Russia is literally buying Moldovans to vote against joining the EU on October 20

Russia is literally buying Moldovans to vote against joining the EU on October 20 Sofia Rozhik

Russia pays Moldovans to vote 20 against joining the EU/Collage by Channel 24

Moldova will hold a referendum on joining the European Union on October 20. Meanwhile, Russia is wasting no time and has begun bribing Moldovans to vote against it.

Moldova has warned that Moscow has created a “mafia” network to distribute cash, senior officials told Politico.

Russia has already paid $15 million to Moldovans

Moldovan authorities say the network is being overseen by a pro-Russian oligarch.

Moldova is facing a phenomenon of vote buying combined with hybrid warfare and disinformation that our country has never seen before, said Moldovan police chief Viorel Cerneuțeanu.

Law enforcement officials say that in September alone, more than $15 million in Russian funds were transferred to the bank accounts of more than 130,000 Moldovans.

“Ilan Shor, the founder of a now-banned pro-Russian political party, helped launder funds intended for vote buying through a network of banks. Officials say coordinators in Russia then ordered officials and local activists to act on their behalf, issuing cash through messaging platform Telegram,” Politico writes.

Shor's supporters and the Kremlin are calling on the people of Moldova to vote against EU membership and against pro-Western President Maia Sandu in simultaneous elections.

Shor's party was declared unconstitutional and banned in 2023. However, the politician continues to maintain close ties with other pro-Russian opposition groups.

This year, Russia will spend about 100 million euros on interfering in democratic processes in Moldova, predicted Moldovan National Security Advisor Stanislav Secrieru.

By the way, in the summer of 2023, Ukrainian intelligence warned Moldova that it had learned of a plot to violently overthrow the Sandu government, financed by Moscow. In particular, Shor was involved in this. After that, Brussels imposed sanctions against him.