Peace Forum: Maia Sandu warns that hybrid threats do not stop at borders

IPN.md

29 October 2025
20:04

“Hybrid threats do not stop at borders”, warned the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, at the Paris Peace Forum on Wednesday. “What happened in Moldova in the last three elections, or in Romania last year, can happen anywhere: in national elections or in the next European Parliament elections”, stated the head of state, emphasizing the danger of disinformation campaigns launched by Russia, reports IPN.

According to Maia Sandu, the “furious campaign launched by the Kremlin” in the Republic of Moldova has tried to discredit the leadership and divide the citizens, spreading the idea that, if Moldova will stand with Ukraine and Europe, it will end up sharing Ukraine’s fate.

The head of state mentioned that Russia’s informational manipulation seeks to erode the support for Europe’s security and defense. The aim is to convince citizens that investing in protection is a challenge and that strength means escalation.

“While Russia operates with a war economy and wages a hybrid war against several countries, it wants European democracies to be politically, economically and mentally disarmed”, emphasized Maia Sandu.

In the Republic of Moldova, manipulation persists despite actions to strengthen the legal framework, through which the Audiovisual Council has obtained extensive sanctioning tools, including the suspension of channels that spread misinformation or glorified war, stated the president. Unlike television, the digital sphere remains largely unregulated and social media platforms have become vast spaces of manipulation.

“During the parliamentary elections of 2025, networks controlled by Russia used Telegram, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram to bombard Moldovan users with fabricated news, deep fakes, and coordinated propaganda. Troll farms operating within Moldova generated tens of millions of views. The BBC infiltrated one of these networks, composed of about a hundred fake TikTok accounts”, said Maia Sandu.

Warning that hybrid threats do not stop at the Schengen Area border, Maia Sandu said that Europe must grow and that “EU enlargement is not an act of charity, but of security.” “To defend democracy, Europe must act as a whole – large, strong and united, to resist hostile powers that seek to divide us”, concluded the President of the Republic of Moldova.

The Peace Forum, now in its eighth edition, was launched in 2018 at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, and annually brings together leaders from countries and experts from around the world to discuss solutions to major global challenges – from peace and security, to sustainable development and democratic governance. In the current edition, the President of the Republic of Moldova delivered a speech in the session dedicated to information integrity and the role of independent media.

Maia Sandu Paris Peace Forum

Agenda of events for Monday, July 20

Four medals for Moldova at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Uzbekistan

Thousands of people, present at the concerts on the second day of the “Te salut, Chisinau” festival

ANSA: Illness after consuming watermelon does not indicate nitrate poisoning

Connection issues with the Facebook platform in several countries

A worker was taken to the hospital following a fire that broke out in the capital

by Iana Josu 19.07.2026

A fire broke out on Sunday in a room of a building on Pietrarilor Street in Chisinau, where doors were being produced and restored. A worker suffered mild smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital for investigation, reports IPN.

According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the call to the 112 Service was received after smoke was observed on the fifth floor of the building. Firefighter teams were dispatched to the scene according to the increased level of intervention. Upon arrival, the rescuers determined that the fire had already been localized by the people in the building, so the increased level of intervention was not confirmed.

Firefighters found that the flames had engulfed the contents of a room covering approximately 18 square meters. During the intervention, a workshop employee, who tried to extinguish the fire on his own, inhaled smoke and suffered mild intoxication from combustion products.

Specialists are set to determine the cause of the fire outbreak and the circumstances under which it occurred.

19.07.2026

Igor Guseinov: Implementing the APL reform at the level of Gagauzia requires a special approach

Moldova is increasingly perceived as a future member of the EU. IPN interview with Mihai Popsoi

Liliana Gutan asks the designated Prime Minister to evaluate the leadership of the MAE before proposing the minister

Igor Botan: The self-censorship of the press is imposed in the circumstances of a hybrid war

The former ambassador Liliana Gutan accuses institutional abuses against her

Peace Forum: Maia Sandu warns that hybrid threats do not stop at borders

IPN.md

29 October 2025
20:04

Maia Sandu Paris Peace Forum

Traffic restrictions on Minsk Street in the capital, for five days

Temporary restrictions in Chisinau, during the visit of the President of India

CSP has approved the creation of two new territorial offices of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office

The designated Prime Minister, Vasile Tofan, urged by CALM to review the APL reform

England defeated France 6-4 and finished the World Cup in third place

At least one dead and 16 injured after a major Russian attack on Kiev

by Iana Josu 19.07.2026

One person was killed and 16 were injured after Russia launched a broad attack with ballistic missiles and drones on Ukraine on Saturday night to Sunday. The main target of the bombing was the capital Kiev, where residential buildings, administrative buildings, and civil infrastructure were damaged, reports IPN citing local press.

According to the Ukrainian Air Forces, the Russian army attacked with 125 drones, 25 ballistic missiles, 10 Zircon hypersonic missiles, and six other types of missiles. Most of them targeted the Ukrainian capital. The anti-aircraft defense managed to shoot down only 108 drones and 18 missiles, the rest hit ten targets.

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has characterized the bombing as one of the most extensive ballistic missile attacks on Kiev. He emphasized that defense against ballistic missiles remains the country’s main priority and has called for the acceleration of deliveries of Western systems and interceptors.

The publication The Kyiv Independent mentions that the attack caused fires in several districts of Kyiv. Residential blocks, a dormitory, a supermarket, administrative buildings, warehouses, and a logistics center in the Kyiv region were affected. The Lukianivska metro station was temporarily closed after one of its entrances was damaged by the explosion, and rescue teams evacuated several people from the buildings engulfed in flames.

The attack on Kiev takes place just a day after Ukraine launched a large-scale attack with drones on several regions in Russia. According to Russian authorities, seven people died and 25 were injured after a logistics center in the Tambov region was hit, and in the Moscow region, fires were reported at an oil depot and another logistics center.

19.07.2026

Diana Chiriac: In UTA Gagauzia, we have no decision to initiate voluntary amalgamation

Viorica Zaharia: The editorial freedom of the press depends on its financial freedom

The new mass media law: updates, benefits, risks. IPN Debate

Comrat proposes negotiations with Chisinau regarding the organization of elections in Gagauzia

Thierry Wolton: Putin is the greatest danger to Europe since Hitler