Yevgenia Gutsul

Yevgenia Gutsul is a Moldovan politician who became the head of the semi-autonomous Gagauzia region in 2023. Recently sentenced to seven years in prison for allegedly funneling Russian funds to finance the pro-Moscow Șor party, Gutsul has been a controversial figure, accused of destabilizing Moldova and influencing its politics with Russian backing. She has faced sanctions from the EU and the US due to her suspected activities and was previously arrested for electoral fraud. Gutsul claims the court's ruling is a politically motivated attempt to intimidate opposition and has vowed to appeal the verdict.