The Moldovan Police arrested three Moldovan mercenaries who allegedly fought in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The Police communicated the information on February 14.
According to the Police, the individuals enlisted in the Wagner Group – the “Somalia” battalion – and in other formations of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic of Russia.
“They are aged 32 and 33, and one from Ialoveni was sentenced to three years in prison in 2015 in Moldova after confessing to mercenary activities in Luhansk and Donetsk, which harmed Ukraine’s sovereignty. (…) Some of them received distinctions and medals during their illegal mercenary activities,” stated the authorities.
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The arrest of the three suspects took place as part of an international operation called “Avengers,” coordinated by Europol and funded by Interpol. The operation involved 50 searches in several districts of Moldova, with the support of the “Fulger” Brigade. Other individuals aged between 25 and 45, including those from the Transnistrian region, were also targeted during the operation.
Following the arrest of the three suspected mercenaries, the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes brought charges against them with a request for preventive detention.
The Criminal Code provides for a 10-year prison sentence for participation as mercenaries in armed conflicts, military actions, or violent acts directed against the constitutional order or territorial integrity of the state.
Therefore, officers of the National Investigation Inspectorate conducted the investigation in Moldova under the direction of the PCCOCS prosecutors.