Romanian former politician turned agitator with underworld links held at Moldova border crossing

Marius Vasile Nita, a former local councilor of Romania’s leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) in Bucharest’s Sector three, was escorting young Romanian athletes to a kickboxing tournament in Chisinau when he was held for hours at the Albița-Leușeni border crossing and denied entry to the country.

Moldovan border police said in a statement that Nita and his athletes “did not present documents regarding the stated purpose of the trip, namely participation in sports events … or other relevant documents clearly justifying the purpose of the visit.”

Nita, a former kickboxer known for his stances against pro-Western Romanian political figures, was traveling to the “European Kickboxing Championship,” an event organized by the World Kickboxing Federation, which has become a flashpoint in Moldova. 

Moldovans will cast ballots on Sep. 28 in a parliamentary election that could alter the country’s geopolitical trajectory. Russia-backed interference in Moldovan elections was well documented ahead of last year’s presidential election and referendum on joining the European Union. 

Moldova’s Interior Ministry stated that 195 people who posed a national security risk to Moldova had tried to enter the country to attend the kickboxing event. According to TVR, the Russian delegation “included people affiliated with the structures of the Russian forces.” 

While the controversial kickboxing event receives financial support from Chisinau City Hall, the capital’s pro-Russian mayor, Ion Ceban, says participants are not validated by the local administration.

After the border incident, a video was posted to the TikTok account of Victor Pruteanu, an adviser to Ceban, and a member of the National Alternative Movement, which a report by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a 2022 report was being used by Moscow to try to install a pro-Russian government in Moldova.

In the video, Nita claimed he was being unfairly persecuted and criticized Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu and the government.

“We are simply being held here for more than three hours without being told anything, (despite) having all our documents in order,” Nita said in the video clip. “Citizens of Romania and the European Union … it’s interesting what’s happening in this country, the Republic of Moldova.”

Moldova’s Minister of Sport criticized the kickboxing event, saying it is unrecognized by the International Olympic Committee and has “direct links to sanctioned entities” in Russia.

Moldova’s Moscow-friendly opposition politicians quickly used the furore to criticize the pro-European government, which vehemently opposed the sports competition the group was trying to reach. The scandal gained traction on various pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and was picked up by the Russian state media outlet Sputnik.

Though Nita did not introduce himself in the video, Context.ro identified the former kickboxer, also known as “Bebe Nită,” since he has courted controversy in the past. 

In 2023, he interrupted a press conference of Nicusor Dan, along with members of a notorious Romanian underworld group. Nita is also known for heckling Laura Codruța Koveși, the former head of Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate.

Despite his activity on social media, Nita has not posted anything related to the border incident, and it is unclear how Ceban’s advisor came into possession of the video. 

Nita did not respond to a request for a comment.