Pro-Russian forces threaten to gain power in Austria, Romania amid 'Putinization' of Central Europe

Oleksii Yizhak, an analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“This phenomenon is called the ‘Putinization of Central Europe.’ The threat exists, although it’s not a wave. Russia is making efforts and taking various steps, but the situation has not drastically changed, even with the joint actions of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,” he noted.

Yizhak emphasized that the risk is serious. In Romania, a pro-Russian candidate remains among the top political figures, despite the postponement of elections. However, he pointed out that democratic institutions, such as in Romania, still function to counteract such threats.

Yizhak highlighted the need to remain vigilant, especially in monitoring financial infrastructures tied to Russian interests. “Where there is gas and oil transit, part of the funds often go toward financing Russia’s political agenda,” he stated.

Regarding Croatia’s pro-Russian president, Zoran Milanović, Yizhak mentioned his recent attempts to block the deployment of Croatian troops to NATO’s new command coordinating assistance to Ukraine. “While this caused some delays, Milanović’s influence is largely symbolic and limited to issues like military deployment or formal security approvals, with minimal impact beyond that,” he added.

The Romanian election controversy

In Romania, the first round of the 2024 presidential election took place on November 24, with anti-Western candidate Călin Georgescu leading. Georgescu has previously praised fascist politicians of the 1930s as national heroes, criticized NATO, and called for collaboration with Russia instead of opposing it. He also stated he would halt aid to Ukraine if elected president.

However, on December 6, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results due to evidence of foreign interference. Investigations revealed that Georgescu’s campaign used 25,000 TikTok accounts, potentially linked to bot farms and significant funding, which intelligence agencies suspect involved a state operator.

New elections have been scheduled for 2025, with the first round set for March 23 and the second for April 6. Georgescu has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, challenging the court’s decision to restart the election process.