Marina Tauber and other Pobeda bloc leaders have reportedly drawn the attention of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which suspects them of embezzling large sums meant to finance activities destabilizing the Republic of Moldova. An investigation by Deschide.MD revealed that approximately 10 million dollars from Moscow’s funds allegedly disappeared in 2023 alone.
The Kremlin reportedly budgeted 300 dollars (around 5,000 lei) per protester per day, but sources inside the bloc claim participants actually received only 700–800 lei. Bloc leaders allegedly pocketed the difference. Estimates suggest they siphoned off nearly 70% of the money Russia and Israel transferred in recent years to illegally finance parties affiliated with Ilan Shor.
To document the fraud, Moscow instructed Ilan Shor to appoint former police officer Vladimir Cioban as head of the Pobeda bloc’s Internal Security Service. Cioban — the husband of Aliona Stasevscaia, a former Ministry of Internal Affairs employee and ex-accountant of Veaceslav Platon — reportedly reported directly to both the FSB and Shor, providing information about large-scale theft inside the organization.
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In a report dated May 2, 2025, Cioban informed Mikhail Polzikov, a senior official in FSB’s Directorate 5, that Marina Tauber personally coordinated the diversion schemes and served as the main beneficiary of the embezzled funds. The document described local networks of district leaders involved and indicated that about 61 heads of territorial organizations appropriated between 20% and 40% of the sums they received.
Sources claim Russia summoned Tauber for explanations but refrained from sanctioning her, since an official theft accusation would effectively force Moscow to admit its role in financing illegal activities in Moldova.
Meanwhile, Cioban continues investigating other local leaders by leveraging his connections within Moldovan law enforcement. His internal probes reportedly target lawyer Nicolae Bojenco, Gagauzia officials, and activists from the satellite parties Chance and Renastere.