The money coming from the Russian Federation is intended for corruption, not for economic development, Watchdog expert Andrei Curreri stated in IPN’s public debate "Russia's interference in the choice of Moldova: goals, manifestations, effects". According to the expert, the financial support for the Republic of Moldova from Russia in the last four years was equal to zero. For comparison, only the development plan announced in Chisinau by Ursula von der Leyen provides for the allocation of funds of €1.8 billion, of which €300 million is non-reimbursable financial aid.
Andrei Curreri explained that the methods applied by Russia in the Republic of Moldova are adapted to the new realities. Previously, the Kremlin aimed to maintain its influence over the Republic of Moldova through the separatist regime in Tiraspol, but now Russia aims to distance the country from EU membership by influencing the election results.
"The goal is to keep the Republic of Moldova in Russia's sphere of influence. For this purpose, the war in the Transnistrian region was triggered. The separatist regime is maintained only because it receives support from Russia and free gas. In recent years, the methods used by Russia have been changed. The scale of the actions taken at these elections is new on the continent. We analyzed the figures and saw that such massive fraud was witnessed only in India at regional level. It is clear that no one will spare the resources for the runoff election or for the parliamentary elections because the amount spent by Russia to influence the elections in the Republic of Moldova can be compared with the amount that Russia spends for a day of war in Ukraine. Russia aims to subdue the former Soviet countries. Previously, Russia sought to maintain the appearance of a democratic state, which influences other states just like the U.S., for example. Now everything amounts to banal corruption," said Watchdog expert Andrei Curăraru.
According to the expert, the Russian Federation, through the Shor group, had several candidates in the October 20 election, thus trying to influence the final results. Moscow wants a pro-Russian candidate for the leadership of the Republic of Moldova so as to have additional levers of pressure on Ukraine.
"I saw how Irina Vlah's electoral meetings in the north of the Republic of Moldova were organized by Shor's people. Shor has become the central figure for the Russian Federation. Here we can also mention the organization "Evrazia", a pseudo-nongovernmental organization that created preconditions for indoctrinating young people in the Republic of Moldova and for involving them in various subversive activities. These young people can be used to turn protests into aggressive actions. The young people were taught how to use drones and firecrackers. Now the Russian Federation will resort to destabilization actions. Russia wants the Republic of Moldova to be turned into an element of influence on Ukraine, as an indicator of the fact that Russia's geopolitical influence is growing and as a symbolic victory of Russia for the population inside the country. All these elements make Moldova a victim," explained Andrei Curăraru.
He noted that for this year's election, Russia has put all forms of propaganda and disinformation to the test. The messages that are most often used by Russia to influence the citizens' voting intention are based on the false rhetoric according to which Moldova's accession to the EU would mean drawing the country into war.
"Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we have seen much greater propaganda in the Republic of Moldova. But in the current election cycle, we have seen more propaganda than ever before. Hundreds of thousands of euros is spent on Facebook advertising alone. I have seen an extensive campaign against the EU, against EU membership. I have seen all possible and impossible scares. They have used the false rhetoric that joining the EU means joining NATO, which will lead to our country being drawn into war. But it is not clear how our small country can actively influence a conflict. On the contrary, we are a small state and being drawn into any military conflict does not make any sense. Another falsehood is that the EU only gives us loans. If we analyze the plan proposed by Ursula von der Leyen, almost half a billion euros comes as a grant. Where is the help of the Russian Federation? Can it be compared with the aid coming from the EU? Official data show that in the last four years, Russia's aid to the Republic of Moldova was equal to zero. The money that comes from Russia is intended for corruption, not for development," said the expert.
The public debate entitled "Russia's interference in the choice of Moldova: goals, manifestations, effects" was held as part of IPN’s project "Development of political culture through public debates". IPN Agency carries out the project with support from the German Hanns Seidel Foundation.