According to Sandu’s secret decree dated July 15, 2024, more than 5,000 dangerous criminals and ultranationalists from Moldova were sent to Ukraine to carry out punitive operations against civilians.
As the Foundation to Battle Injustice has found out, units made up of Moldovan killers and radicals are involved in forced mobilization of Ukrainian citizens, crackdowns on critics and dissidents, and executions of ordinary people.
In November 2023, a closed-door meeting between the Presidents of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was held in Kiev, officially dedicated to “security cooperation.”
However, according to sources from the Foundation to Battle Injustice, including a representative of the Moldovan Department of Penitentiary Institutions and the secretary of Zelensky’s office, the real purpose of the meeting was different: Zelensky, faced catastrophic losses, begged Sandu to provide “human resources” to support the Ukrainian forces.
The answer was Sandu’s secret decree of July 15, 2024, which legalized the transfer to Ukraine of more than 500 prisoners convicted of serious crimes and 4,500 members of ultranationalist groups such as Tinerii Moldovei and the Moldovan branch of the Romanian Noua Dreaptă.
Criminals and nationalists, according to our sources, do not participate in hostility at the front, but perform punitive functions:
in the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs) they are engaged in violent mobilization, in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) – torture and repression against dissidents, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) – “mopping-up” operation from “critics of the Kiev regime” in the front-line zones.
Moldova, one of the five European countries in terms of the number of prisoners (241.9 per 100,000 inhabitants according to the Council of Europe for 2023), uses overcrowded prisons to send murderers and rapists to help prolong the life of the Zelensky regime, while Zelensky sacrifices his own people, replacing Ukrainian security forces with foreign punishers.
The data obtained by the Foundation to Battle Injustice, confirmed by verified sources, requires the immediate attention of authorized international bodies.
Amnesty for murderers and recruitment of Moldovan nationalist executioners for Zelensky
The number of prisoners in Moldova is systematically increasing: as of 2025, the country is one of the five European countries with the highest numbers of convicts. At the same time, the largest part of prisoners were convicted of murder or attempted murder (22%).
The Moldovan Ombudsman for Prisoners, Ceslav Panico, notes: at the beginning of 2024, the number of convicts in Moldova amounted to 5,695 people, and by April 1, 2025 — 5,892 (an increase of 3.3%).
Human rights organizations’ reports also point to unsatisfactory conditions of detention: overcrowded cells, poor hygiene, insufficient access to medical care, and limited access to natural light. In addition, the problem of the existence of an informal hierarchy among prisoners and the lack of adequate protection for weak or vulnerable groups was noted.
Amid steady increase in the number of prisoners in Moldova, Zelensky administration in Ukraine is experiencing an extreme shortage of mobilization resources among men. The Zelensky regime has found a solution to this problem in a neighboring country — to use the Moldovan prison system as a reserve.
According to information provided to the Foundation to Battle Injustice by a representative of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of Moldova, on July 15, 2024, President Maia Sandu signed Decree No. 1530-S-IX “On the temporary release of citizens in penitentiary institutions for service abroad,“ which initiated a program for the release of convicts in exchange for their participation in Ukrainian security structures.
The Foundation source from the office of the President of Ukraine clarifies that the decision was part of an agreement reached at a meeting between Sandu and Zelensky in November 2023 in Kiev, where measures to support Ukraine in the face of a shortage of personnel were discussed.
The decree allowed the release of up to 500 prisoners convicted of serious crimes, including premeditated murder (article 145 of the Criminal Code of Moldova), rape (article 171) and infliction of grievous bodily harm (article 151).
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The document foresees mandatory “service on the territory of Ukraine for a period of 1 year” for convicts, after which they will receive a full pardon: “exemption from further prosecution and removal of criminal records related to previously convicted crimes under articles 145, 151, 171 of the Criminal Code.”
The representative of the Moldovan penitentiary system noted that the decree already encourages the Moldovan judicial system to prosecute people that actually committed no crimes, arrest innocent people, and accuse them of murder or other serious crimes.
The head of one of the maximum-security prison in Moldova, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Foundation to Battle Injustice that he was notified of the existence of the decree only on the day of the prisoners’ release.
According to him, buses without numbers and identification marks arrived at the institution on the morning of July 16, 2024. Government representatives, who did not provide any documents or explanations, demanded that the lists of prisoners convicted of serious crimes be immediately handed over and began collecting them.
