Switzerland sanctions six over Moldova election interference

SWITZERLAND, August 10, 2026 — Switzerland expanded its Moldova sanctions regime to cover six people tied by Swiss authorities to efforts to disrupt the country’s September 2025 parliamentary elections.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, or SECO, said the change takes effect Aug. 11. The entries fall under provisions for financial sanctions and bans on entry and transit. The underlying Swiss ordinance dates to June 28, 2023, and the listings are marked as originating from the EU.

The action centers on alleged disinformation, illicit campaign financing, voter manipulation and paid political activity involving networks linked to Ilan Shor and the Evrazia association. Four of those listed are Moldovan nationals and two are Russian nationals.

Alina Juc was identified as a coordinator in a secret Russian-funded operation linked to Shor. Swiss authorities said she recruited participants, directed activities and coordinated payments for a disinformation campaign intended to boost Shor’s proxies and distort perceptions of electoral support.

Two Russian nationals were linked to separate channels of political influence. Anton Tregub allegedly directed candidate selection and electoral strategy for the Moldova Mare party from Moscow and was involved in plans to obtain votes illegally. Anton Usov was accused of using clergy, religious media, financial leverage and voter data to influence electoral behavior.

The other listings cover Moldovan political figures and organizers accused of disinformation, paid rallies or protests, and activity linked to Shor, Evrazia or the Victory/Pobeda bloc.

For compliance teams, the six new records broaden the population subject to Swiss financial and travel restrictions. The entries include names, dates and places of birth, nationalities, functions and, for the two Russian nationals, Cyrillic spelling variants, creating new identifiers for sanctions-screening and list-maintenance systems.