A Russian-funded secret network is trying to disrupt the upcoming democratic elections in the eastern European state of Moldova, a BBC investigation has concluded.
With the help of an undercover reporter, we found that the network promised to pay participants who would publish pro-Russian propaganda and fake news that would undermine the credibility of Moldova’s pro-European ruling party ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections on 28 September.
Participants were also paid to conduct a so-called survey on behalf of a non-existent organisation to find pro-Russian opposition supporters in Moldova and record them on video. The results of this selective “survey”, according to its organisers, could become the basis for doubts about the election results.
The first results are from a so-called organisation (NGO) called Eurasia.
Eurasia has links with Mr Shore and is sanctioned by the UK, US and EU for allegedly bribing Moldovan citizens to vote against EU membership last year.
The referendum on EU membership ended with a minimal majority of pro-EU votes.
“In 2024, [İlan Shor’s] campaign was centred on money. This year it is centred on misinformation,” Moldovan police chief Viorel Cernavtianu told BBC World Service.
We asked Ilan Shor and Eurasia to comment on our investigation – they did not respond.
Moldova is small and country-sized, but it sits between Ukraine and Romania, which is a member of the EU and is of strategic importance to both Europe and the Kremlin, experts say.
The World Service penetrated the network, co-ordinated in the messenger Telegram, via a link sent by an informant to the BBC.
It gave us an important insight into how the anti-democratic propaganda network works.
Our undercover reporter Anu and 34 other recruits were asked to attend secret online seminars that were supposed to “train operatives”. Among the titles of the seminars, for example, was “How to Go from Kitchener to National Leader.” Anu and others were regularly quizzed on their knowledge – apparently this was how unsuitable candidates were screened.
Our correspondent was then contacted by the network’s coordinator, Alina Zhuk. Zhuk’s profile at address create social media posts using ChatGPT. They were told that content “attracts people if the post contains a bit of satire… instead of reality”, but should avoid overuse of artificial intelligence to make the posts look “organic”.
On the Telegram group, Ana and the BBC had access to previous instructions for members. Initially they were asked to write patriotic posts about figures from Moldovan history, but gradually the demands became overtly political.
Anu was asked to publish unsubstantiated accusations, including that the current Moldovan government plans to falsify election results, that Moldova’s potential EU membership depends on becoming an LGBTQ+ citizen, and that President Sandu promotes child trafficking.
Social media campaigns now often play a central role in since January Key has published thousands of videos totalling more than 23 million views and 860,000 likes. Moldova has a population of just 2.4 million.
The BBC shared its findings with the US-based Digital Forensics Research Laboratory (DFRLab), and it said its analysis shows the network could be even bigger.
According to DFRLab, the wider network has amassed more than 55 million views and more than 2.2 million likes on TikTok since January.
Photo by Getty Images
The network didn’t just spread misinformation. Ms Zhuk also offered Ani 200 Moldovan lei ($12) in cash per hour for conducting informal polls of people in the Moldovan capital about which candidate they would support in the election.
Participants were trained in the subtleties of influencing respondents before carrying out the task. the same network and Ilan Shor through the non-governmental organisation Eurasia.
Author photo, Getty Images
Ilan Shore and Eurasia did not respond to the findings of our investigation.
The BBC found photos of Ana’s handler, Alina Zhuk, on the Eurasia website, and one of the Telegram groups Ana was added to was called Eurasia Leaders.
The British Fiorin Office claims that Eurasia is acting “in Moldova on behalf of corrupt fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor… to destabilise Moldovan democracy”.
We asked Alina Zhuk to comment on our findings, but she did not respond.
The Russian embassy in the UK said TikTok had introduced additional security measures ahead of the election and continues to “actively counter manipulation”.
Facebook’s owner, Meta, did not respond to the BBC investigation.