Brussels amps up fight against Russian disinformation in Moldova

Euractiv

6 days ago

The Commission is ramping up its efforts to fight Russian disinformation by supporting a new fact-checking and disinformation hub in Moldova, as well as coordinating with Moldovan authorities before the country holds parliamentary elections in September.
Moldova, which has been eyeing EU membership since 2022, is a prime target for Russian disinformation threats, with part of the country being Russian-speaking. Moscow's info-ops there have also dialled up since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Now, with elections looming, concerns are growing over fresh attempts at Russian interference.
The EU certainly does not want to see any repeat of the events that tainted Moldova's presidential elections and a referendum on EU accession last year. Moscow-backed disinformation campaigns were accused of targeting democratic processes, while local police warned of a vast vote-buying scheme involving a Russian-backed fugitive oligarch.
This is why the EU is taking steps to learn from past mistakes – including parachuting in its Tech Commissioner, Henna Virkkunen, who will liaise with Moldovan authorities in person on Tuesday. The EU's executive has also announced a new fact-checking hub, called FACT, with the goal of being able to identify and track disinformation threats more rapidly.
The hub, coordinated under the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), is a multi-country initiative led by Context Romania, an independent media start-up.
"We aim to address disinformation challenges by integrating cross-border investigative journalism, AI-assisted fact-checking, and targeted media literacy initiatives," Mădălina Voinea from Contexte told Euractiv. Moscow's 'lab' for testing disinformation Moldova is often seen as a testing ground for Russian disinformation campaigns, according to Elena Calistru, who runs Funky Citizens, a civil society organisation working on disinformation in Moldova and Romania. This can include Russia testing "strategies, tactics and narratives," she added.
Funky Citizens worked on monitoring disinformation threats during elections in both countries last year. Given the close linguistic and cultural ties – Romanian is the official language in both Romania and Moldova – disinformation narratives often cross borders. The 2024 Romanian elections were annulled due to suspicions of Russian interference. Calistru explained that similar strategies had first been observed in Moldova.
The biggest threats, she said, came from coordinated campaigns aimed at eroding trust in Moldova's democratic institutions and the EU referendum held last year.
Voinea noted that challenges to Moldova's democracy are becoming "increasingly sophisticated".
"We're observing heightened external pressure and a strategic blend of destabilisation tactics, from amplifying internal divisions to more direct forms of interference," she said.
One prominent tactic, according to Calistru, was the use of fake news ecosystems – referred to as the 'matrioshka strategy' – deployed in Moldova last year. Other threats included political corruption involving leaders allegedly paid by Russia, orchestrated provocations or violence, and fake pro-EU or nationalist parties reportedly financed by Russia, she added. Stress test In June, a so-called 'stress test' organised by the Commission together with the Moldovan government took place. These exercises, which can also be run under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), simulate digital hybrid threats to test how well major platforms can respond.
In the case of Moldova – where the DSA does not apply – Meta, Google, TikTok and Microsoft voluntarily participated in the simulation alongside fact-checkers, civil society groups and government officials to prepare for the September elections.
FACT's overarching goal is to focus on countering Russian propaganda and anti-Ukraine narratives, Voinea said. The current focus is on building local partnerships, mapping actors and threats, using AI monitoring tools, and flagging early warning signals.
Funky Citizens is also developing a "live monitoring system with a human-in-the-loop approach" to identify disinformation narratives and actors online.
The hope among fact-checkers and civil society is that such initiatives – including Commission-led stress tests – will improve responsiveness so that disinformation campaigns can be flagged to major social media platforms immediately. If falsehoods can be intercepted early, they are less likely to have a corrosive impact on democratic processes.
(nl, aw)