Russian interference sparks tensions in Moldova election
Photos and recordings have surfaced online confirming Russian interference in the presidential elections in Moldova. They show crowds outside a polling station in Minsk and organised groups of Moldovans living in Russia being transported to the voting site by supervisors.
Polling stations in Moldova opened on Sunday at 5:00 AM Greenwich Mean Time. Votes could be cast until 1:00 PM in the second round of the presidential elections. The incumbent president, Maia Sandu, and former prosecutor general Alexandr Stoianoglo compete for the highest office.
Since the morning, the media have also been reporting on overseas voting, including "organised transports" of Moldovans from Russia to the polling station in Minsk.
Photos and recordings appearing on social media confirm these reports. They show, among other things, a crowd eager to vote in Minsk.
Russians want to influence the election results
Even before the second round of the presidential elections, the authorities in Chișinău warned about the risk of Kremlin interference in the results. Electoral committees in Western Europe also warned, among other things, about false bomb alarms.
One should also expect "organised voting," which involves transporting groups of voters from Transnistria instructed to vote for Stoianoglo. A notable practice in these elections is the "free transports" for Moldovan citizens from Russia. Some of them are to be brought to the country by coach from Istanbul, where flights from Russia arrive.
Minsk and Baku are other destinations where "election flights" from Russia are also organised.
Source: PAP, X, WP Wiadomości
