Information attacks launched by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova in recent months have evolved from isolated incidents into a coordinated and industrialized ecosystem, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation. The report concludes that Moscow’s efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy have reached unprecedented levels.
The analysis shows that Russia seeks to erode Moldova’s democratic foundations, delegitimize state institutions, and weaken the judiciary and independent media. Between May and September 2025, Russian actors deployed a wide range of tactics, techniques, and procedures on a scale never seen before, reports IPN.
Investigators found that attackers relied on industrial-scale proxy media networks, such as the “Pravda Network”, which operates at least 129 websites, and the CopyCop (GRU) subregional network, with over 250 pseudo-news sites targeting Romanian-speaking audiences.
The report also exposes the use of Artificial Intelligence and deepfakes by the Russian disinformation group “Matrioshka”, which fabricated a fake presidential decree in German using the logo of realitatea.md, aiming to provoke public panic. Authorities also uncovered covert electoral profiling campaigns, including fake opinion polls that collected psychographic data stored on Russian servers linked to VCIOM, Russia’s state sociological institute.
Additionally, investigators identified 1,347 fake TikTok accounts generating over 42 million interactions, designed to simulate public opposition to Moldova’s pro-European trajectory.
While officials noted that the short-term electoral impact was limited, they warned of serious long-term risks to Moldova’s institutional resilience and democratic stability.