Romanian Executive Denies Russian Spying Allegations

A former senior manager of Russian energy company Inter Rao, Karina Tsurkan, who was arrested in Moscow in June for alleged espionage, told news website Meduza that she is still unsure about the charges against her. 

Tsurkan, 42, a Romanian and Russian citizen born in Moldova, was arrested on June 15 and accused by the Russian secret services of stealing and passing over sensitive information from the company to foreign secret services.

"The investigators refuse to tell me what I allegedly handed over, to whom and how. Since I did not do this, I confidently state that the evidence is being kept secret from me, is at the disposal of the investigators, and has been forged. I can't find another explanation," Tsurkan said.

"I could have commented on the accusation if it was clear to me. I have not yet been shown the document that I allegedly handed over to someone. I hope to receive more complete information from the investigation," she said in the interview which according to Meduza site, was conduced why she is still in custory in Moscow.

The Russian Federal Security Service, FSB did not disclose who it believed Tsurkan worked for, but she insisted that she was not working for Moldovan intelligence. 

Inter RAO owns, amongst other things, the biggest thermoelectric power plant in Moldova, located in Cugiurgan, in the Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria. The plant is the only source of power for Moldova. In the past, Romania was also a client.

Inter RAO also owns power plants in other sensitive regions for Russia, such as the exclave of Kaliningrad and the annexed peninsula of Crimea. 

The chairman of the Inter RAO management board is Boris Kovalchuk, the son of Yuri Kovalchuk, a banker who is close to Russian...