Moldovan authorities said they carried out 250 raids and detained dozens as part of an investigation into an alleged Russia-backed plan to incite "mass riots" and destabilise the country around a critical parliamentary election.

The raids targeted more than 100 people and took place in multiple localities across the country, police said.

Moldova's chief prosecutor from the Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases, Victor Furtuna, said 74 people had been detained for up to 72 hours following the raids.

Moldovans will vote to choose a new 101-seat legislature on Sunday, in an election many view as a choice between Moldova's continued path toward European Union membership or closer ties with Russia.

Moldova's police said that the unrest plot was "coordinated from the Russian

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