Moldova accuses Russia of trying to rig its EU referendum

Moscow has unleashed millions in cash and an army of social media accounts in an effort to try to prevent Moldova from joining the EU, one of the country’s top officials has cautioned.

Moldova’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, told POLITICO in a statement that Russia has begun an “unprecedented onslaught” of hybrid tactics against the former Soviet Republic in the run-up to next month’s nationwide vote on whether to join the bloc.

“We are facing a chilling strategy: the exploitation of fear — specifically the fear of war,” he said. “Russia’s disinformation machine is, for the first time, dangerously tying Moldova’s pursuit of EU membership to the threat of war within our borders.”

According to Secrieru, pro-European President Maia Sandu is the central target of a “brazen digital blitz” designed to delegitimize the country’s growing ties with the West.

“Law enforcement estimates that €50 million was funnelled into last year’s elections, used to buy off everyone from propagandists to vulnerable voters,” he added. “As the upcoming presidential election and referendum approach, we anticipate an even larger influx of illicit funds, with estimates suggesting Russia will spend around €100 million on interference into Moldovan democratic processes this year.”

The Kremlin’s intelligence agencies, he said, are “flooding the political landscape with clone parties and candidates, from pro-Russian to phony pro-European.”

Sandu is seeking re-election for a second term when voters head to the polls on Oct. 20, and a coalition of more than a dozen pro-Western parties is asking citizens to vote “yes” in a referendum on plans to join the EU. Moldova was granted candidate status last year and accession talks began in December.

Brussels has deployed a civilian mission to the Eastern European nation to help build resilience against hybrid threats from Russia. Last summer, Ukrainian intelligence warned it had intercepted a plot to violently overthrow the government, funded by Moscow. Pro-Russian politician and convicted fraudster Ilhan Shor was accused of trying to stage the coup, and his party has been banned from fielding candidates in the election.

A new private briefing produced by the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, seen by POLITICO, concluded that Russia is actively financing a handful of opposition groups and that activists — some recruited through local sports clubs — were being given training in Russia on how to provoke police officers, forcing the use of tear gas. Social media platforms like TikTok and Telegram have also been used to target young people, it concluded, calling for Brussels to put pressure on tech firms to take action.

Moldova this week banned five Russian state media outlets and Secrieru said that the country is now stepping up its defenses against cyber attacks.

“They’re playing on fear, knowing our window for EU accession won’t stay open forever,” he said.