Putin Is Conducting Yet Another Election Interference Campaign, UK Says

Vladimir Putin is directing an “extensive interference campaign” ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary election on Sunday, according to the UK.

The Russian president, who has a reputation for trying to cause international disruption, is allegedly spreading misleading information across the internet in the hope of swaying the election in Moscow’s favour.

Moldova is a former Soviet republic and there are fears electing the pro-Russian candidate would mean it ends up being in Putin’s back pocket, much as Georgia and Belarus are. 

It also borders Ukraine, where Putin continues his grinding land grab. 

According to the latest social media update from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said: “Mis- and dis-information is being disseminated widely across multiple traditional and social media platforms and outlets, including BlueSky, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram and X.

“This effort is almost certainly directed by the Russian state.”

The country has allegedly been targeted with deepfake videos and other disinformation connected to Russia.

The MoD continued: “Narratives include false allegations of corruption and abuse of power by the incumbent Moldovan government, false claims that the Moldovan government has compromised the integrity of the election, and false claims that Moldova’s European partners are undermining its security.

“Should the ruling party win a majority of seats in the election, Russia-backed information actors will almost certainly promote narratives undermining the integrity of the election.”

Local authorities arrested 74 suspected saboteurs, who, according to reports, were trained by Russia to incite local riots before voters head to the ballot box.

Pro-EU president Maia Sandu accused Moscow of spending “hundreds of millions of euros to buy hundreds of thousands of votes” – much like Russia tried to do in Georgia’s 2024 election.

The pro-Kremlin Georgian Dream party was able to secure a majority in last year’s election.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy also used his UN speech this week to urge member states not to let Moldova fall to Russia. 

He said: “Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon and the global response again, not enough.

“We have already lost Georgia in Europe... and for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving towards dependence on Russia.

“Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova.”

His warning comes amid rising concerns over eastern Europe’s security, after several Russian fighter jets breached Poland and Estonia’s airspace in recent weeks.

This is far from the first time Putin has been accused of international meddling.

The Russian president has been accused of trying to interfere in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 US presidential elections, too, although the Kremlin has consistently denied it.