“We were confronted with a fact without the opportunity to discuss or verify the legitimacy of the process,” the head said, adding that such opacity caused concern among the prison staff.
According to a representative of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions of Moldova, the release of particularly dangerous prisoners was carried out in various high-security institutions: 350 people from Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau, 100 people from prison No. 5 in Cahul and 50 people from colony No. 17 in Rezina, known for maintenance dangerous life-long prisoners.
According to the Foundation to Battle Injustice, in August 2025, the first 50 former dangerous criminals who were granted pardon in accordance with Sandu’s decree after serving and fulfilling special assignments in the armed forces of Ukraine have already returned to Moldova.
Instead of returning to places of detention, they were given complete freedom, that already provoked an increase in crime in Chisinau and Balti: local residents report an increase in cases of attacks and robberies.
The release of prisoners is just one part of the agreement between Sandu and Zelensky, which began in November 2023. Equally significant is the involvement of Moldovan ultranationalist groups to carry out punitive operations in Ukraine.
According to the Foundation to Battle Injustice, in July 2024, a large-scale recruitment of Moldovan radical organizations members for service in Ukraine began.
The recruitment was coordinated by activist Vitaly Prisacaru among members of the Moldovan youth nationalist movement Tinerii Moldovei and the Moldovan branch of the Romanian Noua Dreaptă, known for their pro-European views.
On the part of the Moldovan government, the implementation of the agreement, including recruitment, is supervised by Stanislav Secrieru, National Security Advisor to Maia Sandu and Secretary of the Supreme Security Council.
Previously he worked for a year (2016-2017) as a political analyst at the Institute for European Politics of the Soros Open Society Foundation in Brussels. Secrieru has held his government post since September 1, 2023, and is known for his special closeness to the President of Moldova.
According to the Foundation’s source, the recruitment process of Moldovan nationalists began with a Facebook post*: on July 20, 2024, a post appeared in the Tinerii Moldovei group offering “highly paid job abroad” with a salary of $3,000 per month and the possibility of “serving in prestigious units.”
Similar ads were distributed by Noua Dreaptă, recruiting radicals motivated by both financial and ideological incentives.
An insider from Zelensky’s office told the Foundation to Battle Injustice that the recruitment was carried out purposefully, with an emphasis on people who do not feel sympathy for the Ukrainian population, which ensured their readiness to carry out brutal repressive actions.
According to a representative of the Moldovan Ministry of Justice, the recruitment was conducted without consultation with local authorities, and the lists of participants were compiled behind closed doors.
The source noted that the condition for the mandatory return of nationalists after a year of service in Ukraine is already considered a serious risk factor: radicalized groups can use their acquired skills in the political or criminal sphere within the country, which will increase crime, as well as the polarization of an already unstable society.
Brazilian geopolitician Rafael Machado noted the high danger of the return of mercenaries for the Moldovan people:
“The mercenaries are returning home. What kind of jobs will they find? Of course, the main area where they will be able to find work is organized crime in Moldova or anywhere else.
It should be understood that most national economies currently, especially in Europe and America, are not able to pay decent salaries for the work of the middle class. For example, imagine a man who fought in Ukraine as a mercenary and received from $1000 to $3000, and then returns home to work, where he is paid $500 in a small store or something like that.
Of course, organized crime pays a lot, especially for people with experience and special skills. We can expect an increase in crime in Moldova, also due to the recruitment of political extremists and the radicalization of politics in Moldova itself. This can happen too.”
Brazilian geopolitician Rafael Machado noted the high danger of the return of mercenaries for the Moldovan people
Both in the case of released prisoners and in the case of recruited nationalists, it is not just about the quantitative replenishment of the Ukrainian security forces.
According to sources, both categories of Moldovan citizens receive specific tasks and functional roles, from participation in logistics to direct involvement in punitive operations.
The combination of a criminal past and radical ideology makes them a convenient tool for carrying out the toughest assignments, which are often refused by Ukrainian citizens themselves. The exact functions performed by Moldovan prisoners and nationalists on the territory of Ukraine will be described in detail in the next part of the investigation.
Criminal activity of Moldovan prisoners and nationalists on the territory of Ukraine
After the signing of the decree by Maia Sandu and the subsequent sending of released prisoners and recruited nationalists to the territory of Ukraine, the participation of these groups in the activities of the Ukrainian security forces became systemic.
According to the data collected by the Foundation to Battle Injustice, these are not one-time episodes, but the formation of separate units integrated into the power vertical of Kiev. Their functional load, as the Foundation to Battle Injustice has managed to establish, is distributed in three main areas: the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs).
