Undermining Trust Between Ukraine and Moldova. SIS Prevented a Disinformation Campaign

The Moldovan special services have revealed the preparation of a disinformation campaign against Moldova. Its goal was to compromise relations between the state bodies of Moldova and Ukraine. According to the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), a group of people, among them former SIS officers, who planned to launch a disinformation campaign to destabilize the situation in Moldova and jeopardize regional security, has been revealed. Its goal was to compromise diplomatic relations between Moldova and Ukraine, to undermine trust between state structures, security and defense bodies. “According to our information, the group’s plans include accusing Moldovan state structures of actions against Ukrainian citizens holding various positions in Ukrainian state bodies. They planned to publish a fake copy of a document from a criminal case under development by one of the specialized prosecutor’s offices in order to add credibility to their accusations,” the SIS said. Among the suspects are former employees of the intelligence service. They are Moldovan citizens who at different times lost their posts because of accusations of corruption, embezzlement of public funds, abuse of power, kidnapping, unauthorized cooperation with foreign intelligence services. According to the SIS, this disinformation and destabilization campaign is part of Russia’s hybrid war against Moldova. Moscow seeks to discredit the authorities and the efforts of the government and citizens to maintain peace in the region. A series of such incidents and attempts to destabilize the situation in the country is expected in 2024-2025 in order to hinder reforms and influence electoral processes, especially in the area of Moldova’s EU accession negotiations. Citizens are highly recommended to obtain information from official and credible sources.