Sandu: Russia uses priests and bots to influence elections in Moldova
Moldovan President Maia Sandu recently spoke in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by Ukrinform, about Moscow's escalating online disinformation campaign.
Sandu stated, “The Russians are targeting the diaspora,” and accused Moscow of employing Russian Orthodox priests to disseminate propaganda. She mentioned the use of a network of “Matryoshka” bots designed to create fake content that mimics genuine foreign media outlets.
The president expressed concern about a potential repeat of the 2024 presidential campaign, during which Russian agents spread false bomb threats at Moldovan polling stations abroad, particularly in Germany. She urged the European Union to provide support for Moldova.
“I want the EU to learn from our experience. Moldova is a fragile democracy, and we see that some tactics used by Russia in Moldova are later applied elsewhere. We must not underestimate the threat to our democracies,” Sandu emphasized.
In a recent speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Sandu warned that Russia aims to gain control over Moldova through parliamentary elections, intending to use it against Ukraine and turn it into a staging ground for hybrid attacks on the European Union.
The parliamentary elections in Moldova are scheduled for September 28.
Additionally, on August 20, 2025, Igor Dodon, the leader of the pro-Russian Socialist Party of Moldova and former president, received the Order of St. Vladimir, First Class, from Onufriy (Berezovsky), the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He announced the award on his social media.
The Moldovan publication Stiri reported on this recognition, noting that “former President Igor Dodon was awarded the First Class Order of St. Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate.”
According to historian and religious scholar Dr. Serhii Shumylo, Dodon is known as a staunch pro-Russian politician and is currently a prominent figure in the pro-Russian “Patriotic Bloc” in the upcoming Moldovan parliamentary elections set for the end of September 2025. He is also a well-known supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church and its metropolitan in Ukraine, as well as a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
