Description: Investigations led by the BBC and Bloomberg claimed that Russia sponsored groups were heavily invested in the upcoming parliamentary election in Moldova. Bloomberg’s investigation uncovered financial trails that led back to organizations sponsored by the Kremlin, while the BBC stated that individuals and groups in Moldova were paid by the controversial nonprofit organization called Evrazia, led by sanctioned pro – Kremlin oligarch, Ilan Shor. Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, leveled counterclaims stating that NATO and EU troops were already amassing on Moldova’s border with Romania in order to intimidate the citizens in Moldova and spread so – called Russophobia as a propaganda measure to sway voters against pro – Russian parties in the election. Moldovan authorities earlier this week carried out more than 250 searches across the country as part of an investigation aimed at uncovering foreign influence on the country’s election. Pro – EU President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity would face a determining test on 28 Sep, where their biggest opponent would be the pro – Russian Party of Socialists led by the former President of the country, Igor Dodon. Moldova applied for EU membership in 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while later that year the EU granted Moldova candidate status.
Impact: Moldova’s parliamentary election would be one of the most important politically orienting processes the country has faced in its modern – day history. The indications of foreign influence from the EU and Russia undermine the credibility of the potential new government in the country while also sowing further divisions among its population. The latest polls indicated that both parties have equal chances in winning the election signaling high level of polarization in the Moldovan civil society ahead of the crucial voting. Moldova’s EU aspirations could be hampered by its pro – Russian oriented segment of the population in which case the country would be entering a protracted political crisis while remaining within the Russian orbit of influence. The pro – EU option is not ideal either, as Moldova would most probably be on the waiting list for a long period of time before formal accession in the EU, while its economy further declines, creating severe negative cost of living conditions. Russia historically exerted large amount of influence in Moldova through energy and other types of economic ties, while also having stationed approximately 1,500 military personnel in the separatist region of Transnistria. Ahead of the crucial election, political tensions in the country would remain high as Moldova currently represents a geopolitical battleground between Europe and Russia.