Overview

• Polling ahead of election day indicated a razor-thin contest between President Maia Sandu’s pro‑EU PAS and pro‑Russian rivals, with one Idata survey putting them at 24.9% and 24.7% respectively and many voters undecided.
• A Reuters investigation reported that Moldovan Orthodox priests took Kremlin‑funded pilgrimages in 2024 and received 10,000‑ruble vouchers intended to support pro‑Russia messaging via Telegram and other channels.
• Sandu accused Moscow of pouring “hundreds of millions” in illicit funds into the campaign to distort the vote and warned that Moldova’s European trajectory and sovereignty are at stake.
• Russian messaging has amplified false narratives about a looming attack on Transnistria and suggested NATO deployments near Odesa, while politician Sergey Mironov warned Moscow would not tolerate a NATO “outpost” in Chișinău.
• Authorities heightened security concerns, with police saying they arrested 74 people allegedly hired by Russia to foment unrest during and after the vote, as roughly 1,500 Russian troops remain stationed in Transnistria.