oh man

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sygwhsmrzg

Moldovan rabbi named in widening Ukraine arms smuggling case

Rabbi Pinhas Zaltzman has been linked to the truck carrying advanced weapons seized about a year ago at the Moldova-Romania border crossing; according to the driver, the destination of the arms was Israel; the rabbi denies any connection to the case

The affair began in November 2025, when Romanian customs authorities stopped a truck that had arrived from Moldova carrying advanced weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems, RPG launchers and drone parts. The driver said then that “the destination of the shipment is Israel,” raising questions.

Now, after the publication of parts of the ruling in the case of one of the defendants, it has emerged that one of those involved, Alexei Piankovsky, claimed in his interrogation that Zaltzman had asked him to transfer equipment from Ukraine to Moldova and later to Israel. According to Piankovsky’s testimony, Zaltzman described the items as “leftovers” from humanitarian equipment or as medical equipment intended for repair, not as weapons.

The ruling noted that in mobile phones seized as part of the investigation, investigators found conversations between some of the defendants and Zaltzman, as well as photos of weapons and photos from his phone. Here too, the document does not determine the meaning of the findings and does not attribute criminal responsibility to him.

The spokesman for Moldova’s Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime refused to confirm or deny whether Zaltzman has any status in the case, saying only that “the investigation continues against several people whose identities are not being disclosed at this stage.”

Alongside the legal reports, sources in Moldova’s Jewish community claimed that Zaltzman himself has not been seen in the country for many months. According to them, his last visit was in October 2025, and he has not returned to Moldova since, including during Hanukkah, Purim and Passover. The same sources also claimed that the Jewish community recently appointed Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod as chief rabbi of Moldova.

Zaltzman himself rejected the claims outright, saying he remains the chief rabbi of Moldova.

“This is an old affair, with which I have no connection whatsoever," he told ynet. "Among the people quoted in the article is a Jewish criminal who sometimes came to pray at the synagogue. The attempt to drag my name into the incident is ridiculous and has no connection to reality. As part of my activities in recent years, I have had the privilege of greatly assisting tens of thousands of Jews, whether refugees from Ukraine or any refugee who needed help, regardless of origin or background.

“In this framework, I worked extensively in the field of assistance, without any compensation and in accordance with the law,” Zaltzman continued. “The attempt, from the beginning, to turn this activity of mine into an attempt to smuggle weapons is a cynical exploitation by marginal political elements within the Jewish community, in place of an open-door policy of assistance to every Jew. There are countless witnesses who can testify to that. I am sorry that such a marginal, biased and false publication is being echoed in the Israeli press. All my life I have acted according to the law and out of a sense of mission to save Jews, and I will continue to do so.”

The case continues to be handled in courts in Moldova and Romania. Some of the defendants have been released from custody, one admitted to the charges against him and was sentenced to a suspended prison term, and the investigation into additional suspects is still ongoing.

According to Moldova’s Jewish community, Zaltzman is not the chief rabbi and is attributing to himself a role that is not his. “He was never elected or appointed to this position by the authorized bodies. He has no mandate to represent the community. The role he attributed to himself does not correspond to a position that has been recognized or approved institutionally and does not reflect the administrative structure of the organization’s leadership,” according to a statement issued by the community.

In November 2025, Romanian customs authorities arrested a Moldovan citizen who was transporting in his truck an arsenal of heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-tank rockets and components for suicide drones. The driver declared at the time that the shipment was bound for Israel, but the shipping details have raised many doubts among politicians in Moldova, who believe the weapons came from Ukraine as part of a global smuggling chain.