A group of American senators warn on Russia's interference in the elections in the Republic of Moldova: “There is clear and overwhelming evidence”

A group of American senators from the US Senate Foreign Relations Commission warns, in a statement issued before the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, that Russia carries out a state-supported campaign to influence the poll programmed for September 28.

“As the Moldovans are preparing to vote for a new Parliament this month, there is clear and overwhelming evidence that Russia is carrying out a state-supported campaign to mix in future elections, as it has flagrantly done last year. Despite Russia's attempts to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, they can reject these, Propaganda, economic pressures and votes buying schemes ”, it is shown in the common statement of the senators.

In their letter, the senators welcome the efforts made by the Trump administration to “counteract the use of cryptocurrencies by the actors supported by Russia to facilitate these bad efforts.”

“We welcome the efforts of the Trump administration to counteract the use of cryptocurrencies by actors supported by Russia to facilitate these bad efforts. The best way for Moldovans, including those in the Diaspora, to maintain their sovereignty in the face of Russian interferences is to present themselves to their voting urns,”

“Moldovans, like all peoples, deserve the right to freely choose the future of the country. Without a mixture from outside. The United States intends to help them keep this right, while Russia is looking to deny them to promote their own geopolitical agenda. Commission for external US Senate Relations.

The statement is signed by Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, New Hampshire) and Jim Risch (Republican, Idaho), members of the Commission for Foreign Relations, along with Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois), Ted Budd (Republican, North Carolina), Chris Coons (Democrat, Delaware), Chuck Grassley (Republican, Iowa), Iowa Chris Murphy (Democrat, Connecticut) and Thom Tillis (Republican, North Carolina).

At the beginning of the month, two US senators sent letters to Meta and Alphabet (Google's mother company), asking them to take urgent measures to prevent the use of online platforms in disinformation and political funding supported by Russia before the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova.

Network controlled by Șor, with anti-Eu and anti-Sandu messages

An investigation published in the beginning of September by the Guard newspaper shows how a “digital army” of false accounts, coordinated by activists of the “Victory” block, disseminated on social networks Russian propaganda messages in the Republic of Moldova. The network, controlled by the ilig of Ilan Șor in Moscow, promoted anti-EU topics and messages against President Maia Sandu, in the context of the Moldovan parliamentary elections scheduled at the end of September. According to the publication, the activists received online instructions, through Telegram groups, and were informed that they will be paid “directly from Moscow”.

The network also promoted the former candidate in the presidential elections in Romania, Călin Georgescu. Pro-Georgescu messages began to appear after it was raised from traffic and led to hearings, in Bucharest, shows the investigation by journalist Natalia Zaharescu, who infiltrated the network of activists and received, together with them, instructions for sending messages on social networks.