the mobile operators to block it.

Throughout August, immediately after becoming an activist with an official contract sent to Telegram, the ZdG reporter was receiving frequent calls “from Moscow”, as “komandira” Raia had warned her. In one of the many conversations with Moscow, she was offered a solution to use the Promsviazbank app, after it was blocked by ISS.

Moscow: Please tell me, did you receive sms from PSB bank?
ZdG: Yes. I did.
Moscow: In the amount of 15 thousand. This is your thanks for April, May, June and July. Soon it will be for August. Can you go into your personal cabinet?
ZdG: No. I activated it, but now I can’t open it.
Moscow: Download a Romanian VPN.
ZdG: What?
Moscow: You need to download a Romanian VPN. Specifically Romanian.

Raisa: “You are obliged to come, because you work with us.”

Every day that followed meant calls from Raisa’s ”komandira”. She would insistently ask the ZdG reporter to fulfill various tasks.

Raisa: Listen, it makes sense, you have money in your account and you have to work. It makes sense, because you have to come and give leaflets to people, it makes sense to take pictures. It makes sense to come to me today.
ZdG: I understand. But if there are more people, I think I can do it.
Raisa: There are more people, but anyways you have to be here. You are obligated to come, because you work with us. And I don’t understand why you weren’t answering the phone, you were at 05:00 on the internet. I called you and you didn’t pick up, Nadia called you and you didn’t pick up, what does that mean, Ana? You must always keep the phone by your side. When I call you, you pick up.
ZdG: Okay, okay, Auntie Raia.
Raisa: Okay, okay… this is not the way to work, you came for 2 days and you received 3 thousand MDL and you don’t work at all. I expect you at 05:00.

ZdG reporter forced to hand out anti-EU leaflets

After being scolded early in the morning on the evening of September 2, the ZdG reporter went to Dobrogea, where she helped two activists to register on the Telegram chatbot. Later, she was instructed to hand out leaflets with falsehoods about the European Union and praises of the Eurasian Economic Union. Because journalist Măriuța Nistor decided it was not right to share misinformation, she went home without distributing the leaflets. Because she didn’t send her photos of her handing out leaflets, Raisa scolded her again. So she had to return to Dobrogea to hand out the leaflets.

ZdG (to a person in the street): Eurasian Union.
Person 1: Why the f*uck do we need it?
ZdG: With Russia, with Ilan Shor.
Person 1: Fakes, Shor will not succeed.

Person 2: Who gave you this, Shor?
ZdG: Yes…
Person 2: Bravo! (ironically)

“The president of the “Victory” Bloc, Ilan Shor, ordered all activists to register 10 sympathizers”

The closer the election day got, the greater was the pressure to recruit new sympathizers. Activists were motivated with promises of “bonuses” and smartphone contests.

Moscow: Hello, Ana. My name is Dmitri, I am from the “Victory” block. Can you talk now?
ZdG: Hello. Yes, sure.
Moscow: I’d like to talk about our chatbot in Telegram, to give you some very important information. Are you an activist of the Victory bloc?
ZdG: Yes.
Moscow: The chairman of the “Victory” Bloc, namely Ilan Shor, has ordered all activists to register 10 sympathizers by September 19. If you have already started registration, it will be easier. Namely via chatbot.

The “Hooray! Contest again!” started to be distributed on activists’ internal Telegram chats. The aim of the competition was to register as many sympathizers as possible, and the stake – a smartphone.

To make it easier to recruit as many people as possible, we even received an instruction to find and register 10 sympathizers. We quote an excerpt from the instruction:

“You’ve probably heard about the authorities’ attempts to limit payments to new activists? You have probably heard about money being taken at airports during a search? As a result, all payments are now only made to a bank card and this money has not yet been taken from anyone.”

Converting salary into cash

September 21, 2024. The ZdG reporter was called back to Dobrogea, but without being told why. In the park where the activists usually met, two unknown men stood out. One of them turned out to be Oleg, the former “Chișinău chief” of the Sîngera region, whom Raisa often mentioned. The ZdG reporter learns that the 15,000 rubles received on Ana Nastas’s account at Promsvyazbank were to be transferred to him, and that instead she would receive only 2,300 MDL in cash (not 2700 as it is on the account), due to the bank fees.

ZdG: Auntie Raia, what should I do?
Raisa: In short, he’ll speak to Moscow. From there they will send it (the money, ed.n.) to him and on Monday he’ll bring us the money. And he’ll bring the money, but only 2300, because of transportation, you already know…
Oleg, addressing the ZdG reporter: You have 15 thousand rubles. When we transfer to my account, I get 14 700 rubles, because the bank takes 300 rubles. Then I transfer it through two more banks, each bank takes 2.5%, so minus 5%. The result is 13 965 rubles. We multiply by the exchange rate – 0.165. We get 2300 MDL. Is that clear?

