Fugitive Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc may have held unofficial meetings in Moscow and Minsk in the summer of 2024 with Dmitry Kozak, the Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, according to an investigation by the Moldovan YouTube project “Malenkaya Strana,” which published audio recordings allegedly detailing the meeting arrangements, the IPN reports.
Key Details:
- The meetings were reportedly organized by Vladislav Darvai, a diplomat and former Russian trade representative in Moldova (2014–2024), with alleged ties to Russian intelligence.
- Plahotniuc was said to be accompanied by individuals linked to Russian special services.
- According to Malenkaya Strana, during his 9-day stay in Moscow, Plahotniuc stayed hidden in his hotel to avoid detection by Russian law enforcement, even though high-level officials had approved his meeting with Kozak.
- Reports indicate that the discussions focused on Plahotniuc’s possible return to Moldovan politics, but the parties had not reached a final decision.
- The investigation could not determine Plahotniuc’s country of departure before he arrived in Moscow.
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Background:
- Vladislav Darvai, born in Tiraspol into a family of Russian military personnel, is a graduate of MGIMO and has worked in companies including Lukoil and Uralsib and for the Vozrojdenie Foundation, which is linked to the Kremlin.
- His name also surfaced in a Radio Free Europe investigation into suspected FSB connections at the Russian Embassy in Moldova.
- Authorities accuse Vladimir Plahotniuc of orchestrating the so-called “Moldovan scheme,” through which approximately $2.7 billion was allegedly smuggled out of Russia using Moldovan channels.