Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of widening its interference efforts ahead of parliamentary elections on 28 September 2025, focusing in particular on Moldovan voters living abroad.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Sandu said Moscow has intensified disinformation aimed at the diaspora, a group that proved decisive in previous contests and generally backs closer ties with the European Union.
Sandu argued that pro-Kremlin operations now extend beyond conventional propaganda, alleging the use of Russian Orthodox clergy to spread political messages and of an organised bot network, known as “Matryoshka”, to seed fabricated stories masquerading as reports from legitimate foreign media. She cited what she described as a significant allocation of resources to these activities, estimating Russian spending at roughly 1% of Moldova’s GDP during interference efforts in 2024.
Independent monitoring and open-source investigations have previously linked the “Matryoshka” network to coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting Moldova and Sandu personally, including content designed to look like output from recognised outlets and timed to high-profile political moments. Analysts have documented the network’s use of multiple platforms and cloned branding to amplify narratives undermining the government’s pro-EU stance.
Sandu also warned that tactics are evolving. She alleged that criminal groups paid by Moscow have been leveraged to provoke unrest inside Moldovan prisons, characterising this as part of a broader effort to strain state institutions. Moldovan authorities and external assessments have, in parallel, flagged risks of paid protests, illicit funding streams and attempts to incite public disorder around the vote.
Moldova’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for Sunday, 28 September. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has deployed an election observation mission, led by Jillian Stirk, with long-term observers positioned across the country. The mission’s presence reflects heightened international attention to the electoral environment and to potential attempts at foreign interference.
Sandu’s comments come days after she addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where she described an “unlimited” or “hybrid” campaign by Russia to derail Moldova’s European course through disinformation, covert financing and influence operations. EU officials reiterated support for Moldova’s sovereignty and for its EU membership track, framing resilience against foreign interference as a wider European security concern.
Several recent cases have reinforced the sense of vulnerability. A Eurojust-coordinated investigation involving Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary reported an alleged Belarusian spy ring with ties to a former Moldovan intelligence official, an episode that has fuelled debate about overlapping Russian and Belarusian espionage activity in the region. While separate from the election campaign, the case has added to concerns about Moldova’s exposure to hostile state operations.
Disinformation researchers and media monitors have tracked a sustained information push by Kremlin-aligned outlets and proxy networks over recent months. Studies describe efforts to depress turnout among pro-EU voters, to discredit the integrity of the electoral process, and to polarise debates over Moldova’s strategic orientation. Earlier reporting also highlighted alleged attempts at vote-buying and bomb-threat hoaxes linked to previous cycles.
The diaspora remains a central factor. Moldovan citizens abroad strongly supported Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity in earlier votes, including the 2024 referendum on EU membership. According to Sandu, current influence operations explicitly target these communities across Europe to blunt their impact, using tailored narratives and platform-specific distribution.
Moldovan officials say they are strengthening monitoring, cyber defences and cooperation with partners to deter and expose malign influence. International observers will assess campaign conduct, media balance, and any reported incidents through polling day. With less than a fortnight until the vote, the authorities and external stakeholders are focused on safeguarding procedural integrity while maintaining transparency about interference risks.
Sandu frames the election as a pivotal step in Moldova’s EU path and has called on European institutions to sustain momentum on enlargement, including for neighbouring Ukraine. She argues that, given the pressure described, closer integration with the EU offers the most robust framework for democratic stability. The coming weeks will test the effectiveness of Moldova’s counter-interference measures and the capacity of its institutions to manage a contested information space.
