Moldovan authorities said they carried out 250 raids and detained dozens on Monday as part of an investigation into an alleged Russia-backed plan to incite �mass riots� and destabilize the country around a critical parliamentary election.

The raids targeted more than 100 people and took place in multiple localities across the country, police said. Seventy-four people were detained for up to 72 hours, said Victor Furtuna, Moldova�s chief prosecutor from the Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases.

Moldovans will vote to choose a new 101-seat legislature on Sunday, in an election many view as a choice between Moldova�s continued path toward European Union membership or closer ties with Russia.

Moldova�s police said that the unrest plot was �coordinated from the Russian Federation, through criminal elements.�

Furtuna said that most of the suspects �systematically traveled� to Serbia, where they received training and that they were aged between 19 and 45 years old.

The head of Moldova�s police, Viorel Cernauteanu, said that some of the suspects didn�t know the real purpose of their trips, which were presented as pilgrimages, and only later became involved in “training for disorder and destabilization.”

He added that the investigation was �not aimed at political entities, despite interpretations. Rather, it was aimed at documenting the criminal intent and organization of these individuals who traveled to Serbia for training.�

Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu said in a statement after the raids on Monday that the Kremlin is spending �hundreds of millions of euros� to try to sway the election.

�People are intoxicated daily with lies,� she said. �Hundreds of individuals are paid to provoke disorder, violence, and spread fear. … I appeal to all citizens: we must not allow our country to be handed over to foreign interests.�

She added that the Kremlin �has accomplices here in Moldova,� describing them as people �willing to sell out their country for money.�

Moldovan authorities have long accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war � meddling in elections, disinformation campaigns, illicitly funding pro-Russian parties � to try to derail the country�s path toward European Union membership.

Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in Moldova.

In the wake of Russia�s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova applied to join the EU and was granted candidate status that year. Brussels agreed to open accession negotiations last year. Moldova�s westward shift further irked Moscow and tensions between the two nations skyrocketed.

(AP)