Russian disident Mikhail Khodorkovsky criticizes Geoana’s russian ties: ”Romanian voters should consider this before voting”

In a post on the X platform, Khodorkovsky, a former Russian oligarch and prominent critic of Vladimir Putin, criticized both NATO and Geoana’s campaign. He expressed disbelief at NATO’s failure to address the connections between Geoana’s adviser and pro-Russian influences, saying, „NATO overlooked things like this when appointing people to such senior roles.”

The dissident added that “Romanian voters should bear this in mind when casting their ballots next month,” urging them to consider these revelations when making their choice in the upcoming presidential election. Khodorkovsky also referenced Geoana’s past, reminding the public of his controversial ties to Moscow. „In 2009, during a presidential campaign, Geoana was accused of paying secret visits to Moscow, and the US ambassador at the time stated that ‘Geoana was always ready to talk to the Russians”, Khodorkovsky pointed out, acording to Gandul.

The OCCRP investigation and allegations of russian influence

The investigation, conducted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), revealed that Rares Manescu, the coordinator of Geoana’s campaign, has business ties with Aleksei Kozlov, a Russian businessman involved in pro-Putin propaganda. The OCCRP reported that Manescu and Kozlov co-founded a company in Ilfov, Romania, and that Kozlov, under the pseudonym Alex Krepchinsky, actively promoted pro-Russian messages following the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Khodorkovsky referenced this investigation on social media, noting, „A NATO vetting expert told Dossier Center that Manescu’s partnership with Kozlov was substantial enough that Geoana should have disclosed it to the alliance’s internal security service. But no such disclosure was ever made”.

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Kozlov, a frequent visitor to Crimea after Russia’s illegal annexation, reportedly posted numerous pro-Putin messages on social media, including images of Putin and statements in support of the Kremlin’s aggressive policies. According to the OCCRP investigation, Kozlov, under his pseudonym, was actively engaged in stirring up pro-Russian sentiment. “Aleksei Kozlov is an aquaculture specialist who loves fishing. Under the name Alex Krepchinsky, though, he appears to have been a firebrand propagandist who began stirring up pro-Russian sentiment after the 2014 invasion of Ukraine”.

The investigation further revealed that Krepchinsky had been quoted multiple times by Newsfront, a Crimean propaganda outlet that the US has sanctioned for alleged ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

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This is not the first time Geoana has been accused of maintaining connections with Russia. During the 2009 presidential campaign, former Romanian president Traian Basescu accused Geoana of making secret visits to Moscow. It was reported that Geoana, who was then Senate speaker, met with an adviser to former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev. Medvedev, who has become notorious for issuing threats to Romania and other NATO countries, is currently vice-president of the Russian Federation’s Security Council.

In response to these accusations, Basescu commented in 2009, “I can only confirm that Mircea Geoana was in Moscow. To get the full picture, remember that after April, I said ‘good thing he’s leaving CSAT’. I had exactly this in mind, you cannot be CSAT vice-president and go to meetings organized in Moscow without informing the CSAT president”.

Further controversy arose in 2011 when Wikileaks revealed a US embassy telegram that questioned Geoana’s approach to Russia and disclosed two secret visits to Moscow. Despite these allegations, Geoana’s campaign continued unaffected, with the Wikileaks telegram noting that his trip to Moscow had been arranged using oligarch Sorin Ovidiu Vîntu’s plane.

Khodorkovsky emphasized that despite Geoana’s current critical stance towards Russia, his past actions have left a trail of suspicion. „Mircea Geoana, number two of NATO, is running for the position of president of Romania and criticizes Putin. However, his advisor’s Russian business partner has direct ties to the Kremlin”, Khodorkovsky wrote on X.

Geoana’s response: “A Kompromat operation”

In response to the investigation and ensuing international reactions, Mircea Geoana released a video statement on his Facebook page, dismissing the allegations as a „kompromat operation.” He implied that the accusations were part of a larger smear campaign orchestrated by outside forces, possibly Russia, which he suggested might be threatened by his presidential bid.

„A real kompromat operation is underway. I am accused of so-called associations with the Russian Federation, which is totally unbelievable considering that, for five years, I led, together with the general secretary, the North Atlantic Alliance,” Geoana declared.

He added that from the outset of his campaign, he had anticipated that his candidacy as a former NATO official would disrupt the interests of Russia and certain groups within Romania.

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