Strasbourg, France — Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned Tuesday that her country is locked in a “race against time” to defend its democracy from what she described as a Russian campaign of hybrid warfare ahead of pivotal parliamentary elections later this month, according to Arab News.
Speaking before the European Parliament, Sandu said the September 28 vote for Moldova’s 101-seat legislature could prove the most consequential in the country’s modern history. At stake, she argued, is nothing less than whether Moldova anchors itself inside the European Union or is pulled back into Moscow’s orbit.
“The Kremlin’s goal is clear: to capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use us against Ukraine, and to turn us into a launchpad for hybrid attacks on the European Union,” Sandu told lawmakers. “If our democracy cannot be protected, then no democracy in Europe is safe.”
She accused Russia of deploying a broad arsenal of tactics — from disinformation and illicit party funding to vote-buying — aimed at destabilizing the EU-candidate nation. “Today we face an unlimited hybrid war on a scale unseen before the full invasion of Ukraine,” she said. Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in Moldovan affairs.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola praised Sandu’s “determination, courage, and steadfast commitment” and reaffirmed support for Moldova’s path toward EU membership. Later this week, the chamber is expected to pass a resolution urging stronger defenses against Russian interference and pressing EU leaders to begin accession talks with Chişinău.
The speech follows a visit last month by the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland to mark Moldova’s 34th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union — a symbolic show of solidarity as the nation of 2.6 million faces mounting pressure from Russia.
Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which won a majority in 2021, now risks losing ground in the upcoming vote. With no clear pro-European alternative on the ballot, the outcome may determine Moldova’s geopolitical trajectory for years to come.
“The battlefield is our elections,” Sandu said. “It is a race against time to anchor our democracy inside the Union, where it will be protected from the greatest threat we face: Russia.”
