In October 2024, Moldovan authorities uncovered a Russian-backed destabilization operation ahead of the country’s presidential election and concurrent EU accession referendum. The plot, orchestrated by fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, funneled over USD $15 million from Russian banks into the accounts of more than 130,000 Moldovans, amounting to 5% of all Moldovan residents, with the aim of influencing the vote against pro-European policies. Shor had previously led protests against President Maia Sandu’s pro-Western government. The Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies suggested that Shor was behind attacks on official buildings such as the Moldovan Ministry of Labor, the Government Building and the Central Election Commission. The Swedish non-profit also reported that Moldovan police had arrested several suspects who were trained outside Moscow and paid to carry out vandalism and violent protests. In addition, Moldova’s national security adviser, Stanislav Secrieru, accused the Kremlin of “flooding the political landscape with clone parties and candidates, from pro-Russian to phony pro-European.”