Moldova’s Election Under Threat: A Struggle for Democracy
For weeks, police in the Republic of Moldova have been sharing alarming messages through their Telegram channel. Authorities have repeatedly issued warnings about “fake news” on social media, urged citizens not to accept “election bribes,” and released reports detailing the arrest of paid demonstrators. Recently, the police shared a video explaining how Russia is allegedly buying votes through an app called “Taito.” This has raised concerns among the population about the integrity of the upcoming election.
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Moldovan President Maia Sandu highlighted the situation during a recent Supreme Security Council meeting, describing the efforts by Russia as “unprecedented” interference in the country’s September 28 election. She emphasized that the outcome will determine whether Moldova remains a democratic nation on the path to European integration or if pro-Russian parties take control and shift the country back into Moscow’s influence. Despite the campaign not officially starting, the events in the country are unfolding rapidly.
A Massive Russian Sabotage Effort
Russia appears to be using Moldova as a testing ground for various pre-election hybrid attacks. The goal is to undermine the country’s democratic system by creating doubt, uncertainty, and political chaos. The tools at Russia’s disposal include paid public protests, massive vote buying both within Moldova and among its diaspora, flooding social media with fake news, and increasingly, AI-generated misinformation. Additionally, there have been hacker attacks on IT systems.
Beyond these tactics, Russia has also increased the number of missiles and drones flying through Moldova’s airspace en route to attacking Ukraine. This has instilled more fear of war among the Moldovan population. These combined efforts have turned Moldova’s national parliamentary election into a broader European issue.
Arrest of a Former Oligarch
Recently, the arrest of former Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc at the Athens airport in Greece made headlines. Moldovan authorities have sought his arrest on multiple charges, including his suspected role in the so-called “Billion Dollar Heist” between 2012 and 2014. He fled the country in 2019, but his return has become a focal point of concern.
A report by the independent investigative magazine The Insider revealed that Plahotniuc had met with Dmitry Kozak, a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in recent months. Kozak is known for his role in the 2003 plan to split Moldova into a loose federation of small states. His involvement raises alarm in Moldova, especially given the historical tensions tied to this plan.
Decades of Russian Political Aggression
Despite being a small agrarian country with around 3.5 million people, Moldova has been a target of Russian neo-imperial aggression for three decades. In 1992, Russia launched its first post-Soviet war against an independent country, using the pretext of protecting Russian-speaking citizens from a supposedly fascist government. The Kremlin supports a separatist regime in the Transnistria region, which is run by Russian secret agents. It continues to violate international law by stationing its own soldiers and a large arsenal there.
Moldova has also been used as a conduit for distributing billions of dollars globally through the “Russian Laundromat” system. Additionally, Russia constantly threatens the country by threatening to cut off gas deliveries.
A Step Toward Democracy
In mid-2019, Moldova took a significant step toward real democratic change. Voters elected Maia Sandu, an anti-corruption activist, as president. Her party, the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), won a majority in the 2021 parliamentary elections, promising ambitious reforms. However, progress has been limited due to deep-rooted corruption, a mass exodus of talent, ongoing issues in Transnistria, and delayed EU support for energy independence.
A Shadowy Network from Moscow
Sandu faces challenges from a shadowy network operating from Moscow. This includes decades of corruption, a lack of skilled workers, unresolved conflicts in Transnistria, and continuous Russian propaganda. One narrative promoted by Russian media is that the EU and NATO are trying to pull Moldova into the conflict in Ukraine.
During last year’s presidential election, which was linked to an EU referendum, Sandu won convincingly, but the referendum barely passed. Before the vote, authorities uncovered a network that had bought up to 300,000 votes. The network was run by Ilan Shor, a Moldovan-Israeli businessman, who is also linked to the “Billion Dollar Heist.”
The Patriot Bloc and Pro-Russian Influence
In September, the pro-Russian “Patriotic Bloc” is expected to participate in the election. This bloc includes former-President Igor Dodon and other right-wing populist parties aligned with the Kremlin. Their platform focuses on restoring relations with Russia. Leaders of the four parties visited Moscow before registering for the election.
While the Kremlin denies any involvement, it has been accused of interfering in Moldova’s internal affairs. Despite these allegations, the Russian government maintains that it does not interfere in the internal matters of other nations.
