Known critic of Moldova's government Yevgenia Gutsul has been in custody since Tuesday

The Kremlin said on Thursday it had reviewed an appeal by Yevgenia Gutsul, the detained leader of Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region, to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for help in securing her release.

Gutsul was taken into custody on Tuesday evening at Chisinau International Airport, with the Moldovan authorities saying she was on a wanted list. In a statement released via her lawyers on Thursday, she accused the government of pursuing a plan to dismantle the region of Gagauzia's autonomy through lawfare targeting her administration.

Also on Thursday, Gutsul appealed to both Russia and Trkiye to apply pressure on Moldovan President Maia Sandu's administration in defense of Gagauzia's rights. In her message to Putin - published on her Telegram channel - she said the region looks "with hope and faith to Russia," a country that has "never betrayed friends" and always stood by those "who fight for the truth and their legal rights."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to TASS that Moscow had "reviewed" Gutsul's request, and said her detention was at odds with the democratic principles proclaimed by the West.

Peskov had already condemned the arrest on Wednesday, calling on Moldovan authorities to stop putting pressure on political opponents. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova echoed that criticism, accusing the government in Chisinau of cracking down on politicians and journalists who advocate for closer ties with Moscow.

According to Moldovan media, Gutsul was taken into custody as part of an investigation into the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gagauzia, which she won. Her campaign was accused of financial irregularities. The Moldovan government claims that Gutsul is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at disrupting the country's attempts to become a member of the EU.

The Gagauz are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Orthodox Christian ethnic group living in southern Moldova. Their region, Gagauzia, has been granted broad rights to self-government. Sandu has questioned Gutsul's mandate as governor, denouncing her former party 'Shor' as a "criminal organization." A court in Chisinau banned the party in 2023.