CHISINAU, July 10. /TASS/. The leader of Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutsul, says she will not flee the country or abandon her position while the legal proceedings against her are in progress.

"I’ve had plenty of opportunities to flee the country. But today I am not only a mother of two under-age children, but also the head of the Gagauz autonomy. If I fled, it would benefit the Chisinau authorities, as they would have already called for the bashkan (governor) elections. That would mean that I gave up my mandate," Gutsul said before a court hearing on the possible extension of her arrest.

The politician was detained at Chisinau airport on March 25 and arrested on charges of allegedly illegally financing her election campaign in 2023. Gutsul has also been charged in a separate illegal financing scheme of the opposition party.

The prosecutors argue that extending Gutsul’s arrest is necessary because she is a flight risk. The Gagauz head categorically rejects all prosecution arguments and calls the case politically motivated.

Relations between Gutsul and Moldova’s government sharply deteriorated in 2023 following Gutsul’s election as the head of Gagauzia, as the politician expressed her intent to strengthen the region’s friendly ties with Russia and criticized Chisinau’s confrontational stance toward Moscow. Moldovan authorities attempted to declare her election invalid, but the Gagauz parliament stood by Gutsul. Several mass protests supporting her were held in the region. President Maia Sandu refused to sign the decree officially appointing Gutsul to the Moldovan government, defying legal procedures.

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