The former chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Gorgan, who was dismissed by President Maia Sandu in 2021, is an informant for the Russian army intelligence services (GRU), according to an investigation by the independent Russian website The Insider conducted together with Moldovan journalists.
Gorgan allegedly regularly reported to the GRU and transmitted information, including about the situation in Moldova, writes The Insider, which had access to the Telegram correspondence between Gorgan and his „sponsor from the GRU, Colonel Alexei Makarov.”
He transmitted data about visits by representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, who purchased military equipment and ammunition.
Gorgan reportedly disclosed information indicating that Ukraine was attempting to purchase six MiG-29 aircraft under the cover of a company from the United Arab Emirates.
He also described the route of fuel trains through Moldova to Reni, Ukraine, and warned that Ukraine was receiving too many important goods, including weapons, through Romania.
Here is one of the messages mentioning Romania. Agent Gorgan was concerned about arms deliveries to Ukraine and gave advice to Colonel Makarov: "We need to close the border with Romania as soon as possible!"
"It's a big hole! A lot of shipments for Ukraine come from there. Especially military shipments! The Romanians still have several military factories producing weapons and ammunition," added the Moldovan general.
It is unknown when Gorgan started working as an informant. A source from The Insider in military intelligence suggested that he could have been active as early as 2004 when Gorgan served on a NATO mission.
Before Colonel Makarov, it seems that he was in contact with the Russian military attaché in Chisinau, Vadim Uhnalev, and then with his successor, Igor Dovbnia. Journalists managed to obtain a recording of a conversation in which the two arranged a meeting regarding a memorial for "Afghans" in Chisinau - most likely coded language.
In 2017, Dovbnia was expelled from the Republic of Moldova for espionage.
Presidential Response
According to the publication pulsmedia.md, Igor Gorgan and Alexei Makarov began to have particularly active contacts in April 2022, after the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The confidential meetings took place mainly in cafes in Chisinau or while fishing.
According to the source, in July 2023, on the eve of the mass expulsion of Russian spy diplomats from Moldova, Iurie Gorgan joined the UN. "Using his old connections in the Ministry of Defense of Moldova, Gorgan remains an important informant for the GRU," notes the publication.
In response, according to NewsMaker, the Presidency in Chisinau announced that the state distinctions awarded to Gorgan in 2006 and 2015, as well as his military ranks, will be revoked.
The chief of staff of the Moldovan presidency, Adrian Băluțel, stated that "such crimes against the state must be punished in the harshest way for betraying the homeland," writes Ziarul de Gardă.
In 2021, Igor Gorgan was dismissed at the proposal of the Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatâi, by the head of state, Maia Sandu. He previously held this position from 2013 to 2016 but was dismissed at the request of the then Minister of Defense, Anatol Șalaru, who accused him of embezzlement, cronyism, and political partisanship.