As Moldova prepares for its parliamentary elections on September 28, 2025, a BBC investigation has exposed a sprawling Russian-funded disinformation network designed to sway the outcome in favor of pro-Kremlin interests. The revelations, published on September 21, 2025, have sent shockwaves through the small Eastern European nation, highlighting the complex battle for influence in a country straddling the geopolitical fault line between the European Union and Russia.
According to the BBC, the covert operation recruited Moldovan citizens to disseminate pro-Russian propaganda and fake news, specifically targeting the ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. The network, orchestrated via the encrypted Telegram app, promised participants monthly payments of 3,000 Moldovan lei (about $170) to produce and share content on TikTok and Facebook in the run-up to the election. The money was reportedly funneled through Promsvyazbank (PSB), a sanctioned Russian state bank closely linked to the Russian Ministry of Defense and connected to the fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor.
The BBC’s undercover reporter, known as Ana, infiltrated the network alongside 34 other recruits. They were invited to attend a series of secret online seminars with titles like "How to turn your kitchen into a national leader," which served as both training sessions and vetting processes. Participants were regularly tested on their knowledge and coached by Alina Juc, a coordinator whose social media presence reveals ties to Transnistria, the Moscow-loyal separatist region in eastern Moldova. Juc’s Instagram documents multiple trips to Russia in recent years, further cementing suspicions of Kremlin involvement.
Initially, the recruits were asked to post patriotic content celebrating Moldovan historical figures. However, as the campaign intensified, the instructions took on a sharply political edge. Participants were directed to publish baseless allegations, including claims that the Moldovan government intended to falsify election results, that EU membership hinged on citizens becoming part of the LGBT community, and that President Sandu was involved in child trafficking. The BBC reports that the network’s strategy was to keep the posts feeling "organic"—recruits were trained to use ChatGPT to generate content, but warned not to rely too heavily on artificial intelligence to avoid detection.
Beyond online propaganda, the operation paid participants 200 Moldovan lei (about $12) per hour to conduct unofficial street polls in the capital, Chisinau, and to secretly film respondents—especially those expressing support for the pro-Russian opposition. These so-called polls, carried out in the name of a non-existent organization, were illegal and designed to create a misleading narrative. Selective results suggesting the ruling PAS party would lose were published online, despite official polling consistently showing PAS ahead of the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP).
One of the most damning pieces of evidence came when Ana recorded Alina Juc requesting funds from Moscow. "Listen, can you bring the money from Moscow… I just need to pay off my people," Juc was heard saying. While the exact source of the funds remains unclear, the BBC’s investigation uncovered extensive links between the network and Ilan Shor, a controversial figure sanctioned by both the United States and the United Kingdom for his alleged role in “malign Kremlin operations” and corruption. Shor, now residing in Moscow, has long been associated with efforts to undermine Moldova’s pro-European trajectory.
The network’s reach is staggering given Moldova’s modest population of 2.4 million. The BBC identified at least 90 TikTok accounts—some masquerading as legitimate media outlets—responsible for thousands of videos amassing more than 23 million views and 860,000 likes since January 2025. When the BBC shared its findings with the American Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), the lab’s analysis suggested the broader network could be even larger, with more than 55 million views and over 2.2 million likes on TikTok alone during the same period.
Central to the operation is the non-governmental organization "Eurasia" (also known as Evrazia), which has ties to Shor and has been sanctioned by the UK, US, and EU for allegedly bribing Moldovan citizens to vote against EU membership in 2024. Despite these efforts, Moldova narrowly voted in favor of joining the European Union. The British Foreign Office has described Eurasia as operating "in Moldova on behalf of the corrupt fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor... with the aim of destabilizing Moldovan democracy." The BBC found photos of Alina Juc on Eurasia’s website and noted that one of the Telegram groups used by the network was named "Leaders of Eurasia."
Moldova’s chief of police, Viorel Cernauteanu, captured the shift in tactics succinctly: "In 2024, the focus of [Ilan Shor’s] campaign was money. This year, the focus is disinformation," he told the BBC World Service. Cernauteanu’s remarks underscore the evolving nature of foreign interference, which has moved from direct financial incentives to more sophisticated information warfare—leveraging social media’s viral potential and the anonymity of encrypted messaging apps.
While the BBC’s investigation did not uncover any evidence of a comparable disinformation campaign from supporters of the ruling PAS party, it did highlight the challenges facing Moldova’s fragile democracy. Social media campaigns have become central to national elections worldwide, and Moldova is no exception. The scale and sophistication of the Russian-backed network, combined with its use of AI tools and covert funding streams, represent a formidable threat to the integrity of the electoral process.
In response to the revelations, TikTok announced it had implemented additional security measures ahead of the election and was "aggressively cracking down on deceptive behavior." Facebook’s parent company, Meta, did not respond to the BBC’s inquiries. The Russian Embassy in the UK issued a statement denying any involvement in fake news or election interference, instead accusing the European Union of meddling in Moldova’s internal affairs.
Neither Ilan Shor nor Eurasia responded to the BBC’s requests for comment. Similarly, Alina Juc did not reply when approached about the investigation’s findings.
Moldova’s strategic position—sandwiched between Ukraine and EU-member Romania—makes it a key battleground in the ongoing contest between European integration and Russian influence. As the country heads to the polls, the BBC’s investigation serves as a stark reminder of the lengths to which foreign actors will go to shape the future of vulnerable democracies.
