Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, who coordinates pro-Russian actions from Moscow through his political vehicles and subordinates, has financed and opened an amusement park in the pro-Russian region of Gagauzia.

The idea is not new, after Shor already developed OrheiLand in Orhei, the city in the northern part of the country where he had served as mayor for years.

The amusement park named GagauziyaLand has now been opened in the Gagauz village of Congaz. Its construction took about a year.

Gagauzia is the new region targeted by Russia in its attempt to undermine the stability of the country that has already started accession negotiations with the European Union. Its Russian-speaking population is smaller than that of Transnistria (150,000 versus 500,000) but the region is part of Moldova proper and Moldovan state institutions. Shor's candidate Evghenia Gutul won the elections for the post of governor last year.

The opening of the amusement park was announced on social networks by Gutul. She said that 50,000 guests came to the opening of the park.

"The wasteland near Congaz has turned into the largest recreation and entertainment park in the south of the country thanks to the philanthropist Ilan Shor," said Guțul, calling him "a reliable and generous friend of the Gagauz people”. The oligarch himself also spoke via video link. 

The president of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, Dimitri Konstantinov, said at the opening ceremony of GagauziaLand that "the Moldovan leadership tried in every possible way to prevent the construction of this facility”.