Maia Sandu warns: Moldova is Russia's testing ground for hybrid war on Europe
President Maia Sandu has issued a stark warning to European democracies, describing Moldova as a "testing ground" for Russia’s evolving hybrid warfare.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Sandu detailed an unprecedented scale of Kremlin interference during the 2024 presidential elections and the 2025 parliamentary cycle.
The Moldovan head of state revealed that Russia has deployed its entire arsenal of subversion tactics. These range from illicit financial flows and information manipulation to direct attempts at disrupting the democratic process.
The mechanics of interference
"Moldova is one of the few countries to have experienced the full spectrum of Russian hybrid attacks," Sandu stated. She noted that the strategy begins with the illegal funding of political parties and voter bribery.
The President highlighted that these efforts intensified on election days. Authorities recorded coordinated fake bomb threats designed to intimidate the Moldovan diaspora and block their participation at polling stations abroad.
Crypto-funding and untraceable networks
A critical pillar of the Kremlin’s strategy involves sophisticated financial instruments. These tools allow foreign actors to bypass traditional banking oversight and fund local destabilization efforts in real-time.
President Sandu revealed that investigators discovered approximately €107 million (approx. 2.09 billion MDL) in a single Russian-linked cryptocurrency wallet. This scale of funding makes it "extremely complicated" to track and prove illegal external financing before elections conclude.
Europe is the ultimate target
The President emphasized that the Kremlin’s ambitions extend far beyond Chisinau. She warned that the tactics perfected in Moldova are intended for export to the rest of the democratic continent.
"The target is not Moldova; Moldova is just the testing ground," Sandu told The Telegraph. "The target is Europe—a democratic Europe. Russia does not accept democracy and is attempting to change the rules of the international game."
She observed that while Russian interference in Moldova is overt and aggressive, its operations within the European Union are often more subtle. This makes it harder for EU citizens to identify the actors behind disinformation campaigns.
A strategy for democratic survival
For Moldova, the push toward European Union membership is no longer just a political choice, but a necessity for the state's continued existence as a sovereign entity.
"Our EU accession process is a strategy for survival," Sandu explained. She argued that it is the only viable path to protect democracy in a region increasingly volatile due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The President concluded that the ultimate stake of the recent elections was self-determination. She stated that Moldovans have sent a clear message: they, and not external powers, will decide the future of their country.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
