According to research by Open Minds, at least 584 accounts (compared to 462 the previous day) were active in 76 political channels.
584 Russia-affiliated bot accounts (up from 462 in the previous dataset) operated across at least 76 political Telegram channels during the elections.
3,797 comments were posted on election day alone — the highest daily volume throughout the monitoring period.
Bots pushed two core narratives:
1. Urging votes for pro-Russian parties
2. Amplifying a deepfake-style, AI-generated YouTube video attacking President Maia Sandu (2.9K views by Sept 30), shared with calls like “Everyone must watch this!” and “Scandal at polling station №XX in Chișinău – don’t believe it? Watch for yourself!”
Their messaging relied on formulaic phrasing (“It’s important to understand,” “find out the truth,” “the true intentions of Sandu”) to maintain consistency.
Almost all comments were unique AI-generated variations, demonstrating how generative tools enable mass messaging without duplication.