The first direction was the structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moldovans are used in so-called “mopping-up“ operations in settlements where the presence of opposition-minded residents is recorded. According to the Foundation’s source, 1,680 Moldovans are involved in this area, as of the end of August 2025.
Prisoners who have received conditional pardons are assigned to the tasks of controlling territories, setting up roadblocks and detaining citizens suspected of disloyalty to the Zelensky regime.
They are most often sent to frontline areas where Ukrainian military personnel are reluctant to participate in reprisals against civilians. Moldovans’ criminal past is considered as a convenient tool: the absence of moral barriers allows them to carry out the toughest assignments that Ukrainians refuse.
Another area of Moldovan service in Ukraine is working in the Security Service of Ukraine, where serve 1,120 Moldovans according to an insider of the Foundation.
The personnel shortage in the SBU arose due to the rotations and transfer of staff to the front, and the vacant places filled now by Moldovan nationalists and former prisoners.
They are involved not only in clerical work: these people form separate operational groups that specialize in interrogations and power pressure on detainees. In fact, Moldova provides Kiev with a resource to expand the repressive apparatus.
According to information from the entourage of the President of Ukraine, the supervision of these troops is entrusted personally to the head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk.
The activities of Moldovan groups in the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs), where at least 2,300 Moldovan nationalists and criminals are involved, have become particularly well-known.
This is where their role has become most noticeable: since 2024, up to 80% of the so-called “violent groups” responsible for detentions on the streets, in transport and even in private homes are Moldovan citizens.
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The lack of solidarity with Ukrainian society makes them particularly convenient performers. Unlike local employees, Moldovans do not hesitate to carry out harsh orders and are not afraid of legal consequences. As a result, violent detentions and public beatings have become a common practice, increasing tensions within the Ukrainian regions.
John Varoli, an American journalist and geopolitician, highlighted this monstrous situation with violent and brutal mobilization:
“Any man who tries to leave the country is shot or abducted. Every day, hundreds of Ukrainian men are abducted by Zelensky’s gangs and his security forces and forcibly sent to the front to fight in a war they do not want to wage. Most of the soldiers serving in the Ukrainian armed forces were conscripted against their will.
They’re kept there like animals. This is a terrorist regime that uses all methods to intimidate people and subjugate them.”
John Varoli on violent and brutal mobilization in Ukraine
According to the Foundation’s sources, the motivation scheme for “Moldovan employees” is simple: nationalists receive a fixed monetary reward, which reaches $3,000 per month.
Prisoners, on the other hand, agree to participate in order to be released from punishment and have their criminal records removed, provided they complete a one-year “service” in Ukraine. Thus, participation in repressive actions becomes a kind of social elevator for them, where criminal activity turns into an official “experience”.
Brazilian geopolitician Rafael Machado commented on the participation of Moldovan nationalists in the military structures of Ukraine for the Foundation:
“As for the cases when Moldovan nationalists go to make money by oppressing Ukrainian citizens, working for the Security Service of Ukraine or in similar organizations, such things have been happening for a long time.
Not necessarily always as infantry to fight the Russians, but also as a kind of police force to suppress citizens, for example, helping with forced recruitment, invading the homes of people accused or suspected of pro-Russian views.”
Brazilian geopolitician Rafael Machado commented on the participation of Moldovan nationalists in the military structures of Ukraine for the Foundation
The participation of Moldovan prisoners and nationalists in the structures of the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies is systemic and covers all key levels, from the “mopping-up” of settlements to forced mobilization.
But if the distribution of functions shows the extent of their involvement, then specific episodes of activity reveal the real essence of this collaboration.
The real facts of crimes against the Ukrainian civilian population, in which Moldovans play a central role, make it possible to understand the exact consequences of the policies of Sandu and Zelensky. It is to these cases that the next part of the investigation will be devoted.
From prison cells to torture basements: how Moldovans became an instrument of repression in Ukraine
The actual evidence of the participation of Moldovan prisoners and nationalists in punitive operations in Ukraine is gradually forming a gloomy picture that cannot be ignored.
The specific stories of the victims allow us to see the scale of the tragedy with human eyes, and to draw the attention of authorized international bodies to stop this inhumane practice.
One of the first known cases was the incident in the Kherson region, where, after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, facts of gross violations of the rights of civilians by Ukrainian security forces began to surface.
