Moldova Braces for Election Amidst Onslaught of Pro-Russian Disinformation Campaign
Chisinau, Moldova – As Moldova gears up for crucial parliamentary elections in September 2025, a sophisticated pro-Russian disinformation campaign, dubbed “Matryoshka,” has intensified its efforts to destabilize the country’s pro-European Union government. This orchestrated operation, known for disseminating fabricated news reports mimicking legitimate media outlets, has previously targeted the US 2024 presidential election and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Now, its focus has shifted to Moldova, flooding the information landscape with false narratives aimed at discrediting President Maia Sandu and her party.
The disinformation campaign employs a range of tactics, including fabricated news reports, manipulated videos, and the exploitation of artificial intelligence. NewsGuard, a media transparency tool, has identified a surge in fake stories targeting Moldova since the election was called in April. In just three months, 39 fabricated reports have emerged, compared to zero in the preceding year. These reports often feature the logos and branding of reputable news organizations like the BBC, The Economist, and Euronews, lending a veneer of credibility to the disinformation.
The false narratives propagated by Matryoshka range from accusations of corruption and embezzlement against President Sandu to outlandish claims about her personal life and alleged drug addiction. One fabricated video, bearing the BBC logo, falsely asserted that investigative journalism group Bellingcat had uncovered evidence of Sandu’s involvement in a $24 million embezzlement scheme. Another report falsely claimed that Sandu rigged her election victory through the use of absentee ballots cast by deceased individuals. These claims have been thoroughly debunked by fact-checking organizations, yet they continue to circulate online, amplified by pro-Russian networks.
A key player in the amplification of this disinformation is a Moscow-based influence network known as Pravda. Pravda has utilized its multilingual platforms to disseminate the fake news reports generated by Matryoshka, further expanding their reach. In one instance, Pravda’s Romanian-language service published an article about Sandu’s alleged drug addiction, using the logo of the American Psychological Association to create a false sense of authority. Worryingly, NewsGuard discovered that even advanced AI chatbots like ChatGPT have been inadvertently referencing these fabricated articles as evidence, highlighting the insidious nature of this disinformation campaign and its potential to contaminate even seemingly neutral information sources.
The Matryoshka campaign’s exploitation of AI chatbots like ChatGPT adds a new dimension to the challenge of combating disinformation. By referencing the fabricated Pravda articles, ChatGPT unwittingly legitimizes the false narratives they contain. This underscores the need for ongoing vigilance in monitoring and correcting misinformation propagated through AI platforms. The fact that these chatbots can be manipulated to reinforce false narratives highlights the evolving nature of disinformation campaigns and the importance of developing strategies to counter them effectively.
The surge in disinformation targeting Moldova reflects the Kremlin’s strategic interests in the region. Moldova, nestled between Eastern and Western Europe, has become a battleground in the ongoing struggle for influence between Russia and the West. The Kremlin views Moldova’s pro-European leanings as a threat to its regional ambitions and seeks to undermine the country’s democratic institutions and its aspirations for closer ties with the EU. As Moldovan citizens prepare to head to the polls, they face an increasingly complex information environment, where discerning truth from falsehood has become a crucial challenge. The success of Moldova’s democratic process hinges on the ability of its citizens to access accurate and reliable information, free from the manipulative influence of foreign disinformation campaigns. The international community also has a role to play in supporting Moldova’s efforts to safeguard its information space and ensure free and fair elections. This includes providing technical assistance to combat disinformation, promoting media literacy, and holding those responsible for spreading disinformation accountable.
