Shortly after President Maia Sandu told the Financial Times that Russia is using priests to interfere in Moldova’s elections, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova rushed to respond in an interview with state agency TASS, accusing Sandu of Russophobia. She claimed that such statements “reflect the annihilation of democracy.”
“I believe this represents the destruction of any manifestation of democracy by the Sandu regime. More broadly, I would say it undermines the very principles of freedom and human rights,” Zakharova said, quoted by news.ru.
Despite the Kremlin’s tight control over opposition media and politicians critical of Vladimir Putin, Zakharova alleged that Moldovan authorities consider only government supporters to be free citizens.
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Earlier, President Sandu warned in her Financial Times interview that Moscow is targeting Moldova’s diaspora. She said Russia is using priests subordinated to the Russian Patriarchate and the Matryoshka bot network to spread manipulative narratives, propaganda, and fake news, as well as to interfere in the September 28 parliamentary elections.