The Moldovan secret services confirm that there was indeed Russian interference in the presidential election of November 3, as well as during the referendum on membership of the European Union organized by Chisinau in October. In a 16-page report, they detail the methods used.
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In Moldova, the secret services published a report detailing Russian interference in the presidential election, which takes place on October 20 and November 3, 2024.
To influence these elections, the Russian intelligence services (FSB) would have opened a command center in Moscow at the beginning of 2024 to coordinate hundreds of branches in Moldova. The objective: recruit activists – 33,000 according to the report – paid 2,000 lei per month (or around 150 euros monthly), to convince between 5 and 10 voters to vote for a certain candidate, in exchange for money or food stamps.
Businessman Ilan Shor at the helm
Others, young Moldovans, were also trained in destabilization techniques in Moscow, in order to carry out vandalism actions ahead of elections, street demonstrations or police provocations. Some were even entitled to more advanced training as drone operators or in mass psychology, in guerrilla camps in Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to the Moldovan services, these same young people are involved in the Stars of David operation in France and other protests in Germany.
The report also cites the 160 Telegram, TikTok or Facebook channels that were created to disseminate pro-Kremlin narratives in Moldova, as well as the banking networks used.
According to the Moldovan secret services, this organization served as a test for the Russian authorities, and could be extended in the future to other countries of the European Community.
In this case, Moldovan businessman and former MP Ilan Shorsentenced to 15 years in prison for embezzlement and exiled in Moscow since 2019, is said to be in charge. His anti-European campaigns and his attacks against the elected president Maia Sandu last fall were allegedly financially supported by the oligarch Roman Abramovich, known to be close to Vladimir Putin.
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