Overloading the Moldovan Elections
By Maria Voltsichina, Lumi Sarvela, Mihaela Tănase, Sophie Sacilotto and Ewan Casandjian
A September 2025 visit by Western media figures, facilitated by the Russian Orthodox Church, produced content alleging religious persecution in Moldova that was then amplified by Russian FIMI operations to discourage support for the pro-EU government ahead of parliamentary elections.
Executive summary
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This investigation (with VSquare) documents how a September 2025 visit by American, British and Canadian media figures generated content alleging Orthodox religious persecution in Moldova that overlapped with, and was weaponised by, Russian Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference operations. While not asserting intentional coordination by the delegation, the report shows how the resulting messaging reinforced Kremlin-aligned narratives casting Russia as a Christian sanctuary and discouraging pro-European governance, reaching Moldovan voters through distribution channels linked to pro-Russian networks and oligarchs weeks before the vote.
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