Fugitive Moldovan oligarchs Ilan Shor and Veaceslav Platon have spent approximately €136,000 on Facebook advertising campaigns over the past three months, aimed at discrediting Moldova's European integration and improving Russia's image, according to experts from WatchDog.MD, an organization monitoring and analyzing disinformation.
The report by WatchDog.MD reveals that Shor and Platon sponsored posts undermining trust in Moldova's EU integration process. These posts claimed that a referendum on EU membership would be pointless and have no impact on the country's integration. Other messages suggested that the Moldovan government exaggerates military threats for political gain while ignoring real risks to national security.
The experts also highlighted that the oligarchs used their platforms to argue that Moldova's EU membership negotiations allegedly depend solely on the situation in Ukraine, downplaying the efforts of the Moldovan government.
Both Ilan Shor and Veaceslav Platon have long been known for their criminal activities. In 2017, Shor was convicted of fraud related to the theft of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks in 2014. Platon, meanwhile, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the "Russian Laundromat" scheme, through which $20–80 billion was funneled out of Russia. However, Platon was acquitted and released in 2021. Currently, both oligarchs reside in Russia.
WatchDog.MD warns that Russia is actively preparing to destabilize Moldova ahead of the presidential elections and the referendum on EU integration, scheduled for October this year.
