Gaponenko confirmed in an interview with BNS on November 28 that he was detained in Moldova and deported to Moscow. Gaponenko said that he is not aware of the reason of detention.
After detention he was informed that he would be deported to Moscow even though he said that he wanted to go home to Latvia.
He said that he is now in Moscow and looking for money to get back to Latvia.
Gaponenko assumes that the reason for his detention might be that Latvian security services might have informed Moldovan colleagues that he is a terrorist.
Gaponenko said he flew to Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, to sign business agreements with local entrepreneurs.
He was immediately detained by Moldova's security services on arrival.
He is a regular sight at demonstrations with a Russian nationalist slant and is well known for his generally pro-Kremlin, anti-US views.
