russia has already spent about 100 million euros on attempts to disrupt the presidential elections and the referendum on Moldova's accession to the European Union. This was stated by the country's Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gerasimova, Bloomberg reportsand UNN reports.
Details
Gerasimova, who is in charge of Moldova's European integration, warned that if russia succeeds in disrupting the referendum by bribing voters, it could export such tactics elsewhere.
One thing should be clear to our partners: we are a testing ground for new methods, and whatever works in Moldova will be used in other countries
According to her, russia's priority is to prevent Moldova from becoming an EU member, spreading the narrative that a turn to Brussels is tantamount to choosing war.
A Moldovan official said that russia has invested about 100 million euros in attempts to derail Moldova's EU accession plans. This includes disinformation, destabilization operations, and vote buying.
Gerasimova noted that the Kremlin sees the pro-russian government in Moldova as an important tool in the war against Ukraine, given russia's military presence in the separatist region of Transnistria.
The stakes in Moldova are quite high for russia - they want to keep Moldova in the gray zone
Addendum
In addition, Moldovan police chief Viorel Cernauteanu warned of unprecedented attempts by the Kremlin to destroy democratic institutions.
According to him, law enforcement officers uncovered an operation that involved 300 "operatives" to organize protests coordinated by groups associated with the former leader of the Wagner PMC, Pryhozzhyn.
Recall
Moldova will hold a referendum on October 20, 2024, on the introduction of European integration into its Constitution, which will open the way to EU accession.