Russia is increasing its influence on the 250 000 Moldovan diaspora around the world, hoping to influence the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28 this year. Officials are now observing a sharp increase in the flow of disinformation.
National Security Advisor Stanislaw Sekrieru told Politico about this.
According to him, this is a new attack by a Kremlin-backed network known as Matryoshka. The essence of this tactic is to create fake media and spread false information through them.
“The campaign is designed to demobilize diaspora voters — to encourage them to stay home — and manipulate those who do vote into supporting a fake pro-European force. Disguised as legitimate European media, these fabricated reports aim to undermine trust in Moldova’s democratic institutions and sow confusion among Moldovan communities abroad,” the official said.
According to Sekrier, in the run-up to the September 28 vote, they could create fake bomb threats at polling stations in European cities or organize protests abroad to create a false impression of public discontent. Russia has already done all of this in previous elections.
The Moldovan national security adviser added that other countries need to step up monitoring efforts and respond to any attempts to influence the vote before, during and after the elections. Brussels is providing support to Moldova to strengthen its resilience.
What preceded
Moldovan President Maja Sandu said on July 30 that Russia is preparing unprecedented interference in the parliamentary elections in Moldova, scheduled for September.
Sandu reported that the Kremlin is investing in several political projects to get its people into the next parliament. All of these projects are coordinated from one center and are largely financed through the schemes of Ilan Shor, the leader of the pro-Russian “Shor” party, who is suspected of attempting a coup. In particular, according to Sandu, Russia is trying to bribe voters. About €100 million is planned to be channeled through cryptocurrency alone.
This is not the first time Russia has attempted to influence Moldovaʼs political system. In October 2024, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov said that Russia had invested almost €100 million in attempts to disrupt the presidential elections and the referendum on EU accession.
- The Moldovan Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected the application for registration for the elections of the pro-Russian political bloc "Victory" on July 20. And on August 3, the commission decided to exclude four parties from the list of those eligible to participate in the parliamentary elections on September 28. Among them are the "Alternative Forces for the Salvation of Moldova", the "Chance" party and the "Victory" party, which are members of the pro-Russian bloc "Victory", close to the convicted fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor.
- However, CEC registered the "Patriotic Socialists, Heart and Future of Moldova" bloc, which includes the socialist party of the countryʼs former president Igor Dodon, to participate in the parliamentary elections.
- Dodon was noted for his ambiguous statements regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia. He stated that “all sides are guilty of the conflict”. When asked who owns Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kherson regions, the ex-president replied that “the consequences of the peace negotiations will make it clear where the war will stop”.
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