Moldova blames Russia for election cyberattack

Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister Doina Nistor has accused Russia of orchestrating a cyberattack on the country's Central Electoral Commission, describing it as part of a wider hybrid campaign designed to destabilize the parliamentary elections, according to Security Affairs.

Nistor told POLITICO that attackers exploited a weakness that has since been secured, adding that Moldova has become a "test bed for Europe" where new interference tactics are trialed. Officials said the attacks included distributed denial-of-service strikes using hijacked routers, paired with AI-driven disinformation and attempts to provoke unrest.

Stanislav Secrieru, national security adviser to President Maia Sandu, warned that Moscow's involvement was "unprecedented," pointing to expanded efforts such as buying votes, spreading propaganda through troll networks, and fomenting street violence.

Despite the scale of interference, Sandu's pro-EU party won a clear majority. The EU responded by deploying its new cyber reserve under the Cyber Solidarity Act for the first time, while the U.S. and European partners pledged additional support to strengthen Moldovas defenses.