The deputy Head of Gagauzia called intimidation a regular practice of the Moldovan authorities.

"It has become a normal practice for the Moldovan authorities to exert pressure by various methods. One of the methods is to detain and intimidate opposition politicians," Petrov said.

He added that this was not the first time this had happened to him. A couple of months ago, the politician continued, masked men broke into his house. Petrov himself was on a business trip abroad at that time, his wife was at home with two minor children.

"With machine guns, you imagine the picture, they intimidated. Moreover, during the searches, his wife's phone and home computer were seized. That's it, nothing else was seized. That is, it is unclear what they were looking for," he said.

Petrov was detained on the evening of February 25 upon arrival from Istanbul. According to him, he was flying light, with only a phone and a passport, but the inspection lasted three hours.

"After that, I asked them, the border police, to give me a written or oral explanation of the reason for the detention. According to them, they have the right to detain for three hours," Petrov said.

The Deputy Head of Gagauzia added that at that time he could not call either his lawyer or his wife.

"It's not pleasant, but we have to go through it all. Those who disagree with the current government, those who disagree with the current course that the authorities of our country are heading towards, and those who generally disagree with the opinion of the current regime, because it is difficult to call it authorities, then, of course, pressure is being exerted on us," the politician noted.

But according to Petrov, these methods are illegal, and, as practice shows, they do not work.

The news is being updated