Russia Targeted Moldova to Undermine NATO and EU
Moldova occupies a central place in this strategy — Western intelligence services believe that in the hierarchy of Kremlin's foreign policy priorities after establishing control over Ukraine, Moldova stands second.
Consensus
- Russia aimed to influence Moldova's 2025 parliament elections.
- Russia used cyberattacks and disinformation to interfere in Moldova.
- Russia trained activists in Serbia, Bosnia, and near Moscow.
- Participants in training were mostly Moldovan citizens.
- Training included use of incendiary devices and drones.
- Russia sought to create a land corridor from Russia to Moldova via southern Ukraine.
- Moldova is considered a strategic target for Russia's broader plan to destabilize NATO and the EU.
- The goal was to achieve the 'collapse of NATO and EU from within' by the end of 2026.
- The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment.
Points of divergence
- Russian hackers penetrated the Central Election Commission database, but attacks were prevented with Western assistance. — tvrain
- Sergei Kirienko, deputy head of the presidential administration, led the operation against Moldova, with Ilan Shor as a key assistant. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Ilan Shor, sentenced to 15 years in prison in Moldova, was involved in recruiting over 150,000 Moldovans for vote-buying and protests. — tg_astrapress
- The operation included a network of tens of thousands of activists receiving payments via Telegram for protests against President Maia Sandu and pro-EU policies. — thebell
- Russian clergy were recruited, given debit cards from Promsvyazbank, and paid $1,000 to oppose the EU referendum and pro-Western policies. — meduza
- In March 2026, a Russian attack on a Ukrainian hydroelectric plant contaminated water supplies in Moldova. — tvrain
- Russian drones struck a high-voltage line in western Ukraine, cutting off 70% of Moldova’s electricity. — tg_astrapress
- The training camp in Serbia lasted three to four days and paid $400 per participant. — meduza
- The training camp in Serbia was held in summer 2025. — thebell
Coverage (5 sources)
- How Putin tries to achieve the 'collapse of NATO and the EU from within' through Moldova — Дождь
- NYT: Putin prepares operation to conquer Moldova following Ukraine — The Moscow Times
- NYT: Putin demanded achieving the 'collapse of NATO and EU' by end of 2026 and establish control over Moldova — ASTRA
- Putin aimed at the 'collapse of NATO and EU from within' in 2026, according to NYT. Moldova is given a key role in this — The Bell
- Putin named the collapse of NATO and the EU as Russia's goal for 2026, sources say The New York Times. He wants to achieve this through Moldova — Meduza