Moldova uncovers $15 million Russian-backed plot to influence upcoming elections with bribes and disinformation

Moldovan authorities have revealed a scheme led by a pro-Russian oligarch aimed at influencing upcoming elections by paying ordinary citizens to vote against closer ties with the West.

Over $15 million in Russian funds have been funneled to over 130,000 Moldovans, with voters instructed on how to vote and spread disinformation about the EU via Telegram.

Ilan Shor, a Moldovan-Israeli tycoon, is accused of laundering the money and orchestrating the network, despite his political party being banned.

The Kremlin’s efforts are part of a broader attempt to undermine Moldova’s pro-Western leadership ahead of the EU referendum and presidential elections on October 20.

“Moldova is facing a phenomenon of voter bribery, combined with hybrid warfare and disinformation, the likes of which our country has never seen before,” Moldova’s chief of police, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, told POLITICO.

Chisinau has been supportive of Ukraine throughout the full-scale war and cracked down on Russian subversive operations at home, expelling dozens of diplomats and embassy staff in July 2023 after revelations of espionage activities.

Russia’s invasion sparked fears in Moldova of a possible spillover of hostilities, namely via the Russian-occupied Moldovan region of Transnistria.