Vladimir Putin Putin openly criticizes the elections in Romania: “Transforming the electoral procedures into a farce and manipulating the will of the people will not work”
Russian President Vladimir Putin participates in the meeting of the Valdai discussion club in Soci, on October 2, 2025. Photo: Mikhail Metzel / AFP / Profimedia
Authorities in some countries are trying to “ban” the political opponents who enjoy great confidence among citizens, but these attempts do not work, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, during a session of the International Discussion Club Valdai, held in the Soci resort in the Black Sea. Romania was directly given as an example by the Kremlin leader.
“In some countries, there are attempts to prohibit political opponents who already have great legitimacy and great confidence in voters. We know this and we have seen this,” Putin said.
“But this does not work. The prohibitions do not work,” the Kremlin leader stressed.
The data of the sociological research in the European countries show “an increasing rejection of the exaggerated ambitions of the political elites in these countries,” the Russian president added.
“The establishment is not willing to give up power, openly cheating on their own citizens, escalating the external level and resorting to any tricks in their own countries-more and more at the limit of the law, if not even beyond it. But the endless transformation of the democratic electoral procedures, as in Romania, in Romania They will work, ”Putin stressed, quoted by Tass.
He also claimed that similar processes are observed in many countries.
Putin then commented that the will of the citizens of these countries is simple: “Let the leaders of their countries deal with the problems of their citizens, worry about the safety and quality of their lives and not run after the chimeras.”
Also in the Valdai discussion group, the Kremlin leader said on Thursday that Russia will respond quickly if he believes that Europe has provoked and said that almost the entire NATO alliance, now fought against Russia in the context of the Ukraine. “All NATO countries are fighting against us,” Putin said. The Russian leader also rejected the statements of US President Donald Trump that Russia is “a paper tiger”, saying that Moscow has the most capable army in the world.
“All NATO countries are fighting against us.” Putin threatens with a quick response and causes the West “to deal with the paper tiger”
Putin launched accusations a few hours after the Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced that he had presented the report made by the Attorney General Alex Florence, about the actions of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, in front of the European leaders gathered in the meeting of the European Political Community.
“I came with the document and many of the people I talked to asked me for a copy and they said they would read on the return plane. There was interest,” said the president asked by the reaction of the European leaders.
“Romania did not imagine that there will be an attack of this dimension in which it took place. If we have elections a phenomenon like the one in November 2024 will not happen again. In the public communication area and social networks we have much to do,” said Nicușor Dan.
Video Nicușor Dan, about the reaction of the European leaders after presented the report of the Prosecutor's Office in Călin Georgescu's case: “Many asked me for a copy” / “The Republic of Moldova was better prepared, because it was waiting for what followed”
Putin did not refer to the report presented by Nicușor Dan, nor to those published so far by Western states about Russia's attempts to interfere in the elections in neighboring countries or from the former Soviet block.
Prosecutor General Alex Florence recently said that the Georgescu file represents “the worst case monitored over the last 35 years.” He explained that Romania is the target of a hybrid war for several years, a much harder to identify than a classic conflict.
Călin Georgescu, winner of the first round of the presidential elections of 2024, canceled on December 6 by the Constitutional Court, was sent to court by the General Prosecutor's Office for the attempt to commit actions against the constitutional order and the communication of false information, in continuous form.
Horațiu Potra was sued in the same file, along with 20 people from his mercenari group.
The network coordinated by Horațiu Potra was prepared by extreme violence in Bucharest, after the cancellation of the presidential elections in December, shows the data from the Adquiring of the General Prosecutor's Office, obtained by HotNews.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Justice announced that Horațiu Potra, his son and a nephew of Potra were arrested in Dubai. The authorities are now discussing for the extradition in Romania of the three.
Horațiu Potra, his son, Dorian Potra, and another family member, Alexandru Potra, fled from Romania at the beginning of the year, being in international pursuit. On their behalf were issued in February warrants of preventive arrest.
Horaţiu Potra is accused of attempt to commit actions against the constitutional order, non -observance of the regime of weapons and ammunition, non -observance of the regime of explosive materials, any operations with pyrotechnic articles performed without law, public instigation.
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