The Border Police have classified as false the statements made by Rustam Minnikhanov, the leader of Tatarstan, who claimed that he had been declared persona non grata in the Republic of Moldova after being denied entry into the country. Anticoruptie.md reported on the close connection between Minnikhanov and Putin and suggested that they were working together to install Victor Petrov, one of the eight candidates for the position of bashkan of Gagauzia.

In a press release, the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova, along with several representatives of the authorities in Chisinau, stated that Minnikhanov's attempt to campaign in the Republic of Moldova amounted to interference in the country's internal affairs.

"The recent statements made by a Russian official who has just returned from our country, claiming that he was declared persona non grata in Moldova, are false. Supporting a candidate in our country's local elections is not a valid reason, and the authorities have asked Russian officials to refrain from interfering in our country's internal affairs," the Border Police noted.

Rustam Minnikhanov has been the president of Tatarstan since 2010. On January 26 of this year, the United States of America announced sanctions against him and his wife. The statement issued by the US authorities states that "the US has sanctioned Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov (Minnikhanov), a Russian citizen and chairman of the board of directors of the Tupolev Public Joint Stock Company, which produces strategic bombers for the Russian Armed Forces. Minnikhanov is also the long-serving head of Tatarstan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. Minnikhanov is targeted, according to E.O. 14024, because he is or has been a leader, official, senior executive officer or member of the board of directors of the Government of Russia, and because he is active or has been active in the defense or related, as well as aerospace sectors of the economy of the Federation."

Three days before the US announced the new sanctions, Minnikhanov had a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he informed him about Tatarstan's support for the so-called special military operation. In the same context, he reported that the Republic of Tatarstan allocated almost 2.5 million rubles for this purpose. He also referred to the two combat battalions from Tatarstan that were sent to the hot zones.

On the other hand, after announcing his candidacy in the campaign for the position of bashcan, Victor Petrov did not stay in Comrat, nor did he have any meetings with potential voters in the region. Instead, he made a quick visit to Tatarstan. The published text highlights that the visit was made as a member of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, not as a candidate. Petrov met with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and they discussed the continuation of strategic cooperation between Tatarstan and Gagauzia.

It should be mentioned that the visit of the candidate for the position of the head of UTA Gagauzia, Victor Petrov, to Kazan, seems to be taken from the diplomatic register. However, in the current electoral context, it appears to be more of a image-making artifice to attract as many voters as possible. Proof of this can be found in the electoral newspapers that reach the residents of the autonomy during the election meetings, which contain detailed information about Petrov's visit to Tatarstan.