US accuses Russia of trying to undermine the elections in the Republic of Moldova: "It spent millions of dollars to influence the election"
The Russian Federation is trying to undermine the presidential elections and the referendum in the Republic of Moldova, the White House warned on Tuesday. The US claims that, in recent months, Moscow has spent millions of dollars to undermine the elections that will take place on Sunday, writes RFI.
"Russia is actively working to undermine the elections in the Republic of Moldova and its European integration," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
" "In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova's presidential election. We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns," the American official added.
We remind you that Kirby has also previously accused Russia of trying to destabilize the Republic of Moldova, stating last year that his ultimate goal is to bring a pro-Moscow government to Chisinau.
For his part, the professor of international security at the University of Birmingham, Stefan Wolff, wrote, in an analysis published by "The Conversation", that the disinformation campaign supported by the Kremlin has intensified in recent months, in the run-up to the presidential elections in our country. One of the main reasons for this campaign, he says, is the fact that on the same day, on October 20, the Moldovans will not only choose their future president, but also decide to amend the Constitution for the Republic of Moldova to join the European Union.
"The challenges for this small country, located between Ukraine and Romania, are complex. Russia continues to fuel instability through its persistent disinformation initiatives, instigation of anti-government protests, and acts of sabotage and vandalism. If to these are added the credible accusations of vote buying and the efforts to question the legitimacy of a pro-European result of the elections and the referendum, the situation in Moldova seems extremely flammable", writes Professor Wolff, quoted by news.ro.
We remind you that on Sunday, October 20, presidential elections and the referendum on EU accession will take place in the Republic of Moldova. In June, the Governments of the United States of America (USA), Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland warned about the Kremlin's attempts to influence the election results in our country. In a joint statement, the three governments expressed their full support for the government in Chisinau and urged Moscow to abandon efforts to undermine Moldova's democracy.
