Abstract. Among the hotbeds of confrontation that characterize the modern sphere of internal political, interstate and regional interactions in the post-Soviet space, attention is drawn to the acute contradictions that have existed for many years between the leadership of the Republic of Moldova and the Gagauz autonomy. A new round of tension in relations between Chisinau and Comrat began to unfold with the start of the Russian special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. Against the backdrop of an increasingly aggravated military-political situation and in the context of a tightening of the anti-Russian position of the Moldovan authorities in Gagauzia, autonomist sentiments have again become relevant. The Moldovan European Union membership referendum, scheduled for October 2024, gave Gagauz politicians reason to fear for the fate of Moldovan statehood. In turn, the head of the autonomy, Evgenia Gutsul, appealing to Russia for economic and political support is a geopolitical challenge for official Chisinau and its Western sponsors.