Located between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova has faced the influence of oligarchs, wealthy businessmen closely linked to power, since the end of the Soviet Union.
Often pro-Russian and sometimes supported by the Kremlin, the main oligarchs were convicted by the Moldovan courts before fleeing the country.
Despite their absence and a decline in their power, some remain very active in politics, embodying what President Maia Sandu describes as a “hybrid war” led by Russia.
As Moldova begins EU accession negotiations, countering the influence of oligarchs will be a necessary precondition for its accession.
A report by Maria Gerth-Niculescu.