Pro-Kremlin operatives responsible for rigging elections in Moldova are among those hit with sanctions today (2 April) which will freeze assets and ban travel. The sanctions target a network of pro-Russian actors named Evrazia, operating in Moldova on behalf of corrupt fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, previously designated by the UK in 2022, to destabilise Moldovan democracy and spread Russia’s malign influence. The package is the latest action in the Foreign Secretary’s campaign to tackle corruption and dirty money.
Evrazia, a Russian non-profit, has been used by Shor to bribe Moldovan citizens to vote “no” in last year’s referendum on joining the EU. Moldovan police have said that approximately 130,000 citizens received a total of $15 million from Evrazia, with payments ranging from $50 per month for “supporters” to over $2,500 per month for “leaders”.
Today’s sanctions target the founder and director of Evrazia, Nelli Alekseyevna Parutenko, and member of Evrazia’s management board Natalia Parasca, as well as Evrazia itself and another of Shor’s key political operatives, Marina Tauber.
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The sanctions expose the Kremlin’s attempts to undermine and destabilise democracies in
Eastern Europe. By targeting corrupt actors and their enablers, the UK is using its powers to create a more hostile environment for corruption and illicit finance and deter threats to the safety and security of Britain.
This marks the next step in the government’s ambitious agenda to tackle the devastating
impacts of corruption and illicit finance, both at home and overseas, and deliver the UK’s
national security under the Plan for Change.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:
“These sanctions send a clear message. We will not stand idly by as Russia undermines
democracy and the rule of law, threatening the national security of countries we
consider friends and partners.
Left unchecked, this kind of insidious corruption can erode the very foundations of our
society and open doors for Russia and other malign actors to expand their influence and
compromise the stability of our neighbours and the UK.
We must protect the institutions designed to hold these unscrupulous individuals to
account, and the independent investigative journalists whose hard and often dangerous
work exposes the truth behind their actions.”
Minister Doughty met earlier today with journalists from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) to express support for their tireless and risky work exposing corruption. The independent investigative reporting by the OCCRP and the activities of civil society groups such as Transparency International often play a crucial role in informing sanctions of this kind.
Today’s sanctions also target corrupt officials and prosecutors in Georgia and Guatemala, who are sabotaging democratic governance and undermining judicial impartiality by abusing their power.
The individuals and entity designated for sanctions in Moldova today are:
• Evrazia, a non-governmental organisation that acts on behalf of pro-Russian Moldovan
oligarch Ilan Shor;
• Nelli Parutenko, founder and director of Evrazia;
• Natalia Parasca, member of the Evrazia management board and former leader of the
Shor-backed Renaissance Party;
• Marina Tauber, former leader of the Shor Party