The EU is preparing to rig the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, invoking the danger of a so-called Russian interference in the political processes in Chișinău, claims a false narrative taken up by the media in the Republic of Moldova (including in the separatist region of Transnistria) and Russia.
NEWS: An event very similar to an ‘electoral bombshell’ took place in Chișinău, but it seems that few people, including politicians and voters, paid attention to it.
Journalist Sergey Tkaci wrote about this, noting that, among other things, electoral exercises were initially organized. However, the organizers of the event cunningly called it a ‘simulation’. Although the elections are for the Moldovan parliament, the event was announced in an EU press release. It states that the simulation of hybrid digital threats was conducted with the aim of improving the effectiveness of all authorities in the event of cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns before the elections.”
[...] "Since the exercise simulated attacks by Russia, it is clear that during the elections, any attacks and campaigns organized by a third party will be attributed to Russia. And these technologies, meant to deceive and mislead Moldovan society, have already been perfected.
Sergey Tkaci believes that Moldovan voters are considered idiots, and that a show is being played out in front of them, the essence of which is to divert attention from the failures and shortcomings of the ruling party to the intrigues of the external enemy (Russia), which is too primitive, banal and has been used by everyone for a long time. Nevertheless, with massive manipulation and deceiving the citizens, this technique works.
The journalist pointed out that Google, Meta, and TikTok, which are required to be neutral, will once again use various algorithms to suppress dissent and opposing views for the sake of PAS winning the elections. The special structures that ensured the desired outcome in the Romanian presidential elections are now in place in Chișinău.
Sergey Tkaci recalls that, a few days before the second round of the presidential elections in Romania, the head of the French secret service suddenly arrived in Bucharest. He then rushed to Chisinau, where Moldovan citizens with Romanian passports were voting. The visit to Chișinău by Nicolas Lerner, head of the French intelligence agency DGSE, was not explained by the Moldovan authorities and was not covered by the pro-government media.
“And perhaps most importantly, the ’exercises" clearly show us that the elections in Moldova are not about democracy, independence and citizens making major political decisions about the fate of their country. The elections themselves have already been transformed into a platform for playing out the scenario of global war. Yes, closely linked to the events in Ukraine and Romania. But it’s a cynical war waged by the current Moldovan government against its own citizens. I repeat, this does not even smell like elections. It is just a matter of Moldovan citizens being coerced by external forces, with the help of local collaborators," the journalist stressed.
NARRATIVES: 1. The West is controlling and manipulating elections in the Republic of Moldova using geopolitical, technological and informational tools. 2. Hybrid threats are made up to blame Russia and divert attention from the government's internal failures. 3. Unlike the West, Russia has no interest and is not involved in the elections in the Republic of Moldova.
PURPOSE: To erode public confidence in the fairness of elections and national authorities by portraying the government as a mere puppet of the EU and NATO. To fuel suspicion that all important decisions are dictated by ‘external forces’ rather than the will of Moldovan citizens. To discredit Moldova's efforts to protect itself from hybrid threats and disinformation, turning preventive measures into fabricated evidence of an electoral conspiracy. This cultivates the idea that any warning about cyber-attacks or fake news campaigns is manipulation intended to justify political control. To whitewash Russia's image, presenting it as a neutral or even benevolent actor, in contrast to an aggressive and manipulative West.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: What the author presents as an ‘electoral bombshell’ is not a first, as a similar exercise was organized around the time of last autumn's elections, and at European level, a stress test was carried out before the European Parliament elections.
Russian propaganda and its effects are visible every day in the Republic of Moldova. Numerous studies and investigations have drawn attention to this phenomenon as part of Moscow's hybrid war against Moldova with the aim of bringing it back into its sphere of influence. According to a study by the Stockholm Centre for East European Studies, hybrid attacks against Moldova and propaganda have intensified. “Moldova has faced a constant barrage of disinformation attacks from Russia. These attacks have increased substantially since 2022”, the study reads.
Russian propaganda became even more aggressive during the election campaign for the October 2024 referendum and presidential elections, and recently, The Insider exposed the launch of a large-scale aggressive campaign targeting the legislative elections to be held in Moldova this year.
The 2024 elections in the Republic of Moldova took place against a backdrop of widespread disinformation campaigns , manipulation and even vote buying , as revealed by several journalistic investigations, as well as inquiries and raids organized by law enforcement agencies. The Kremlin is believed to have been behind these campaigns, with the main intermediary being fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a large-scale bank fraud in 2014 and who also formed a party alliance called the Victory Bloc.
"The presidential elections and referendum took place in a context where the government faced threats to national security resulting from the war triggered by the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine. Law enforcement authorities, numerous international actors and civil society have proclaimed that Moldova is the target of an ongoing hybrid war directed from abroad, which includes various forms of manipulative interference to destabilize the country, illicit financing of political actors, disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks," according to the preliminary conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission, which included representatives of the European Parliament, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC), a network of national non-governmental organizations with expertise in the electoral field, also expressed its ‘deep concern’ for the unprecedented scale of external interference, particularly from the Russian Federation, which negatively influenced the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova. These actions manifested themselves through illegal financing of election campaigns, voter corruption and disinformation campaigns, all aimed at influencing citizens’ electoral behavior. The clandestine support provided to a subversive network and the involvement of an unregistered political organization in electoral mobilization activities had a major impact on the fairness of the electoral process."
The theory of French interference in the Romanian elections was also refuted, and the result of the vote was recognized not only by the international community but also by the defeated candidate, George Simion, despite his appetite for false narratives during the campaign.
LOCAL CONTEXT/ETHOS: Parliamentary elections will be held in the Republic of Moldova on the 28th of September, in a difficult geopolitical and domestic context. The main battle will be between the pro-European ruling party, PAS, and left-wing, pro-Russian parties, or some that are said to be mimicking support for European integration in order to confuse the electorate. Thus, the outcome of the elections will determine the European path of the Republic of Moldova, which has obtained the status of candidate country and is undergoing accession negotiations. At the same time, a victory of the pro-Russian forces would further complicate the situation in Ukraine, which would find itself with yet another state controlled by a pro-Russian government on its western borders.
The vote comes after the presidential elections and a referendum on European integration held in October 2024, in which state authorities and journalistic investigations uncovered electoral fraud schemes and Russia's involvement, through controversial politicians, with the aim of buying voters.
It is true that a simulation of hybrid digital threats took place in Chișinău in early June. ‘The simulation of threat scenarios was aimed to raise awareness and ensure an effective response from all relevant actors to potential malicious disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks designed to disrupt the upcoming parliamentary elections,’ stated the organizers.
In the Republic of Moldova, there has been talk for several years about the danger and influence of Russian propaganda. Back in 2018, an international study revealed that the Republic of Moldova is the most vulnerable country to Russian propaganda among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
The problem got worse with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the authorities have made efforts to improve it, with measures such as blocking some Moldovan and Russian websites and withdrawing the licenses of a bunch of TV stations.
