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Moldova Votes Under Shadow of Alleged Russian Interference After Raids Detain 74

A pro‑Russian majority could shift Moldova's course, raising security risks around Transnistria.

Overview

  • President Maia Sandu warns of an unprecedented Kremlin operation, alleging hundreds of millions of euros spent and large‑scale vote‑buying to sway the result.
  • WatchDog researchers documented 910 fake or automated accounts spreading pro‑Russian narratives, while a BBC infiltration traced at least 90 TikTok accounts to a coordinated network with tens of millions of views.
  • Police carried out roughly 250 searches in recent days and say a GRU‑linked structure was dismantled; La Tribune reports 74 suspected operatives arrested along with cash, weapons and protest equipment.
  • Analysts describe a hybrid toolkit featuring AI‑generated content, false polling and organized cash distribution, with some recruits allegedly trained for unrest in Serbia or Belarus.
  • Polling reported by La Tribune shows the pro‑EU PAS and the pro‑Russian Bloc Patriotique running neck and neck, with the sizable diaspora vote seen as a potential tiebreaker.