On 28 September, President Maia Sandu and the pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) scored a landslide victory in the Moldovan parliamentary elections. The PAS won more than 50 per cent of the vote, giving the party control of the parliament and hence giving Moldova a firm pro-EU orientation. The victory came despite a massive pro-Russian FIMI campaign that targeted Sandu and the PAS.
The Kremlin has carried out many campaigns of this kind before to influence and subvert other countries’ elections, all while accusing Western countries of the very same actions. Typically, the Kremlin sets the narrative and relies upon state outlets and a dark galaxy of semi-official or covert outlets to spread the word. As of late, an unexpected source of pro-Russian narratives has emerged: the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service.
Normally, intelligence services operate quietly in the background. But lately, the SVR has done something unusual: it’s been putting out official public statements. In effect, these press releases mostly serve to amplify the very false claims the SVR hopes its covert influence campaigns will plant in people’s minds. Recently, it has gone on record in three different countries. Here is a closer look.
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