Russia carried out an extensive covert operation aimed at destabilizing Moldova and toppling its pro-Western government, with Israeli-Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor allegedly playing a central role in financing and organizing the effort, according to an investigation by The New York Times.
The investigation, based on thousands of leaked documents as well as Moldovan law enforcement officials and Western intelligence sources, describes what it says was one of Moscow’s most ambitious influence operations outside Ukraine.
According to the report, Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency established training camps in Bessarabia, Serbia and Moscow, where hundreds of young Moldovans were allegedly trained in weapons, explosives, drone operations and methods for breaking through police barricades ahead of elections and referendums.
Some trainees were reportedly subjected to physical abuse during the training, while others were later stopped at border crossings carrying drone components and materials containing instructions for carrying out attacks.
Alongside the alleged paramilitary operation, the Kremlin reportedly established a sprawling political influence network financed by Shor, an Israeli-Moldovan oligarch currently living in Russia.
Leaked documents cited by the Times indicate that Shor’s network recruited more than 150,000 Moldovan citizens through hundreds of Telegram bots, while tens of millions of dollars were allegedly distributed to activists involved in demonstrations, online propaganda campaigns and efforts to steer voters against closer ties with the European Union.
Shor fled Moldova after being convicted in connection with a massive bank fraud scandal involving approximately $1 billion. According to the report, investigators suspect he has since helped oversee the influence campaign remotely from Russia on behalf of the Kremlin.
The alleged operation also extended into Moldova’s religious institutions. Hundreds of Moldovan priests were reportedly recruited after traveling to Russia, where they allegedly signed agreements with a Kremlin-linked organization and received Russian credit cards and payments of approximately $1,000 in exchange for promoting pro-Russian messaging and criticizing Moldova’s government.
Russian hackers also allegedly attempted to penetrate Moldova’s Central Election Commission, while operatives sought to create chaos on Election Day.
Moldovan authorities, assisted by Western intelligence agencies, ultimately disrupted several of the alleged operations and arrested numerous suspects.
President Maia Sandu’s pro-Western party survived the challenge and won the election with crucial support from Moldovans living abroad.
Moldovan officials and security experts nevertheless warn that Moscow’s campaign to influence the country’s future is far from over, as Moldova continues facing pressure linked to its energy infrastructure and dependence on electricity supplies connected to neighboring Ukraine.
Recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian power facilities supplying electricity to Moldova have contributed to widespread outages, adding further pressure on the small Eastern European country as it seeks to maintain its pro-Western course.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
