Vladimir Putin's Secret War: The Plan to Topple Moldova
According to The New York Times, Russian intelligence trained young people to break through barriers and set fire to buildings. Priests were paid to preach against the European Union. An Israeli-Moldovan oligarch is working to recruit activists. Meanwhile, Russia is damaging energy infrastructure, causing power outages.
On the surface, it looked like a typical summer camp: beach volleyball games, barbecues, and a spa complex under the inviting title 'Relax and Enjoy.' But behind the pastoral display at an isolated resort in Serbia, a much darker training program was hidden. The New York Times reported on Friday that the young people who arrived at the site were not just there for leisure. They learned how to break through police barriers, set fire to buildings, and trained with assault rifles while wearing protective vests.
According to intelligence officials from three different countries, the instructors at the camp were agents linked to the Russian military intelligence (GRU). Their goal was clear: to build a force of trained soldiers who could interfere in elections and sow chaos in Moldova, a small country that has become one of the primary targets in Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan to destabilize the West.
Kremlin's Goal #2
For Vladimir Putin, Moldova is not just another country. According to Western intelligence officials, in the Kremlin's hierarchy of priorities, conquering Ukraine is in first place, and taking control of Moldova is in second. Vladimir Putin even clarified in a secret briefing that the goal for 2026 is the collapse of NATO and the European Union from within. Moldova is a central axis in this effort, serving as a strategic bridge between Ukraine and NATO countries.
The Israeli-Moldovan Oligarch Pulling the Strings
According to the report in The New York Times, one of the key players in this story is Ilan Shor, an Israeli-Moldovan oligarch currently living in Russia. Shor, who fled Moldova after being accused of a massive billion-dollar fraud, is allegedly managing the operation by remote control for the Kremlin.
Revealed documents point to a sophisticated operation managed from Skolkovo. Shor and his people used 240 different bots on Telegram to recruit and coordinate the activity of more than 150,000 residents. Recruits received cash in exchange for participating in staged protests and posting content against the pro-Western government. In the four months alone before the 2024 referendum on joining the European Union, nearly 20 million dollars were paid to 38,000 activists.
Propaganda and Home-Grown Terror Kits
Russia did not shy away from any means. Hundreds of Orthodox priests were recruited for the mission. They were sent on a pilgrimage to Russia, where they signed contracts and received debit cards from a Russian bank close to the Ministry of Defense. In exchange for about 1,000 dollars, they were asked to preach to believers against the European Union.
Parallel to the psychological war, the ground was boiling. Young people returning from the camps in Serbia and Bosnia were caught in possession of drone components and an instruction manual titled: 'Russian Kitchen: The ABCs of Domestic Terror.' A source in the Moldovan intelligence said that the goal was not to recruit thousands to commit crimes. 'Lighting the spark is enough,' said Sergiu Zama, a senior prosecutor in Moldova.
The peak of the campaign came during the parliamentary elections in September 2025. Russian hackers infiltrated the servers of the Central Election Commission, and activists trained in Serbia prepared to incite riots. In the end, the pro-Western government won with great difficulty, with a little over 50% of the votes, mainly thanks to the votes of Moldovans living abroad.
Damage to Electricity Infrastructure
Despite the failure in the elections, the Kremlin is not stopping. In the last year, Russia has moved to damage infrastructure: missiles hit Ukrainian power plants that supply electricity to Moldova, causing widespread power outages. In government buildings, employees are sometimes forced to walk through dark corridors with flashlights to save electricity.
Senior officials in Moldova said that Russia is planning a long-term game. 'We won the battle,' concluded Mihai Lupu, head of Moldova's cyber agency, 'but we haven't won the war.'
