Александр Балан. Фото: БелТА
Alexandru Balan, a former deputy director of Moldova’s Information and Security Service (SIS) who was handed over to Belarus as part of a prisoner exchange, has been stripped of Moldovan citizenship. The corresponding decree was signed by Moldovan President Maia Sandu on June 23, Moldpres reported.
The decree took effect immediately upon signing and may be challenged in court.
Balan was detained in Romania in 2025 as part of a joint operation by the Czech, Hungarian and Romanian intelligence services. On April 15, 2026, a Moldovan court sentenced him in absentia to 18 months in prison on charges of disclosing state secrets. According to the case materials, Balan had been working for the Belarusian KGB since 2024.
In April, Balan was extradited from Romania to Moldova. A few days later, he was pardoned and handed over to the Belarusian side as part of a five-for-five prisoner exchange.
As part of the same exchange, Moldova also transferred Russian citizen Nina Popova to Russia. In return, Moscow handed over two Moldovan SIS officers who had been convicted of espionage in Russia.