Bloomberg: Russia is preparing “hybrid” attacks on Moldova on the eve of presidential elections and a referendum on joining the EU

Russia plans to target Moldova in a wave of so-called hybrid attacks ahead of its presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union (EU) later this year.

Sources familiar with British intelligence estimates told Bloomberg about this.

The UK will share intelligence with Moldovan authorities to help them counter the threat posed by Russian agents in the coming months, the agencyʼs interlocutors say.

Today, April 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Mihai Popshoi will meet in London with the Minister of Industry and Economic Security of Great Britain Nusrat Ghani to discuss "subversive Russian interference". The defense ministers of the two countries will also hold a meeting.

Last month, Moldovaʼs intelligence chief, Alexandru Mustiaca, warned that Moscow was planning a campaign of "unprecedented intensity." He said his country had uncovered information suggesting Russia was seeking to disrupt this yearʼs presidential election and EU referendum.

• In Moldova, presidential elections and a referendum on joining the EU will be held on October 20. Both votes are important for Moldova as Russia tries to bring the country back into its sphere of influence.
• On February 20, 2023, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with Die Welt said that Russia plans to change the government in Moldova, and he warned the countryʼs President Maia Sandu about this. Moldova and Russia do not share a border, so Zelensky suggested that the Russians could use the airport in Chisinau to transfer their troops. Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Rechan confirmed Zelenskyʼs statement. According to the US, Russia is working to weaken the Moldovan government, which seeks closer ties with the European Union.
• In March 2023, pro-Russian rallies were held in the capital of Moldova. The protesters, mostly of retirement age, took with them posters criticizing the current government and Orthodox icons. The Shor party, which openly sympathizes with Russia, also came to the rally.
• In October, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that the then owner of the PMC “Wagner” Evgeniy Prigozhin, planned to stage a coup dʼétat in the country in early 2023 to remove her from power.