On strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference

B100356/2025

European Parliament resolution on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference

(2025/2811(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Republic of Moldova,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area,

– having regard to the Republic of Moldova’s application for EU membership of 3 March 2022, and the European Council’s decision to grant candidate status on 23 June 2022,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions on Moldova of 26 June 2025,

– having regard to the Joint Declaration following the first EU-Republic of Moldova Summit of 4 July 2025,

– having regard to the official visit to Moldova by leaders in the Weimar Triangle format on 27 August 2025 on the occasion of its Independence Day,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on 28 September 2025, parliamentary elections will take place in the Republic of Moldova amid continued Russian interference and attempts to destabilise the political situation and electoral process in the country; whereas the Russian state, pro-Russian Moldovan oligarchs and their local proxies were involved in unprecedented malicious activities, massive voter fraud schemes and cyber operations and information warfare in the run-up to and during the 2024 Moldovan presidential election and constitutional referendum on EU integration; whereas Russia’s interference in the upcoming elections is expected to exceed that observed during the 2024 presidential elections; whereas Russia’s objective remains reasserting political control over Moldova, including using it against Ukraine and the EU;

B. whereas Russia uses economic coercion, disinformation, illicit party financing, cyberattacks and other hybrid means to undermine Moldova’s stability, sovereignty, constitutional order, democratic institutions and pro-European orientation;

C. whereas, according to the Moldovan authorities, a number of Moldovan citizens were trained in guerrilla camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in the use of weapons, drones, explosives and protest tactics aimed at inciting mass unrest;

D. whereas, according to several reports, priests from the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova, under the Russian Orthodox Church, travelled to Russia and other non-EU countries, where they received funding and training for electoral interference and disinformation activities;

E. whereas in January 2025, Russia cut off gas supplies to the separatist Transnistrian region of Moldova in order to fuel tensions between Chișinău and Tiraspol, and in March 2025, it banned Moldovan transport companies from Russian territory;

F. whereas, according to Moldovan estimates, Russia has already invested over EUR 200 million, equivalent to more than 1 % of Moldova’s GDP, in propaganda and information operations in the Republic of Moldova;

G. whereas Russian propaganda networks with hundreds of websites, such as Pravda and Matryoshka, have systematically sought to erode trust in institutions and provoke division, using manipulative materials and clone websites; whereas Moldova is among the most intensely targeted countries in the region, facing levels of Russian propaganda far exceeding those in Western Europe;

H. whereas the EU and some of its partners have exposed Russia’s efforts to engage in subversive activities and electoral interference in Moldova, imposing sanctions on several entities and individuals; whereas on 15 July 2025, the Council imposed restrictive measures against seven individuals and three entities responsible for actions aimed at destabilising, undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, with the EU sanctions now applying to 23 individuals and 5 entities in total; whereas these designations target close associates of Ilan Șor, already sanctioned by the EU for his involvement in the illegal financing of political parties and for incitement to violence; whereas two other Moldovan citizens were added to a separate list of EU sanctions concerning Russia’s destabilising activities;

I. whereas despite Russian interference and the impact of the war in Ukraine, Moldova has consolidated its democratic reforms and advanced on its EU path;

J. whereas in April 2023, the EU launched the Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM Moldova) under the common security and defence policy, in order to strengthen the resilience of the security sector in the areas of crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity and countering foreign information manipulation and interference;

K. whereas on 21 May 2024, Moldova became the first country to sign a security and defence partnership with the EU;

L. whereas the EU opened accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova during the first Accession Conference at ministerial level on 25 June 2024; whereas EU enlargement is based on strict conditionality and the principle that each candidate country is assessed on its own merits and the progress of reform; whereas the June 2025 European Council conclusions reaffirmed full support for Moldova’s EU path and invited the Council to take the next steps in the accession process;

M. whereas the first-ever EU-Moldova Summit of 4 July 2025 confirmed joint commitment to Moldova’s EU accession and common values amid regional security threats;

1. Strongly condemns Russia’s interference, hostile actions and hybrid operations aimed at subverting the security, sovereignty and democratic foundations of the Republic of Moldova, deepening societal divisions and obstructing Moldova’s European path ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the involvement of Kremlin-aligned oligarchs and domestic proxies;

2. Reiterates its call on the Russian authorities to respect the Republic of Moldova’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to cease its attempts to destabilise the country and undermine its constitutional order and democratic institutions;

3. Calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure that all necessary assistance is provided to the Republic of Moldova to strengthen its institutions and enhance its capacity to counter hybrid threats, disinformation and cyberattacks;

4. Calls for the EU to continue to support the Republic of Moldova in ensuring the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections; underlines the key role of international observers not only in monitoring the electoral process, but also in monitoring and documenting malicious foreign interference, including disinformation, illicit financing and coordinated cyber or influence operations;

5. Calls for stronger EU support to Moldova in countering illicit political financing, including cryptocurrency flows and opaque networks backing Russian proxies;

6. Calls on the Council to extend targeted sanctions against individuals and entities undermining Moldova’s sovereignty and democracy; calls for the EU and national authorities to make sure EU sanctions are duly implemented; reiterates its call on the respective hosting states and territories to extradite Ilan Șor, Vladimir Plahotniuc and other individuals sought for trial in the Republic of Moldova;

7. Highlights the important role played by the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova (EUPM Moldova); calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure that EUPM Moldova performs to the best of its ability and to further increase the mission’s resources; calls for the EU and its Member States to increase their support to Moldova’s Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation; welcomes the deployment of the EU’s Hybrid Rapid Response Teams and encourages the Council to remain ready to provide additional assistance of this kind should Moldova need it; welcomes the Council’s authorisation to use the Cybersecurity Reserve for Moldova and calls for it to be made operational to effectively counteract cyberthreats;

8. Commends the Republic of Moldova’s steadfast support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression;

9. Reaffirms its commitment to the Republic of Moldova’s future EU membership, rooted in shared democratic values, the rule of law and human rights; stresses that the Republic of Moldova’s European integration represents not only a path towards greater economic prosperity, but also a safeguard for political stability and security in the face of external threats;

10. Welcomes the substantial progress in the screening process and calls for its finalisation as soon as possible; calls on the Council and the Commission to uphold the merit-based principle by assessing each candidate country individually, ensuring that progress on accession steps, including the opening of negotiation chapters, is determined by its own achievements and circumstances; calls on the Council, therefore, to take the necessary steps to ensure the swift opening of accession negotiations on Cluster 1 (Fundamentals), thus strengthening the credibility of the country’s European integration path;

11. Welcomes the first-ever EU-Moldova Summit and the decision to hold such summits on a regular basis in order to sustain strategic momentum and high-level political engagement; calls for the EU and the Republic of Moldova to ensure the timely implementation of the commitments set out in the annex to the Joint Declaration adopted at the summit;

12. Calls for the EU to adequately support accession-related reforms by developing robust and adaptable financial instruments tailored to Moldova’s specific needs so as to effectively address its economic and structural challenges; urges the acceleration of Moldova’s gradual integration into the EU and the single market by allowing participation in new initiatives and EU programmes, which will deliver tangible socio-economic benefits in specific areas even before the country formally joins the EU;

13. Calls for the EU and its Member States to prioritise efforts and allocate additional resources to support the rule of law and anti-corruption reforms in the Republic of Moldova in order to address vulnerabilities, including those related to corruption in the security sector, justice system, public administration and media, which enable Russian interference;

14. Reiterates its support for stronger cooperation on security and defence policy; commends the Republic of Moldova for becoming the first country to sign a security and defence partnership with the EU and calls for this partnership to be put into practical action;

15. Condemns the repeated violations of the Republic of Moldova’s airspace by Russian drones and missiles, which pose a direct threat to the country’s security; calls for increased EU support through the European Peace Facility to further enhance the country’s defence capabilities; reiterates its calls on Russia to withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova and to support a peaceful resolution to the Transnistrian conflict;

16. Welcomes the EU’s support in response to Gazprom’s halting of gas deliveries to the breakaway Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and encourages Moldova to continue phasing out Russian energy sources, to further integrate into the EU energy market and to further decarbonise its energy mix; reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to continue to support Moldova’s energy security through the construction of new electricity interconnections with neighbouring countries and by promoting energy efficiency and renewable projects as sustainable means of diversifying its energy supply;

17. Urges the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to enhance strategic communication about the EU in the Republic of Moldova, and to support media literacy, media independence and the strengthening of Moldova’s critical digital infrastructure; calls for the EU and its Member States to expand and intensify their direct engagement with Moldovan citizens by including them in various EU and bilateral programmes and projects, such as citizen consultations, and to foster people-to-people connections;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the Russian authorities.