Russia operated a secret network to topple the pro-Western government in Moldova | Investigation

Russia operated a secret and large-scale operation designed to topple the pro-Western government in Moldova, block the country's accession to the European Union, and return it to Moscow's sphere of influence.

The operation included training squads for violent interference in the elections, cyberattacks, vote-buying, spreading propaganda, and recruiting hundreds of Orthodox priests — this is according to an investigation published in The New York Times, based on thousands of documents and interviews with activists, senior officials in Moldova, and European and American intelligence officials.

According to three Western intelligence sources, Russia's interference in Moldova was more extensive than similar operations it carried out in most Western countries, and was one of the most daring plans exposed so far as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to destabilize the West. Moscow integrated into the operation Russian military intelligence, field activists, hackers, clergy, and a financial network operated by the Israeli-Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor.

Training Camps and Cyber Sabotage

One of the central arms of the operation was training Moldovan citizens in camps in Serbia, Bosnia, and outside Moscow. Participants learned how to break through police barriers, set fire to buildings, and use assault rifles. According to intelligence sources from three countries, the instructors in the camps had ties to the GRU, and the goal was to build an organized force that could incite riots and disrupt the elections in Moldova.

The camp in Serbia was established at a resort complex in the west of the country in the summer of 2025, months before the parliamentary elections in Moldova. The participants, most of whom were Moldovan, received $400 for a course that lasted three to four days. In videos found on their phones, they were seen dressed in camouflage clothing and protective vests, and training with assault rifles.

In another camp outside Moscow, more than 100 young people from Moldova trained in the production and use of incendiary devices and improvised explosive devices. They also learned to operate drones equipped with devices for dropping explosives or starting fires. Two Western intelligence sources said that GRU personnel oversaw the training.

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Influence Network and Vote Buying

Alongside the training of activists, Russia operated an extensive network for buying votes and influencing public opinion. At its center was Ilan Shor, an Israeli-Moldovan oligarch living in Russia. According to the documents examined, his people recruited more than 150,000 Moldovan citizens who received instructions to publish propaganda, participate in staged protests, and act against President Maia Sandu, the Action and Solidarity Party, and the country's accession to the European Union.

The activity was documented in data sheets, where thousands of posts against Sandu and against the referendum were recorded. The recruits also promoted Shor, who promised to provide the residents of Moldova with free gas. Russia was hardly mentioned in the propaganda, but in one of the ads it was written that moving closer to the West would lead to an "exact repetition of the Ukrainian scenario." "The result? War. Death. Tears," it was written.

The Role of the Clergy

Russia also recruited hundreds of Orthodox priests from Moldova for the operation. Starting in the summer of 2024, they were brought to Russia, visited holy sites, and met with senior church officials. Before returning to their country, each of them signed a contract to receive a debit card from Promsvyazbank, a Russian bank linked to the Ministry of Defense and holding 49% of Shor's financial services company.

In exchange for about $1,000, the priests were asked to convince their believers to oppose joining the European Union and the government's pro-Western policy. According to sources in Moldova, hundreds of them received the money.

Results and Outlook

Efforts reached their peak in the parliamentary elections on September 28, 2025. Authorities in Moldova prepared in advance: police raided hundreds of homes and arrested people who participated in the training camps or received money as part of Shor's network. Sandu's party eventually won a little over 50% of the votes, mainly thanks to the support of Moldovan citizens living outside the country.

"Russia wants to use Moldova as a springboard for hostile activity against Ukraine, and also against its main security and economic supporter, the European Union," said Stanislav Secrieru, the National Security and Defense Advisor to the President of Moldova. "For these reasons, Russia has allocated unprecedented resources in recent years."

"We won the battle," concluded Mihai Lupascu, the director of Moldova's Cyber Security Agency. "But we did not win the war."