Russia spends €100 million on attempts to disrupt presidential elections in Moldova

Bloomberg reports.

On the eve of the referendum on Moldova's accession to the EU and the presidential election, in which President Maia Sandu is running for a second term, Moldovan authorities warned of unprecedented attempts by the Kremlin to undermine democratic processes.

Gherasimov warned that the success of Russian methods in Moldova could lead to their use in other countries.

“One thing needs to be clear for our partners: We are a testing ground for new methods — and anything that will work in Moldova will be used in other countries as well,” Gherasimov said.

According to the deputy prime minister, Moscow views the pro-Kremlin government in Moldova as a strong lever of influence in the war against Ukraine, especially given the presence of Russian troops in the separatist region of Transnistria.

“The stakes are quite high in Moldova for Russia — they want to keep Moldova in a gray zone,” Gherasimov said.

In addition, police chief Viorel Cernăuțeanu reported on the Kremlin's plans to deploy more than 300 trained operatives to provoke protests coordinated by groups associated with the late Yevgeny Prigozhin.

• Moldovan police said they had uncovered a program in which Moldovan citizens were transported to Russia, where they were trained to organize civil unrest.