Russian authorities are using mass voter bribery and payments to local Russian Orthodox Church priests in an effort to establish control over Moldova.
The New York Times reports this in an investigation based on interviews with activists operating under Moscow’s direction, senior officials from Moldovan, European and US intelligence agencies, and an analysis of thousands of documents related to Russia’s attempts to manipulate Moldova’s elections, writes The Moscow Times.
According to NYT sources, Vladimir Putin hopes to seize southern Ukraine in order to create a land corridor connecting Russia with Moldova.
According to the investigation, Russian Orthodox priests serving in Moldova were recruited, in particular, for propaganda purposes. Since the summer of 2024, hundreds of them were invited to Russia to visit holy sites and meet with Russian Orthodox Church leaders. Before returning, each priest was given a contract to sign. The contracts identified them as employees of the Kremlin-linked organization Eurasia, which, according to Western intelligence services, promotes pro-Russian policies in former Soviet republics.
After signing the contract, the priests received Promsvyazbank cards. In exchange for about $1,000, the priests were expected to campaign among their parishioners against Moldova joining the EU and against the government’s pro-Western policies.
As LF reported, more than 800 churches in Moldova classified as historical monuments could be returned to state ownership. These are churches belonging to the Metropolis of Moldova, which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Culture Minister Christian Zharan made the statement.
In Moldova, the Liberal Party called on Parliament to adopt a law requiring the Metropolis of Moldova-Chisinau, which is under the Moscow Patriarchate, to permanently sever its ties with the Russian Church. Otherwise, the party argues, the religious organization should be outlawed because it is an instrument of influence of the Russian Federation.
We previously reported that the Russian Orthodox Church had once again accused the authorities of Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of “pressure on canonical church structures.”
Will the Russian Orthodox Church manage to preserve its ecclesiastical influence in Moldova by distorting the information space and changing the country’s political course? LF’s analysis of the issue is available here.