Thus, on Monday, September 23, the ZdG reporter was to receive the money in cash. However, before receiving the money, on September 22, 2024, she was called to a meeting in Sîngera, where activists from Dobrogea, Revaca and Sîngera villages came. As soon as she arrived, Măriuța Nistor once again overheard talks about… money.

“Where is my money?”

Head of the organization: You know what they said? We, until now, have done nothing. You said you only want money.

Raisa: We haven’t done anything?
Head of the organization: Work, they said: prove what you have done!
Raisa: But this four-hour demonstration, isn’t that a thing? We handed out newspapers, we handed out leaflets, isn’t that a thing?

We learn that the presidents of the organizations were promised 5000 MDL per month.

Raisa: I told him, I don’t work anymore. My people don’t work either. Let him come to Dobrogea to look for people! The people, as activists, need 3000 MDL. We have to have 5000 MDL every month. Where’s my money?

Raisa, annoyed, makes more revelations about Alexandru’s tricks.

Raisa: Now, the second time in Moscow, they gave him 7200 dollars for Revaca (a village near Chisinau). There is a man for this… He gave it to Oleg, but Oleg said he couldn’t bring it to Moldova. Sasha said he’d bring them. And Sasha brought them. Where’s the money? Did he give it to you? No, he didn’t. He thinks we don’t know. I can hear everything. I told him. Agafia said he gave her 1500 dollars. She told me he only gave her 1500 dollars to give you all. How many people in general are there? About 15 people… But he got money for 33 people. Where’d he get those people? From the sky or the cemetery?

“Friday, before the election, we’ll say who our candidate is.”

The meeting place – a roadside. Four Chișinău chiefs showed up. A man in his late thirties, dressed to the nines, introduced as a city councilor, begins to deliver a speech to the gathered crowd.

Counselor: Tell me, please, from your practice, which of these two elections are more important: the presidential election or the referendum?
Activist 1: Presidential.
Activist 2: Referendum.
Counselor: Why the presidential?
Activist 3: To get rid of her.
Counselor: That’s why we have to understand that the referendum is the basic element of the election campaign. If we destroy the referendum, Maia Sandu will have nothing to talk about.

The speaker confirms that for Moscow the referendum on the country’s external vector is at stake. At the end of the meeting, the ZdG reporter, alias Ana Nastas, asked Alexandru who is the undeclared candidate of Shor for the presidential elections.

ZdG: When we talk to people, we tell them to vote against the referendum. What about the candidate?
Alexandru: The candidate… we’ll say on Friday, so that they don’t take him out now. On Friday, before the elections, because nobody works on Saturday, we will say who our candidate is.
ZdG: Then will we write to our sympathizers?
Alexandru: We will call everyone then. We will call and say who we are voting for, who our candidate is.
ZdG: You will call us and we will call our sympathizers…

“Here, take a thousand… and another 300! A thousand MDL is mine”

Monday, September 23rd. Reporter Măriuța Nistor was called to Dobrogea to receive the money. Of the 2300 MDL she was promised, she only received 1300. In addition to the commission charged on bank transfers, Raisa charged her own commission of one thousand MDL.

Raisa: You did almost nothing, right? Absolutely nothing.
ZdG: How nothing? What you told me I did.
Raisa: Yes? We worked… In short, I’ll give you a thousand MDL now…
ZdG: But why?
Raisa: Because you didn’t work like the rest of us.
ZdG: But I got the money on my card…
Raisa: So what if you did? Tell me! Did you deserve this money?
ZdG: Well, I did what you told me.
Raisa: But what did you do? You gave two or three leaflets, you went to the demonstration once and that was it.
ZdG: And every time you called me… every time you called me, I went to see Auntie Nadia.
Raisa: And what? You had to show that you were part of the collective.
ZdG: Well yes, but you told me that you would give me…
Raisa: 1,2,3,4,5. I give you a thousand. And here’s another 300.
ZdG: Then you told me you would give me 2300…
Raisa: No… you got 2300 on the card, one thousand MDL stays with me, because I have women who have been working for 5-6 years and haven’t received any money.

“If Sasha hears about it, I’ll kick you out of the party and you’ll look for another profession”

Raisa was afraid that Alexandru would find out about the one thousand MDL she had kept from the money intended for the undercover reporter and started threatening her.

ZdG: But how did they get it now? Did they bring this money from Moscow?
Raisa: You are very curious, aren’t you? Why do you need to know? I told you Sasha must not hear anything about it… and all this money. If I hear something from Sasha, I’ll kick you out of the party and you’ll look for another profession…
ZdG: So, I should not tell him that…
Raisa: But why tell him? I’m going to tell him that you haven’t done any work.
ZdG: Okay, I’ll tell him that you gave me 2300.
Raisa: Yes, as it came out on the card.

