CCSCD report: Russia recalibrates manipulation strategies to block European path of Moldova

The Russian Federation has adapted and refined its information manipulation tools after the presidential, parliamentary and referendum elections in Moldova, with the strategic goal of preventing the country’s European integration and bringing it back into its sphere of influence. This conclusion is presented in the Report on Information Manipulation and Foreign Interference (MIIS), published by the Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation (CCSCD) on January 16.

According to the document, Moscow has shifted from crude, easily identifiable propaganda messages to far more subtle and sophisticated operations. These include the use of Western sources to legitimize hostile narratives, commercial or civic cover operations, automation technologies and artificial intelligence, micro‑targeting through the collection of online data, and the rapid migration of digital infrastructure after public exposure.

The report shows that information manipulation is aimed not only at the public in Moldova, but also at the populations of European Union member states. The goal is to create negative perceptions of Moldova, in order to reduce the willingness of European leaders to support Chisinau. In this regard, disparaging narratives are promoted in the EU information space through proxy actors or organizations and opinion leaders who sympathize with the Russian Federation.

A relevant example is the activity of the pro‑Russian international network STORM‑1516, affiliated with the Kremlin, which produces and distributes fabricated narratives, including deepfakes and scripted video materials. They are amplified through high‑audience accounts, paid accounts and third‑party media, with the aim of discrediting Moldova internationally, undermining its external image and eroding support from Western partners, especially during electoral periods.

The report also highlights the deliberate use of Western think tanks and civic organizations that are ideologically aligned with the Kremlin, in order to inject anti‑European messages into the Moldovan information space. One documented case is the promotion of the report titled, A Shield Against Democracy: How the Democracy Shield Protects the EU from the Electorate, published by the think tank MCC Brussels and signed by academic Norman Lewis, known for his anti‑EU positions. The document manipulatively claims that European initiatives to protect democracy represent forms of censorship and political interference. The report was quickly picked up and amplified by political actors and media institutions of Moldova aligned with the pro‑Russian agenda, being used as “Western validation” for already existing anti‑European narratives.

“The synchronized distribution indicates a mechanism of ‘information laundering’, through which an apparently Western product is used, in order to legitimize hostile narratives about the EU and to delegitimize the European cooperation of Moldova,” the Report reads.

CCSCD also draws attention to the exploitation of state symbols on fraudulent purposes. In October 2025, a digital fraud campaign was documented that used the image of the President of Moldova, the Finance Ministry and MAIB bank to promote fake financial schemes. At least 11 active websites were identified, built on the same technical infrastructure, meant to illegally get material benefits and personal data, as well as to undermine public trust in state institutions.

The report concludes that information manipulation actions represent a coordinated, persistent and adaptive effort with a direct impact on the democratic resilience of Moldova. The goal is not only to influence public opinion, but to degrade society’s ability to distinguish truth from lies. In this context, CCSCD underlines the need for a whole‑of‑society approach that includes strengthening strategic communication, cooperation between institutions, the media and civil society and transparent public information, in order to protect the national information space and the European path of Moldova.