Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Russia's Moldova Election Plot: GRU Camps, Cash, Cyberattacks
Russia is a big country that wanted to change how people in a smaller country called Moldova voted.
Moldova wanted to become closer to Europe, and Russia did not like that.
Russia sent people to secret training camps to learn how to cause trouble.
They also paid some people to spread messages against Europe and to vote a certain way.
Some priests were given money to say bad things about Europe in church.
Hackers tried to break into Moldova's computers to mess up the election.
But the people of Moldova still voted for the pro-Europe party, which won more than half the votes.
Russia says it did not do any of these things.
Moldova's leaders say the interference still cost the country a lot of money and caused problems.
The New York Times reported an extensive Russian campaign to interfere in Moldova's elections using GRU-linked training camps, vote-buying networks, cyberattacks, and priests.
Training camps in Serbia, Bosnia, and near Moscow taught recruits tactics including breaking police cordons, setting buildings on fire, and handling weapons, with the Moscow camp overseen by the GRU.
Fugitive businessman Ilan Shor allegedly ran a network that recruited more than 150,000 Moldovans and paid 38,000 activists nearly $20 million in the four months before the 2024 EU referendum.
Hundreds of Moldovan priests reportedly traveled to Russia, where some received Russian bank cards and payments to spread anti-EU messages from their pulpits.
Despite interference around the September 28, 2025 parliamentary election, Maia Sandu's PAS won more than 50% of the vote, while the Kremlin denied all allegations.
- Who
- Russia's GRU-linked operatives, fugitive businessman Ilan Shor, and Moldovan President Maia Sandu's government.
- What
- An extensive Russian campaign using training camps, vote-buying, cyberattacks, and priests to interfere in Moldova's elections.
- When
- Around Moldova's parliamentary election on September 28, 2025, with payments made before the 2024 EU referendum.
- Where
- Moldova, with training camps in Serbia, Bosnia, and near Moscow.
- Why
- To weaken President Maia Sandu and her pro-European PAS party and undermine Moldova's EU ambitions.
Moldovan and Western officials
Kremlin
Election interference
Moldovan and Western officials
Russia ran GRU-linked training camps, vote-buying networks, and cyberattacks to undermine Moldova's pro-Western government and EU ambitions.
Kremlin
The Kremlin denies the accusations; spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed them as 'untrue assertions that have no basis whatsoever.'
Priest recruitment
Moldovan and Western officials
Moldovan officials say hundreds of priests accepted Russian payments and bank cards to promote anti-EU messages from their pulpits.
Kremlin
Russia denies interfering in Moldova's domestic affairs, including the alleged recruitment of priests.
- Country
- Moldova (population about three million)
- Election
- Parliamentary election, September 28, 2025
- Training camps
- Serbia, Bosnia, and near Moscow
- Network recruits
- More than 150,000 Moldovans
- Payments to activists
- Nearly $20 million to 38,000 activists
- Telegram chatbots
- About 240
- Election result
- PAS won more than 50% of the vote
- Source
- The New York Times investigation