The small Eastern European nation of Moldova is once again at the center of a high-stakes geopolitical contest, as its citizens prepare to vote in a pivotal parliamentary election on September 28, 2025. The outcome, many believe, could decide whether Moldova continues its westward march toward the European Union or drifts back into Moscow’s orbit. In the days leading up to the election, warnings of Russian interference have reached a fever pitch, with top Moldovan and international leaders sounding the alarm about the future of the country’s democracy and sovereignty.
On September 24, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean delivered a stark message: Russia, he said, is spending "hundreds of millions of euros" in a bid to "take power" in Moldova’s parliament. Speaking after a government session, Recean described the election as nothing short of a siege. "The Republic of Moldova is in an electoral campaign. The Russian Federation is also in an electoral campaign," he said, according to the Associated Press. "It’s just that we are campaigning in our country, and the Russian Federation wants to campaign not in its own country, but in our country."
Recean’s accusations were sweeping and specific. He alleged that Russia is orchestrating a large-scale vote-buying scheme, has conducted more than 1,000 cyberattacks on critical government infrastructure in 2025 alone, is plotting to incite riots around the election, and is running a sprawling online disinformation campaign to sway public opinion. "This is not an ordinary electoral battle," Recean insisted. "It is a siege on our country."
The allegations come amid a tense backdrop. Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Moldova has often found itself caught between east and west. In recent years, under the leadership of President Maia Sandu and the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Moldova has made a decisive turn toward the EU. The country applied for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was granted candidate status that same year, and began accession negotiations in 2024. But this shift has not gone unnoticed—or unchallenged—by Moscow.
Recean’s government has repeatedly accused Russia of waging a hybrid war to derail Moldova’s EU ambitions, including illicitly funding pro-Russian parties and deploying sophisticated disinformation campaigns. A key figure in these alleged destabilization efforts is Ilan Shor, a fugitive oligarch convicted in 2023 of fraud and money laundering after $1 billion vanished from Moldovan banks in 2014. "There is evidence, including wiretaps, that proves that vote buying is financed by the Russian Federation," Recean said. "The instrument is the Shor criminal group, and the beneficiaries are several electoral competitors."
Authorities have not stood idle. In the week before the election, Moldovan law enforcement detained 74 people during 250 raids related to a Russia-backed plan to incite riots. One individual was detained over the financing of a political party allegedly linked to Russia via cryptocurrencies. The Central Election Commission (CEC) also took a firm stance, rejecting the pro-Russian "Victory" bloc linked to Shor, citing illegal foreign funding and violations of election law.
Meanwhile, the CEC announced that there would be no exit polls conducted on election day—a decision prompted by concerns over the funding and motivations of the company that applied to conduct them. The last exit polls in Moldova were held during the 2020 presidential election, reflecting heightened sensitivity to the risk of manipulation and external influence in the current climate.
The stakes are high. Over 25 parties and several independent candidates are registered, but the main contest pits Sandu’s PAS against the Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), an alliance of pro-Russian opposition parties. The BEP, which held a "peace rally" in central Chisinau on September 24, has campaigned on promises of "normalizing" relations with Russia, defending local agriculture, and supporting Moldovan neutrality. Chants at the rally targeted both PAS and President Sandu, reflecting deep divisions in public sentiment.
At the rally, BEP candidate Nichita Romenschi, just 22 years old, told the Associated Press that his party stands for "sovereignty and independence" for Moldova. "Neutrality is the guarantee of security for us," he said. "Moldova must have good relations with everybody … with the EU and Russia. We want the government to have a humane face and the policies to be directed toward the quality of simple people." Grigore Novac, a lawmaker from the Party of Socialists, argued that "absolutely no one should intervene in the electoral process" in Moldova, and he accused European institutions—not Russia—of interference.
International concern has grown in tandem with the domestic turmoil. On September 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to urge Western allies to bolster support for Moldova. Drawing a parallel with Georgia and Belarus—two countries he said had slipped into Russian dependence—Zelensky warned, "Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too." He called on the European Union to provide immediate funding and energy support, saying, "Moldova is defending itself against Russian interference. The EU needs to help Moldova now with funding and energy support, not only with words or political gestures."
Zelensky’s warning echoed those of President Sandu, who earlier in September called on Moldova’s diaspora to remain vigilant against Russian disinformation and interference. She emphasized that the country faces an intensification of online campaigns from Russia, including the use of fake media outlets, religious figures, and bot networks to spread false materials. "Russian interference threatens Moldova's sovereignty, independence, and European future," Sandu said on September 22.
Against this backdrop, Moldova’s election authorities have pledged to uphold transparency and independence. Analysts stress the importance of monitoring external influence, particularly in the information space, and ensuring that voting proceeds according to democratic standards. The CEC has assured voters that the process will adhere to legislative norms and proven procedures, without opaque measures.
To underscore European support for Moldova, leaders from France, Germany, and Poland visited the country last month to mark its 34th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union. Their presence was widely interpreted as a signal to both Moldovan voters and Moscow that the EU is watching—and that Moldova’s future remains a matter of continental concern.
As the clock ticks down to election day, the sense of urgency is palpable. "Dear citizens, the final battle is being fought for the future of our country," Prime Minister Recean declared. "And I urge you all to participate with an honest vote." The coming days will reveal whether Moldova’s democratic institutions can withstand the pressures bearing down from east and west, and whether the country can continue its quest for a European future in the face of formidable external challenges.