On January 27, Maia Sandu spoke at the Council of Europe about hybrid challenges, misinformation, and Russia’s intentions to control Moldova, in order to use it against the EU and Ukraine. According to the official, the Kremlin resorts to hybrid tools for this purpose, including the use of fake accounts on social media, informational manipulation, and destabilization, leading two wars – a conventional one in Ukraine and an informational one against the EU.
The President reported on the influence networks documented by European institutions, which included over 1000 coordinated publications about Moldova. According to Maia Sandu, the messages have accumulated millions of views, intentionally using credible voices to amplify manipulation.
“All with a single goal, to take over the Parliament, to install a Kremlin-controlled Government, to crush democracy and to draw the Republic of Moldova into Russia’s sphere of influence, to use it against Ukraine and against Europe. And if this fails, to delegitimize elections, to provoke unrest and to weaken confidence in our institutions. Social networks have become battlefields in this war,” said Maia Sandu.
The official also mentioned that manipulation operations are adapting, and the Republic of Moldova is facing professional, well-funded, long-term informational attacks, built vulnerabilities, and exploiting legal gaps. According to her, such pressures exist throughout Europe.
Shortly after the President’s speech at the Strasbourg podium, Igor Dodon announced that he had requested a speech. In an attempt to defend Russia, the deputy and socialist leader wrote that, in his opinion, Maia Sandu spoke about the interests of other states, not those of Moldova. The deputy claims he wants to tell Europeans “how things are in Moldova from the opposition political forces, so they are not continuously misinformed by the hypocritical PAS government.”
“I came to the PACE to tell Europeans what the real situation is in the Republic of Moldova. And I have made a request to present a speech at the PACE about the reality in the Republic of Moldova, where the only hybrid and foreign thing is the PAS governing regime, which has brought the country to the most difficult and desperate state in our modern history,” declared Igor Dodon.