Last year, pro-Russian groups bribed protesters and sent them on buses to the capital, Chisinau, to destabilize the liberal, pro-European government of Maia Sandu under the direction of agitators trained abroad. Now, as Moldovans are called to hold presidential elections on Sunday and approve their path to the European Union through a referendum, pro-Russian groups are buying voters.
The latest evidence is indisputable.
The journalist Maria Nistorfrom the independent newspaper Ziarul of Gardainfiltrated recruitment networks to investigate the workings of a pyramid scheme that begins in Moscow and ends in the lowest ranks of the system, or in herself: during her brief time in the organization, the journalist earned 30,000 rubles (approximately 300 euros) in two transfers from a Russian state bank.
That same month, authorities dismantled a bribery ring that corrupted the will of some 130,000 Moldovans in a country where the average salary is 280 euros and there are 3.2 million conscripts. to vote, including nearly a million abroad. numerous, in Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Italy. “The stories we just published have made our lives a little more difficult now,” said the director of Ziarul of Garda, Alina Radu. Their investigations led to arrests at an unknown rate. “Now, naturally, we have some concerns.”
In Moldova, journalism operates with few resources and under threat from criminal groups and oligarchs. They are often, or almost always, linked to the Kremlin.
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Moldova has been governed since December 2020 by Maia Sandu, a woman with international experience who came to power with a party founded in 2016 – the Action and Solidarity Party – and two promises: clean the country of corruption and bring it closer to its Romanian brothers and the European Union. In both cases, this means moving away from Putin’s Russia, which is not without consequences when in part of your territory, the independent and partially independent region of Transnistria, bordering Ukraine, the authorities are extensions of the Kremlin and that there are thousands of Russians. troops installed and with no intention of leaving.
Sandu, with the support of the European community, notably Paris, has called a referendum on October 20 where Moldovans will decide whether or not they agree with the modification of the Constitution so that membership in the Union or “a clear and priority objective”. the Moldovan state, a candidate for integration since June 2022. The popularity of the current president and certain polls suggest that the majority of citizens are for work. The latest iData Inteligente survey estimates that two out of three Moldovans want to vote, and that at least 55% will do so to support the European pathunlike the 32% who oppose it.
The data is impressive in a poorly industrialized country, intoxicated by tons of Russian disinformation and afraid of being the next Ukraine. “When Sandu called this referendum about ten months ago, I was skeptical,” the journalist told me. Paula Erizanua committed defamer of her country’s efforts to open up in the British newspaper Tutor or in Russian Novaya Gazeta. “Now I see a window of opportunity to give everything, break with our gray Soviet past and join the union of peace and prosperity that is the European Union.”
Sandu herself, who called the referendum on the same day as the presidential elections to ensure high turnout, fuels this idea. “October 20 is an important moment for our entire family,” he explained, in a message addressed to the Moldovan diaspora, to whom he also entrusted massive support for the presidential election to avoid a second round. “It’s a day to vote and not have to wait another 30 years”.
The Kremlin has long sought to reestablish its dominant influence over Moldova.
Moldova notably falls within the geographical definition of the Russian world (Russkiy Mir) given by Putin, and Russia has repeatedly invoked its alleged need to protect its “Russian compatriots abroad”, particularly in… pic.twitter.com/htdoyll4SM
– Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) October 18, 2024
The Kremlin’s missteps are therefore everywhere. “This is the most demanding moment I have ever known to dismantle all the hoaxes, to reveal to people how Moscow is coming to Moldova to compromise our path to development, to Europe…”, the director of Ziarul of Garda. Russian propaganda outlets are powerful and insistent, spreading lies such as that entry into the Union would mean the expropriation of agricultural land and its handing over to foreign powers. These messages resonate in a society where almost half of citizens live in the countryside.
“I hope people understand the importance of their vote for Moldova to be a free country and not a country controlled by Moscow”Radu continues, in a sad tone. “My sources tell me that we can expect problems in the Gaugazie region [en el sur]and the residents of Transnistria have the right to vote, and there will be mobilizations, and we will keep an eye on what is happening in Russia, so all this at the same time guarantees a difficult scenario, yes, but I do not lose hope that one day Moldova will improve.
