Ukraine expresses solidarity with Romania amid Russian election interference

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website stated this.

The Ministry highlighted that Russian interference in Romania’s internal affairs is an attempt to deprive the Romanian people of their constitutional right to vote, and is part of a broader hybrid aggression by Russia against Europe and the free world.

“Russia’s interference in Romania’s internal affairs confirms previous statements by Ukraine’s MFA that the Kremlin’s aggressive plans extend beyond Ukraine to EU and NATO countries. A unified and resolute response is needed to counter these Russian threats, including maximum support for Ukraine to preserve stability in Europe and the world,” the statement reads.

The MFA also emphasized Ukraine’s unwavering solidarity with the Romanian people, expressing hope that Romanian citizens will continue to exercise their electoral rights without foreign interference during future electoral processes.

What is known about elections in Romania

On November 24, a presidential election first round was held in Romania. Anti-Western candidate Călin Georgescu won the first round. Previously, he referred to Romanian fascist politicians from the 1930s as national heroes and martyrs, criticized NATO, and Romania's stance towards Ukraine, stating that the country should cooperate with Russia rather than challenge it. Recently, he declared that if he becomes the head of state, he will stop aiding Ukraine.

On November 28, the Romanian Supreme Court decided to recount the votes after the first round of the presidential elections. The Romanian Electoral Authority suggested a repeat of the first round of presidential elections if the Supreme Court invalidated the voting. On December 2, the Constitutional Court of Romania declared the results of the first round of elections valid.

The European Commission contacted TikTok due to concerns about its influence on the elections in Romania. Later, the Supreme National Defense Council of Romania declassified documents related to Georgescu’s election campaign. These documents indicated the use of 25,000 TikTok accounts to boost Georgescu’s popularity, possibly involving “bot farms.” Romanian intelligence services suspect significant resources were spent on this operation, pointing to a “state actor.” 

On December 6, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the results of the first round of presidential elections. Călin Georgescu called this decision a constitutional coup.