The protests took place in the context of the conviction of the leader of the autonomous Gagauzia region. Evghenia Gutul was sentenced to seven years in prison. 

The politician is accused of illegally financing the pro-Russian Sor Party between 2019 and 2022. The Sor Party was banned by the Constitutional Court in 2023 over accusations of destabilizing the country.

In response to the conviction, the People's Assembly of Gagauzia — the legislative body of the autonomy — convened urgently and strongly condemned the sentence, accusing the pro-European Action and Solidarity (PAS) government of establishing a "dictatorship" at the command of "Western curators," referring to the European Union.