How the Orthodox church became a hybrid warfare weapon in Moldova's elections

By&nbspEuronews Romania

Published on 05/09/2025 - 16:08 GMT+2

The EU has warned that Moldova has erstwhile again go a superior target of Russian disinformation campaigns up of 28 September's parliamentary elections.

Authorities successful Chișinău person identified respective ways successful which Moscow is trying to power nan geopolitical predisposition of nan state of complete 2 cardinal people, astir of whom clasp Romanian EU passports.

According to Moldovan information experts, 1 of nan strategies employed by Russian hybrid warfare strategists is to usage nan Russian Orthodox Church, which has a beingness successful Moldova and is allegedly being utilized arsenic a instrumentality to dispersed Moscow's propaganda and lend to organising disinformation campaigns.

"At this stage, we person 10 awesome areas successful which Russia is acting and attempting to destabilise nan Republic of Moldova and, for example, nan usage of nan religion successful our state for propaganda and disinformation purposes successful nan interests of nan Russian Federation", said Daniel Vodă, a spokesperson of nan Moldovan government.

The Central Election Commission has already recorded instances successful which priests were progressive successful governmental propaganda activities. The electoral authority successful Chișinău warns that nan engagement of nan religion successful nan predetermination run is contrary to nan rule and has called connected representatives of belief denominations to refrain from governmental activities.

In Moldova, location is nary independent Orthodox Church, arsenic successful different Orthodox countries. The Moldovan Church is an autonomous episcopal assemblage nether nan Moscow Patriarchate ecclesial authority.

According to Andrei Curăraru, an expert of nan NGO WatchDog, nan clear nonsubjective of Russia is to slow down aliases permanently halt Moldova's European accession and support it wrong Moscow's orbit "using this geopolitical limb that is nan Metropolitan Church of Moldova (under nan Moscow Patriachate) complete nan minds and votes of group who often be wide successful nan Republic of Moldova."

Is nan EU nan antintode to Russian propaganda?

Seen from Brussels, Moldova's upcoming elections will beryllium a important day for nan early of nan country. If pro-Russian parties triumph nan elections and norm nan country, negotiations to subordinate nan EU are apt to beryllium frozen, successful a akin U-turn to Georgia past year.

The existent pro-EU Moldovan authorities has many times asked nan EU to decouple nan accession negotiations from those pinch Ukraine successful bid to get a fast-track process.

However, nan EU is reluctant to do truthful successful bid to debar sending antagonistic signals to Kyiv.

According to EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who was successful Chișinău this week, Moldova has fulfilled each nan criteria to commencement accession negotiations.

However, speaking astatine a property conference, Kos noted: "Moldova did nan homework from a method constituent of view, which is my work but of people we besides request nan governmental support of nan personnel states."

Several governments remains cautious and ambivalent erstwhile it comes to decoupling nan Moldovan and Ukrainian enlargement processes.

The EU Council president António Costa said connected Thursday successful Bucharest that nan EU personnel states agreed to unfastened "pre-accession negotiations" pinch Moldova aft nan forthcoming elections.

On 9 September, Moldova's president Maia Sandu will speak successful nan EU Parliament successful Strasbourg astir nan dangers and nan risks of Russian interference successful her state and make a past ditch effort to seduce personnel states to springiness nan green-light to starting accession negotiations.