Russia Spent Almost €400 Million to Meddle in Moldova’s Elections
Russia poured nearly €400 million into efforts to influence Moldova’s September parliamentary elections and secure a win for pro-Kremlin forces, the country’s parliamentary speaker Igor Grosu said.
The Gaze reports this, referring to TVP.
Speaking at the IV Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform in Stockholm, Grosu – who also leads the ruling pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) – said Moscow deployed an unprecedented hybrid campaign aimed at destabilizing the country’s democratic process.
“Russia invested almost €400 million in this hybrid war. Moldova became the target of an unprecedented disinformation campaign,” Grosu said, noting that despite pressure, “Moldovans resisted manipulation and chose the path of freedom and stability.”
According to multiple reports, Russia’s interference included large-scale voter bribery schemes, AI-driven disinformation, coordinated cyberattacks, and attempts to provoke street unrest.
The September vote was widely viewed as a decisive test of Moldova’s strategic direction – whether it would deepen its European integration or drift back into Moscow’s orbit.
Despite the Kremlin-backed efforts, the pro-European PAS secured 55 out of 101 seats, winning a majority after all ballots were counted. The pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP) finished second with 26 seats.
Moldovan authorities had previously reported multiple attempts by Russian operatives to distort the vote and engineer the victory of pro-Russian candidates, including individuals linked to organized crime networks.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Moldova’s incoming prime minister-designate, Alexandru Munteanu, has announced plans to appoint Valeriu Kivera, the country’s former ambassador to Ukraine, as Deputy Prime Minister for the Reintegration of Transnistria.
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