At least 74 people have been arrested in Moldova over an alleged plot to organise “mass riots” in the Eastern European nation as President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of an attempt to sway next weekend’s parliamentary elections.

The police said the suspects were detained on Monday after more than 250 raids were carried out across the country. “The searches are related to a criminal case into the preparation of mass riots and destabilisation, which were coordinated from the Russian Federation through criminal elements,” police said in a statement on Monday.

Victor Furtuna, a leading Moldovan prosecutor, said those arrested were aged 19 to 45 and most of them had received training in Serbia.

Pro-Western Sandu, who has described Sunday’s voting as the “most consequential” in the nation’s

See Full Page