The ZdG reporter is “career advanced”. The announcement came via a call “from Moscow”

September 25, 2024. Raisa informed the ZdG reporter in a phone call about her “career advancement” – she was to become an activist in charge of communications in the main organization in Dobrogea. However, the call from her had another purpose: to warn her that she would be called from Moscow and told repeatedly that no one should know about the thousand MDL she had cashed in from her salary. Moreover, Raisa assured her that from now on she would receive “as much as she could get on her card”, without any commission. A few hours later, the ZdG reporter receives a call “from Moscow”, even though the call was from a number registered in Moldova.

Moscow: Tell me, Ana, I talked to the head of the main organization, she said that you are good at registering activists.
ZdG: Yes.
Moscow: Wouldn’t you like to become a communications activist?
ZdG: Yes, of course.

September 28, 2024. Măriuța Nistor, aka Ana Nastas, is added to a Telegram group called “TO 44 Responsible Activists on Communication”. From the messages of a certain Eva Sergheevna, as the coordinator of the group introduces herself, we learn that this “position” was instituted precisely because the people recruited to serve Shor, most of them elderly, do not know how to use smartphones. Through manipulation, activists in this group were taught how to manipulate in turn.

The police and prosecutor’s office announce that they have dismantled a scheme that in fact continues to operate

October 3, 2024. Viorel Cernăuuțeanu, head of the General Inspectorate of Police, and Veronica Dragalin, head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, hold a press briefing announcing that more than 130 thousand citizens have received money from the Russian Federation through the voter corruption schemes set up by Ilan Shor and that in September alone, police documented transfers of more than $15 million from Moscow to Shor’s network in the Republic of Moldova. Taking refuge in Moscow, Shor reacted the same day, declaring that in reality, the scale of the money transfers and the number of people involved is much larger than the police and prosecutors had announced. Among activists, the announcement of law enforcement has no effect.

October 4, 2024. Just a day after the police briefing, the ZdG reporter receives a message from Promsviazbank informing her that another 15 thousand rubles, or about 2.7 thousand MDL (140 Eur), have been transferred to her account. It was her salary for September. In spite of the searches and the disclosures made by the police, Shor’s structures continued their work unhindered. On the same day, 4 October, the ZdG reporter was called for the first time to a meeting in the headquarters of a territorial organization in Chișinău, which was to take place the next day in an office at 23 Ismail Street.

Meeting with the “candidate”. Name kept secret

Also on October 4, in the main organization in Dobrogea, “Ana Nastas” received an invitation to a meeting with “the candidate”, whose name was not revealed. She was only told the place and time of the meeting: Cuza Voda Park in Chisinau, at 13:30.

Arriving late for the meeting, the ZdG reporter recognizes the “party colleagues” from Dobrogea, and in front of them – the “independent” presidential candidate Victoria Furtună. Although this meeting was also announced by Victoria Furtună a few days before, she was surrounded only by people from Dobrogea, Sîngera and Revaca, called via Telegram chats coordinated by Shor’s people.

Victoria Furtună resumed in front of about 30 people called to listen to her anti-Western narratives also promoted by Ilan Shor.

“Our professionals, it doesn’t matter which, economists, lawyers, are bought by Americans, Europeans to work in their companies. I have a question: why do they give us theirs, but take ours to raise their companies and institutions? Everything is done to destroy our nation, our economy as Moldovans. They have stolen our history for 30 years and now, if you ask children, I always have debates with my child, who tells me that they are learning Romanian history, they do not know Moldovan history. When you ask them about language, they say they speak Romanian. Why Romanian, do we not have the Moldovan language?” – she addressed those called to the gathering.

The training at the headquarters and the advice of “colleagues”: “He is a charlatan, he wants to set you up”

October 5, 2024. The ZdG reporter goes to the Ismail Street headquarters. They all wait for the room to be cleared, a sign that before them, there had been another group to be “trained”. While Raisa wanted to involve Oleg again in the process of converting the money in the bank accounts into cash, Alexandru insisted on showing the ZdG reporter how to do it, and on Monday, October 7, he was going to “train” her.

Raisa and Nadejda, however, warned her not to accept Alexandru’s proposal, in order not to risk imprisonment.

Raisa: Don’t you understand? He wants you to take all the money from us. He will tell you to go to Bender (Transnistrian region, ed.n.), take the money from the bank and bring it to us. But that’s very dangerous.
Nadejda: Dragalin (head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, ed.n.) said on TV that… He’s a charlatan, he wants to set you up. Why doesn’t he do it? Why doesn’t he find a hacker to do it?

