Russia uses priests and bots to interfere in Moldova’s elections - Sandu
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has noted that Russia has expanded its interference in her country's elections, in particular by reaching out to the diaspora abroad ahead of the parliamentary elections.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the FT.
Sandu said Moscow has stepped up its online disinformation campaign.
Russia is using priests
"The Russians are targeting the diaspora," Sandu said, accusing Moscow of using Russian Orthodox priests to spread Russian propaganda and deploying a network of "Matryoshka" bots to create fake content posing as legitimate foreign media.
Sandu, whose pro-European Action and Solidarity party hopes to retain its majority in the September 28 elections, said she fears a repeat of the 2024 campaign, when Russian agents spread fake bomb threats at Moldovan polling stations abroad, including in Germany.
Last year, Moldovan security services detailed Russia's unprecedented assault on the country's electoral process, accusing Moscow of funneling huge sums of money into the former Soviet republic to buy votes through an extensive network of intermediaries.
Sandu calculated that in 2024, Russia spent the equivalent of 1% of Moldova's GDP on interfering in Moldova's elections.
According to the President of Moldova, Russia's tactics are evolving. Criminals on Moscow's payroll are now also being used to provoke unrest in Moldovan prisons.
"Russia is using a really wide range of tools... trying to undermine our institutions," she said.
The Kremlin has traditionally denied any involvement in interfering in elections abroad.
Sandu called for EU support during a speech in the European Parliament earlier this week.
"I want the EU to learn from our experience. Moldova is a fragile democracy, but we see that some of Russia's actions in Moldova are then 'exported' to other countries. We should not underestimate the danger to our democracies," she told the FT.
Brussels last year pledged €1.8 billion in economic support to Moldova ahead of the EU membership referendum.
The presidential election, which took place in parallel with the referendum, turned into a tense struggle between Sandu and pro-Russian candidate Alexandru Stoianoglo.
Sandu won the second round with 55% of the vote, thanks in particular to the diaspora vote. If only the votes of voters residing in Moldova were counted, Sandu would have lost, as local voters turned away from her due to rising energy prices related to Russia's war against Ukraine and Moldova's decision to reduce its dependence on Russian supplies.
Moldova's progress toward EU membership has stalled, as Chisinau's application is "tied" to Ukraine's.
"Given the pressure that Russia is putting on us and the threats we face, integration into the EU is the only way for us to survive as a democracy. We believe that the EU should find a solution so that both Moldova and Ukraine can move on to the next stages," Sandu said.
She called the upcoming parliamentary elections the last obstacle on Moldova's path to EU membership.
Sandu's party faced a strong opponent after Stoianoglo announced the creation of a coalition of three opposition forces that united to challenge Action and Solidarity.
Stoianoglo called on Moldova to be in "harmony" with both "the West and the East." Stoianoglo's Alternativa bloc nominally supports EU integration.
Sandu emphasizes that her opponents seek to reverse Moldova's progress and return to Russia's sphere of influence: The Kremlin wants to "take over Moldova through the ballot box," she warned.
