How Russia Recruited Orthodox Priests to Influence Moldova's Elections

Russian Influence Campaign in Moldova

• 🎯 Reuters has uncovered a surge in online content from Muldovan Orthodox Parish accounts, urging the faithful to oppose the government's pro-European stance.
• ⚠️ These posts reflect narratives pushed by pro-Russian opposition parties, warning of threats to traditional family values from the EU, particularly regarding LGBT identities.

All-Expenses-Paid Clergy Trips

• ✈️ Russia funded all-expenses-paid trips to Moscow for several hundred Muldovan priests between June and October last year.
• lectures during these trips stressed the need for Russia and Moldova to unite against a "morally corrupt West."
• 🔍 Facial recognition analysis identified three Kremlin-linked Russians among the hosts of these pilgrimages.

Social Media Mobilization Post-Trips

• 💻 Following the trips, priests allegedly began using their influence to erode societal trust and fuel mistrust in the government's pro-European agenda.
• 💳 Some priests reported receiving debit cards from a Russian state bank, with promises of more money contingent on setting up social media channels to warn parishioners against closer ties with Europe.
• 📈 Almost 90 new parish social media channels have been established in the past year, with activity increasing as the election approaches.
• 💬 Data from closed Telegram chat rooms indicates at least three individuals tied to the Russian government were involved in orchestrating this social media campaign.

Official Responses and Denials

• 🗣️ Archbishop Markel denied any pro-Russian campaign, stating the posts were local initiatives and the trips were merely pilgrimages.
• 🚫 Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov condemned interference in other countries' internal affairs.
• ⛪ The Muldovan Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church did not respond to requests for comment.
• ❓ Telegram stated it is a politically neutral platform, while the ownership and affiliation of some hosting channels remain unclear.

Priest's Departure Over Ukraine Invasion

• 💔 Father Maxim Malinti resigned from his Muldovan parish in 2024 due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, citing pressure on former colleagues to promote a pro-Moscow line.