Then, with the door locked, they began the propaganda lesson for which the people were called. First, in front of the people spoke Svetlana Stanchevici, who introduced herself as a former journalist for Prime TV (this TV previously belonged to oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc). On social networks she presents herself as a blogger, influencer and former model and shows no direct connection with Ilan Shor or any political activity. She often publishes photos from vacations in EU countries.

“We go abroad, but we don’t work by specialty. Excuse me, is there anyone in the family who works as a teacher or… unfortunately not. They give us the most miserable jobs. We can’t say that Europe takes care of us and will give us a happy future. If Europe wanted to help us, it wouldn’t cost them anything to make a “fairy tale” out of our country, but this is not the EU’s purpose. The EU’s task is to give us credits and make us beggars”, Svetlana Stanchevici used another false narrative promoted by Shor and Russia.

This was followed by a video clip in which Ilan Shor listed a series of promises. “On October 20, 2024, together, we will start a new, rich and beautiful life. Two important things for you. The candidate – Valentin will whisper in the leaders (presidents of Shor’s organizations, ed.n.) ear who we support, note the words “who we support”. You got that? Valentin will whisper to the presidents, and they will tell you, we can’t do it. Second, the referendum. You need to know: a clear “NO”, said Shor.

“We have reserve (candidate, ed.n.) that we will name later. This is what we do on purpose”

At the end of the meeting, the ZdG reporter agreed with Alexandru to meet on Monday, October 7, to get instructions on how to convert the money in the bank account into cash. At the meeting, Alexandru suggested that although in the public space the idea that Shor would support “independent” candidate Victoria Furtună had circulated, in fact, the stakes are on another candidate, who will be announced at the last minute.

October 7, 2024. On Monday, at 11:00 am, Măriuța Nistor showed up at the office. After she entered the building, one of Alexandru’s subordinates locked the door for security reasons, as there were several plainclothes policemen patrolling around the building. They then took her cell phone, also for security reasons.

Alexandru explained how money can be converted from the Promsvyazbank app into cash. The scheme was simple: transfer the money of all the activists and sympathizers from Dobrogea village to the Promsvyazbank account of the ZdG reporter, she would transfer through Unistream, a Russian bank transfer service, all the money to one of the banks in the Transnistrian region and then, going to Tighina (Transnistrian region, ed.n.) she would get the money in cash. In the end, Alexandru advised the ZdG reporter to set her own commission, as Raisa did.

During the meeting she also asked Alexandru about candidate Furtună.

ZdG: Yesterday I went to the meeting with Victoria Furtună.
Alexandru: Yes, I understand. You can tell everyone, we are not allowed. You can tell everyone who we support. We’re not allowed to say it, because someone can register the discussion…
ZdG: Yes, yes…
…..
ZdG: But we have to prepare for another candidate, right? Are they going to ban this one?
Alexandru: Yes, but we have reserves that we will name later. That’s what we do on purpose.

The reaction of “Shor’s people” after they found out they were filmed with a hidden camera

Marina Tauber, MP, Secretary General of the Victory Bloc

“I know that Mr. Ilan Shor and our team are helping the citizens who are in difficulty because of Maia Sandu and the Action and Solidarity Party, who have brought our country into a deep crisis. No one is forced to do it… Taxes are paid on these sources, so everything is absolutely legal. If people give their ID information voluntarily, if I’m going to give my ID voluntarily, that is my decision, we are talking about adult citizens. I don’t know who you want to discover America to. Your questions don’t affect me. If you are here to affect me in any way, you are just promoting us and thank you very much.”

Alexandru (Sasha), “the boss from Chișinău”

ZdG: I am Ana, Ana Nastas.
Alexandru: Yes, Ana.
ZdG: Actually, you know me as Ana Nastas, but I am Măriuța Nistor, a reporter for Ziarul de Gardă. During all this time, when we met, when I received money, when you taught me how to convert money into cash, I recorded everything and documented it for a journalistic investigation. I would like to know if you think that everything you are doing is right, is moral, is legal and what do you have to comment on it?
Alexandru: I didn’t understand anything, honestly.
ZdG: Hello, can you hear me?
Alexandru: I can’t hear you.

After that, he stopped answering our calls.

Raisa, “komandira”, head of the territorial organization of Shor’s party

Raisa: Anișoara, why did you do all this? I talked to you…
ZdG: To document how voter corruption schemes are carried out.
Raisa: Are we corrupt?
ZdG: You are paying people to vote “NO” in the referendum and elect the candidate designated by Shor.
Raisa: It means goodbye, I don’t want to see you and know you.

The full version of the investigation, including video, can be seen on www.zdg.md.

To follow