Maia Sandu, President of Moldova | Privesc.Eu Moldova, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.

Ahead of Sunday’s vote on September 28, several online monitoring groups have been tracking propaganda and disinformation campaigns attributed to Russia. These campaigns aim to undermine support for the ruling pro-European PAS party in what many view as a geopolitical choice between East and West

Author: Miroslava Simonovska 

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has issued a worrying warning in an unprecedented address, stating that Russia has spent “hundreds of millions of euros” to undermine her country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for this weekend.

 The Kremlin is pouring hundreds of millions of euros into buying hundreds of thousands of votes both on the banks of the Dniester River and abroad. People are being intoxicated daily with lies. Hundreds of individuals are being paid to provoke riots, violence, and spread fear. If Russia were to take control of Moldova, the consequences would be immediate and dangerous for our country and the entire region. Every Moldovan would suffer, no matter who they voted for, she said, citing the risks to regional stability, European funding, and free movement.

Moldovan police carried out massive raids across the country yesterday, detaining 74 people in an alleged Russian-backed plot to stage a pre-election riot. The arrests came six days before crucial parliamentary elections, in which Moldovan President Maia Sandu of the pro-European PAS party said she fears Russian interference as Moscow tries to divert the country from its pro-European path.

Moldovans undergoing training in Serbia

The investigation began in June after prosecutors discovered Moldovan citizens between the ages of 19 and 45 traveling to Serbia for training in exchange for money. According to prosecutors, the recruits were trained there by representatives of Russian special services on how to break through police cordons, resist law enforcement, and handle rubber batons, handcuffs, and in some cases, firearms.

Some of these individuals were apparently unaware of their exact destination in Serbia, having been told that they would be visiting religious sites. Once there, however, they agreed to participate in the training sessions and were paid by people linked to Russia’s special services, Balkan Insight reported.

Two months ago, Moldova’s Supreme Security Council identified at least 10 main tools for interfering in the electoral process, including the use of cryptocurrencies worth around 100 million euros, along with the spread of deepfake videos, paid protests, and Kremlin-linked clergy to manipulate public opinion.

Information manipulation campaigns, through lies, deepfake content, emails, letters, and fake documents aimed at undermining public trust in state institutions, and false information promoted both locally and internationally, intended to spread fear, distrust, and hatred. Such campaigns also involve smear campaigns and personal attacks, including the fabrication of defamatory materials against pro-European leaders, journalists and other public figures, the Supreme Security Council of Moldova said. 

The police said the raids were related to the criminal offense of “preparation of mass unrest and destabilization,” which was “coordinated with the Russian Federation through criminal elements.” The prosecution reported that most of them had received training in Serbia. 

Imitation of investigative journalism with AI

Reset Tech, a global nonprofit that tracks digital threats to democracy and Russian influence operations, investigated an AI-generated English-language platform called Restmedia, which mimics investigative journalism with serious articles and well-designed graphics. About a quarter of its content focused on Moldova. 

Ahead of Sunday’s vote, several online monitoring groups have been monitoring propaganda and disinformation campaigns attributed to Russia. Their aim is to undermine support for the ruling pro-European PAS party in the September 28 vote, which many see as a geopolitical choice between East and West.