Inside Russia’s Moldova plot: GRU-linked camps and cash to disrupt elections

Russia launched a significant election interference campaign in Moldova, incorporating military intelligence-linked camps, vote-buying schemes, cyberattacks, and religious influence, according to The New York Times. The goal was to weaken President Maia Sandu and her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). The campaign targeted Serbia, Bosnia, and Moscow, with Russian operatives establishing training camps where Moldovan recruits learned tactics such as breaching police lines, setting buildings ablaze, and handling weapons.

One alleged victim recounted being punched by a Russian trainer for refusing to participate in certain exercises. The campaign also utilized financial resources and social media, with fugitive Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor overseeing a network of approximately 150,000 activists who received around $20 million in payments to spread anti-EU messages, encourage demonstrations, and pressure voters to oppose Sandu's party.

The operation also infiltrated Moldova's Orthodox community, with hundreds of priests receiving Russian payments to promote messages opposing EU membership and pro-Western policies. Despite these efforts, Moldova's parliamentary election in September 2025 saw PAS secure over 50% of the vote, partly due to the diaspora's support.

However, Sandu's government acknowledged that Russia's interference had imposed substantial financial and security costs on the country. The Kremlin refuted the allegations of interference, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissing them as "untrue assertions that have no basis whatsoever." The NYT report indicates that Russia's strategy against Moldova extends beyond individual elections, aiming to weaken the country's pro-Western government and pull it away from the European Union.