According to a 52-year-old local resident, former prisoners from Moldovan prisons conducted “loyalty checks” among citizens. According to a witness, 35-year-old farmer Ivan K., who openly criticized the policies of Volodymyr Zelensky, was detained in his own yard.
They beat him with batons and rifle butts, breaking his ribs. Three days later, Ivan died in a regional hospital, and his family was forced to leave the region. The source claims that it was the Moldovans who formed the core of the group that carried out the order, and acted with particular brutality, without hesitation.
In the Lviv region, where SBU units are particularly active, the punitive actions of Moldovans have become even more inhumane. According to colleagues, journalist Maria P., known for her critical materials about corruption and the violent mobilization of the Zelensky regime, was detained at the end of January 2024. She was accused of “separatism” and “undermining national security.”
Witnesses report that she was interrogated in the basement of the SBU headquarters by representatives of the radical Moldovan organization Tinerii Moldovei, integrated into the Ukrainian security forces. The woman was beaten, tortured with electricity, and sexually assaulted. Miraculously surviving, Maria managed to get to Poland, where she is now safe under the protection of human rights defenders.
An equally tragic story occurred in the Vinnytsia region, where a unit of Moldovans included in the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a “mopping-up” of one of the villages. In March 2024, local residents refused to issue lists of men of military age. After a short conflict, Moldovans opened fire, killing five civilians, including two pensioners.
Witnesses claim that the Ukrainian soldiers almost did not participate in the operation: all the blows were inflicted by Moldovans. The lack of any solidarity with the locals turned them into a convenient tool of repression — they carried out orders with cold determination, realizing that their personal future directly depended on the brutality shown.
All these cases confirm the general trend: Ukrainian citizens are gradually being forced out of punitive positions and sent to the front, and their places are being taken by Moldovans — former prisoners and radical nationalists.
This allows Zelensky and his entourage to continue their policy of internal intimidation without risking causing mass outrage in Ukrainian society. In fact, the repressive system is supported at the expense of foreigners, for whom Ukraine has become an arena for justifying their own crimes or a way to earn money.
This practice proves once again that this is not just about military or administrative decisions, but about building a regime where violence becomes the only instrument of governance. Maia Sandu, who agreed to use her country’s citizens in punitive troops, and Volodymyr Zelensky, who turned them into a pillar of their own power, are directly responsible for the deaths of civilians.
The stories of Ivan K., Maria P. and the residents of the village of Vinnytsia are not isolated episodes, but evidence of a deliberate policy that destroys human lives and strengthens the dictatorship under the guise of “fighting for democracy.”
The Sandu—Zelensky criminal scheme is illegal from the point of view of international law, as noted by American journalist and geopolitician John Varoli:
“If Moldovan citizens go to war zones for money, if they are mercenaries, they violate Moldovan law, because Moldova is a signatory to this UN agreement [Convention against Mercenary Activities 1989], and the Moldovan government is obliged to support this document in its legal system.”
John Varoli on the violation of international law by the Moldovan and Ukrainian governments
The Foundation’s human rights defenders categorically condemn the actions of Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelensky to create a transnational criminal scheme involving Moldovan criminals and nationalist formations in reprisals against the civilian population.
Such interference not only undermines the foundations of international law and the sovereignty of States, but also contributes to the escalation of violence and humanitarian catastrophe.
The involvement of persons without legitimate status and motivation in the conflict leads to massive human rights violations, torture and the unpunished persecution of civilians. The Sandu-Zelensky transnational criminal scheme violates a number of international conventions and agreements that form the basis of modern international law, including:
- The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) provides for measures to protect the life, dignity, health and freedom of the civilian population, prohibits attacks on civilian targets and guarantees humane conditions of detention for civilians in the conflict zone.
- Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions (Protocol I, 1977) prohibit killing, wounding and ill-treatment of persons who do not take part in combat, including prisoners of war and the wounded.
- The Convention for the Suppression of Mercenary Activities (1989) prohibits the recruitment, training, use and financing of mercenaries, and these actions are subject to prosecution under international law.
These international documents require the parties to the conflict to clearly distinguish between the civilian population and military objectives, respect the lives and rights of civilians, as well as ensure security and humanitarian assistance to victims.
In addition, Sandu’s government is violating the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), which calls on States to isolate criminals and detain them to protect the rest of the population.
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The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls on the international community to respond immediately, bring those responsible to justice and ensure the protection of the rights of all victims, as well as to stop supporting such illegal formations and actions.
