The Storm-1516 network, affiliated with the Kremlin, has carried out campaigns to manipulate public opinion in the Republic of Moldova in the post-election period in the fall of 2025. The finding is contained in a report by the Center for Strategic Communication and Counteracting Disinformation, which mentions that Storm-1516 used accounts with large audiences to amplify manipulative messages.
According to the report, among the exploited themes were European integration, security, militarization, arms trafficking, the legitimacy of elections, and external control over NGOs and the media.
The network’s operations included the production and distribution of fabricated materials, including staged videos and content generated by artificial intelligence, which were then “informationally laundered” through seemingly credible sources, including Western publications ideologically aligned with Russia’s interests.
The Center notes that this network is not only aiming for short-term changes in electoral options, but also reshaping public perception of the state, institutions, and external partners of Moldova. The coordinated activity of the Storm-1516 accounts targeted both the domestic audience and the diaspora and European leaders, with the aim of diminishing support for European integration.
The CCSCD report also highlights the sophistication of the network’s tactics, which include micro-targeting, rapid migration of digital infrastructure, and the use of external sources to lend credibility to hostile messages.
