Latest news with #RussianInterference
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin comments on Romania's ‘strange' election
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described Romania's recent presidential election as 'strange,' with the declared winner securing victory in the absence of the frontrunner. On Sunday, pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan defeated Euroskeptic George Simion in a runoff, securing the Romanian presidency by a single-digit margin. The election rerun was ordered after Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the results of the November vote, in which independent candidate Calin Georgescu, an EU and NATO critic, finished first with 23%. The authorities cited 'irregularities' in his campaign, along with intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – claims which Moscow has denied. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Peskov called the election 'at the very least, strange,' noting that the candidate with the strongest chances had been 'forcibly' removed from the race 'without much effort to provide justification.' 'But in the absence of such a frontrunner, the winner is who the winner is. This is the reality we are dealing with,' he added. Asked about claims by Telegram founder Pavel Durov that the authorities from an EU country asked him to 'silence conservatives in Romania' ahead of the election, Peskov stated that the EU has a long history of meddling in the internal affairs of other states. 'The fact that European countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and Germany interfere in the internal affairs of other states is nothing new,' he said. 'These are merely fragments that occasionally come to light. Believe me, there are certainly far more cases than we are aware of.' Durov said on Sunday that he had refused a request from a Western European government to remove Romanian Telegram channels ahead of the country's presidential runoff, arguing that 'you can't 'fight election interference' by interfering with elections.' The French authorities later acknowledged that they were the target of the accusation, but denied making the request. In a subsequent post, the Russian-born tech entrepreneur named Nicolas Lerner, the head of France's domestic intelligence agency (DGSI), as the official who approached him. Following the runoff, the Romanian Foreign Ministry accused Russia of interfering in the election, although it offered no evidence to support the claim. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the accusation, saying the Romanian election could hardly be described as such, and urged Bucharest not to soil foreign nations with its 'electoral mess.'
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Moscow hits back at Romania's election meddling claims
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has dismissed allegations from Romania that Moscow interfered in the second round of the country's presidential elections. In a statement on Monday, Zakharova pointed to the contentious nature of the vote in Romania, advising its officials to focus on 'cleaning' their own reputation. The diplomat was responding to claims by Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrei Tarnea, who alleged that there were 'hallmarks of Russian interference' during the election. On Sunday, pro-EU centrist Nicusor Dan was elected president of Romania, defeating conservative and Euroskeptic rival George Simion, who has accused France and Moldova of attempting to undermine his campaign. Zakharova questioned the legitimacy of Romania's presidential vote, saying it should not be considered a proper election. 'You can't interfere in something like that – only get entangled in it,' Zakharova wrote on Telegram. 'They shouldn't try to drag others into their electoral mess. They should clean it up themselves.' The election followed the annulment of the previous vote, in which independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu had led in the first round with 23% of the vote. Romania's Constitutional Court overturned the results, citing electoral irregularities and allegations of foreign interference, including claims of Russian involvement – accusations that Moscow has denied. Georgescu was subsequently barred from standing in the re-run. Simion, the leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), has publicly backed Georgescu and appeared alongside him at a polling station on Sunday. He had earlier condemned the annulment of the 2024 election results as a 'coup d'état' and said that, if elected, he would consider appointing Georgescu as prime minister. Simion, who opposes military aid to Kiev and has been barred from visiting Ukraine, decisively swept the first round on May 4, securing 40%, while Dan and former Senator Crin Antonescu each garnered around 20%. Dan is known as a staunchly pro-EU and pro-NATO candidate, and has called Romania's support for Ukraine vital for national security. Ahead of the Sunday's runoff, Simion accused the pro-EU government in neighboring Moldova of attempting to rig the vote. The two countries share close historical and cultural links, with about 30% of Moldovans holding dual citizenship. He claimed on Facebook that the country's voter rolls included 1.7 million fictitious names, alleging that many of them belong to people who are no longer alive. Simion also alleged that voters were being bussed in from Moldova to cast ballots. He previously accused his opponent, Dan, of breaking the campaign silence rule by engaging in political activity on the eve of the vote. Telegram founder Pavel Durov said in a post on Sunday that Nicolas Lerner, head of French foreign intelligence, had personally urged him to censor conservative voices on the platform ahead of Romania's presidential election rerun. The Russian-born entrepreneur said he refused the request.
CNA
06-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Poland says Russia is trying to interfere in presidential election
WARSAW: Poland is facing an unprecedented attempt from Russia to interfere in its presidential election, the digital affairs minister said on Tuesday (May 6), as the campaign entered its final stages ahead of the first round of voting on May 18. Poland says its role as a hub for aid to Ukraine has made it a key target for Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation efforts, and Warsaw has been on high alert for interference, especially after Romania cancelled a presidential election in December due to allegations of Russian meddling. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it interferes in foreign elections and criticised the decision to cancel the election in Romania. "During the current presidential elections in Poland, we are facing an unprecedented attempt to interfere in the electoral process from the Russian side," Krzysztof Gawkowski told a defence conference. "This is being done ... (by) spreading disinformation in combination with hybrid attacks on Polish critical infrastructure in order to paralyse the normal functioning of the state," he added. He said that attacks had targeted water and sewage companies, heat and power plants and state administration bodies. The level of Russian activity in terms of cyberattacks in Poland had more than doubled compared to last year, he said. "Today in Poland, during every minute of my speech, a dozen or so incidents targeting critical infrastructure were recorded," he said. The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Warsaw said in March that there had been a cyberattack on the Polish space agency. In 2024 Poland said the state news agency had likely been hit by a Russian cyberattack.
