On Wednesday, one of Europe’s smallest, poorest, and most rural countries, Moldova, received a visit by the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland. Why this abundant attention from European elite? It was not only to celebrate the 34th Independence Day of the former Soviet republic. It was also an appeal to Moldovan voters before a crucial Sept. 28 election not to fall for the “Kremlin’s propaganda,” as French President Emmanuel Macron put it.
“Unlike Russia, the European Union threatens no one and respects everyone’s sovereignty,” the French leader said alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the capital, Chisinau.
After recently losing much of its economic leverage over its tiny neighbor, Russia now backs an immense disinformation campaign in Moldova, along with paid public protests and vote-buying, to help pro-Russia political parties win the election. This digital equivalent of an invasion is so large that TikTok has set up a special team to help the country take down fake information on its site.
“Ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections,” TikTok announced this month, “we have set up our Mission Control Centre Group, uniting local market expertise with global subject matter specialists in cybersecurity, misinformation, election integrity, and hateful behavior.”
Despite the online onslaught from Russia, the pro-European party of President Maia Sandu remains ahead in the polls, although not by enough to win a majority in Parliament. Any loss of power might jeopardize the country’s advancing bid to join the European Union, which most Moldovans favor.
Ms. Sandu claims Russia is spending more than $100 million to influence the vote. Yet despite this attempt to confuse and mislead citizens, Prime Minister Dorin Recean told Ziarul de Garda weekly, “I firmly believe that Moldovans will choose what is good for themselves and … not choose something for a foreign state.”
“Moldova’s democracy is in the crosshairs, both online and offline,” said German leader Merz during the visit. Yet as President Sandu told reporters, “Moldova’s future depends on what Moldovan citizens do, what information they consume and what they believe.” Helping them make the right choice is now a whole-of-Europe task.
