Moldovan President Maia Sandu has warned that her country faces a “race against time” to protect its democracy from attempts by Russia to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Sandu described the 28 September vote for Moldova’s 101-seat legislature as the most consequential in the nation’s history. She reiterated allegations that Moscow is conducting a “hybrid war” against Moldova through disinformation, vote-buying, illicit party funding and other tactics, aimed at undermining the election and Moldova’s European Union membership ambitions.
“The Kremlin’s goal is clear: to capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use us against Ukraine, and to turn us into a launchpad for hybrid attacks on the European Union,” Sandu said.
The president said the outcome will determine whether Moldova becomes a stable democracy or risks being pulled away from Europe.
“Today we face an unlimited hybrid war on a scale unseen before the full invasion of Ukraine,” she added.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola praised Sandu’s determination and reaffirmed the EU’s support for Moldova’s democratic path. The parliament is set to debate a resolution on strengthening Moldova’s resilience to Russian hybrid threats, with a vote expected on Wednesday.
Leaders from France, Germany and Poland recently visited Moldova to mark its 34th independence anniversary, demonstrating continued European backing.
Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity, which she founded in 2016, won a clear majority in 2021 but faces uncertainty in the upcoming election. Moldova applied for EU membership following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and was granted candidate status the same year. Accession negotiations began last year.
Siegfried Muresan, chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to Moldova, said: “Moldova is a priority for EU security, not just EU enlargement. A stronger Moldova means a weaker Russia at our borders.”
Sandu’s warnings followed the arrest in Romania of a former Moldovan intelligence official accused of spying for Belarus, part of a broader network allegedly used by Russia to target Europe.
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi ...
The 25th World Petroleum Council (WPC) Energy Congress began in Riyadh on Sunday (11 October), running from 11 to 15 October under the theme &ldquo...
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to...
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority. The airport remains closed until further notice.
One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 12 October 2026 with the top five natural disasters happening around the world.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine is ready to respect the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, but only if Russia does the same, saying Moscow has already violated the agreement.
China has announced sanctions against Belize’s foreign minister and Paraguay’s communications minister over their countries’ diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The move comes as Beijing continues to pressure the few remaining nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment