Bloomberg: Kremlin prepares plan to interfere in Moldova elections to weaken Sandu’s party
22 September 2025 21:55
According to documents seen by Bloomberg, Russia is coordinating a multifaceted strategy to interfere in Moldova’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28. Its main goal is to weaken the chances of President Maia Sandu’s pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and ultimately to remove her from power, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
How the Kremlin’s strategy works
According to Bloomberg, the plan was finalized in the spring. It includes:
- recruiting Moldovans abroad to vote at polling stations in the EU and other countries;
- organizing protests and destabilizing actions through affiliated groups;
- large-scale disinformation campaigns on TikTok, Telegram, Facebook and through call centers;
- using compromising material against officials to disrupt the electoral process.
One of the key elements is to create the appearance of a competitive struggle in order to erode support for Sandu.
What is known about the preparation of protests
According to the documents, the Kremlin plans to involve young men from sports clubs and criminal gangs in provocations on Election Day and afterwards.
These include:
- demonstrations demanding Sandu’s resignation in case of a PAS loss;
- statements about “massive fraud” if the party wins.
The Moldovan police have already reported attempts to import funds to bribe voters and political forces.
Russia is using the information front
The disinformation campaign, according to journalists, is targeted at two audiences – Romanian-speaking and Russian-speaking. The messages accuse Sandu of being a “puppet of the West” who is allegedly leading the country “to poverty and war.”
Positions of Sandu’s opponents
Polls show: PAS risks losing its majority, which could force it into coalitions with less predictable partners.
Main opponents:
- alternativa bloc (nominally pro-European)
- the pro-Russian camp led by former President Igor Dodon.
On social media, Dodon accuses the government of putting pressure on the opposition and claims “Western interference,” which, he says, threatens to cut aid if PAS is defeated.
Documents on Dodon’s activities
A separate set of documents shows that during his presidency, Dodon instructed the intelligence services to monitor political opponents, from Maia Sandu to other pro-Russian figures and businessmen. The list even included foreign embassies.
In a commentary to Bloomberg, he denied any illegal actions, saying that he acted “in the interests of Moldova.”
What happened before
Back in July, President Sandu warned of unprecedented Kremlin interference. According to her, Russia is trying to bribe voters through several political projects, including the schemes of fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor. Moscow is estimated to inject about €100 million in cryptocurrency alone.
The Moldovan CEC has already denied registration to several pro-Russian parties, but the bloc with Dodon’s Socialists remains among the participants in the elections.
