Russia has intensified hybrid operations against Moldova ahead of the Moldova-EU summit. The campaign is coordinated by Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, responsible for countering Chisinau’s Eurointegration and promoting pro-Russian forces. His mission is to establish a pro-Russian government in Moldova.
The Kremlin’s operation includes several key areas:
Media Manipulation: The pro-Kremlin bot network “Matryoshka” spreads fake videos styled as content from leading European media such as Deutsche Welle, Spiegel, Euronews, and Business Insider to discredit President Maia Sandu.
Diplomatic Pressure: On June 25, Russia accused two Moldovans of espionage and denied them consular access. Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the accusations as unfounded and politically motivated.
Security Threats: Under the guise of a kickboxing championship, Russian and Belarusian athletes with military backgrounds attempted to enter Chisinau. Entry was denied to 195 individuals, and another 176 were prevented from boarding flights.
Moldova states that Moscow is making deliberate efforts to destabilize the country ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 28. According to Prime Minister Dorin Recean, if pro-Russian forces win, the Kremlin plans to deploy 10,000 troops in Transnistria.
