Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Valeriu Ostalep — the protagonist of the investigation The Pro-Kremlin Arms Dealer. Kremlin propagandist Valeriu Ostalep supplies weapons to Moldova’s security institutions — has lost, in the first instance, a lawsuit against the Center for Investigative Journalism of Moldova. He had filed a prior request demanding 66,000 lei in compensation for alleged moral damages caused by journalists Mădălin Necșuțu and Ilie Gulca. The businessman sought damages from nearly all media outlets that had republished the Center’s investigation.

“The lawsuit filed by Valeriu Ostalep against the Center for Investigative Journalism of Moldova, concerning the defense of honor, dignity, and professional reputation, public apology and retraction of defamatory information, and compensation for moral damages, is dismissed as unfounded,” reads the decision of the Chișinău Court, Râșcani headquarters.

The investigation revealed that the former politician and current businessman, Valeriu Ostalep, consistently disseminated Kremlin disinformation. On one hand, Ostalep echoed Moscow propagandist Maria Zakharova in accusing the Chișinău government of “blind subordination to Western curators and excessive militarization.” On the other hand, his arms company sold weapons to Moldova’s security institutions.

The company through which the Ostalep brothers sold weapons and ammunition is Sniper Elite SRL, founded by Ion Ostalep in 2014. From its inception, the company specialized in the import and export of arms and ammunition. Sniper Elite sold arms and ammunition to public authorities and state-owned enterprises.

Following the investigation by the Center for Investigative Journalism, on November 6, 2024, the Moldovan Government adopted a decision designating the Ministry of Defense as the public authority responsible for organizing and conducting centralized procurements of strategic goods in the arms and ammunition category for the needs of national defense, state security, and public order bodies.

The previous legislation concerning the procurement of weapons and ammunition by state institutions posed risks of corruption and security breaches. The legal framework had left it up to each security body to manage its own procurement processes. Currently, political decision-makers and the heads of security institutions are in discussions to improve the existing legislation.