Moldova claims Russia plans to disrupt expatriate voting in Sunday’s runoff

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By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa

CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldova has told several EU nations that it believes Russia will try to disrupt voting by Moldovan expatriates at polling stations abroad in Sunday’s presidential election, a Moldovan government source said.

Pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu faces former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo, who is backed by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party, in a tense second-round standoff.

The Moldovan source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that polling stations in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, Romania, the U.S. and Britain might be targeted by Moscow for disruption including by bomb hoaxes.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Saturday. Moscow denies interfering in Moldova’s affairs.

“The goal is to interrupt the voting process during the (bomb threat) evacuation and check by the police. We kindly ask to apply procedures and protocols that do not interrupt the voting process,” a Moldovan message to a European official said, according to a screenshot reviewed by Reuters.

A former Soviet state, Moldova became independent during the 1991 Soviet breakup. It has alternated between pro-Western and pro-Russian periods since and has accelerated its westward push since Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.

Law enforcement agencies have alleged Russian-backed fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor is responsible for meddling in Moldova’s election. He denies wrongdoing.

Moldovan voters living in the West are seen as largely pro-European and therefore more likely to support Sandu, who has championed Moldova’s effort to join the 27-nation European Union by 2030.

The diaspora vote proved crucial to Sandu’s team winning an Oct. 20 referendum affirming the country’s EU aspirations. The referendum was held alongside the first round of the election.

The source said Moscow was transporting Moldovan citizens by flight and bus to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkey and Moldova to vote in a bid to maximise Stoianoglo’s chances.