Welcome back to the Year in Review! If you missed it, don’t forget to read part 1 that covers January - June 2025.
Quick Note: All the links in this article are to past Moldova Matters articles from the year unless otherwise noted.
July - A Month That Passed Like a Year
Despite the official campaign being more than a month away, it was clear that from the start of July the election was in full swing. Irina Vlah began the month by gifting the world her insane rap video “PAS, давай, до свидания!” (“PAS Goodbye”) (link to video on facebook).
The EU began ramping up clear support for Moldova with the first EU-Moldova bilateral summit in Chisinau. The summit was considered a major foreign policy success with Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu summing it up as proof that “Moldova matters.”
Meanwhile, the border police blocked 195 “athletes” from Russia and Belarus from entering the country, calling them a “high risk to national security.” Attempts by Russia to infiltrate trained people into Moldova would only accelerate in the run up to elections.
Citing National Security, Romania banned Moldovan citizens Ion Ceban, Vasile Tarlev and Natalia Morari from entering the country - effectively banning them from the entire Schengen zone for 5 years.
This was great timing for Moldova Matters, because in late June and early July I published parts two and three of my investigation into Vasile Tarlev’s lobbying contracts in Washington DC. After more than 6 months of parsing tax returns, FARA filings, talking to sources and attracting personal smears from Mr. Tarlev’s people, I finally closed the book on the main unanswered questions of the whole affair. This might have made more of a splash1, but July was not done with us yet.
Ilan Shor gathered his political forces in Moscow under the banner of the Pobeda (Victory) Bloc and announced that their electoral program - Moldova should be annexed by Russia. They nominated Bashkan Gutsul to lead the party list and she accepted from her jail cell a short while after. Meanwhile, new journalistic investigations linked Shor to paramilitary training camps in Bosnia and Serbia.
Meanwhile, Igor Dodon (Socialist), Irina Vlah (Heart of Moldova), Vasile Tarlev (Future of Moldova) and Vladimir Voronin (Communist) agree to officially create the Patriotic Bloc. While 3 of the party leaders chose to celebrate this with words about “sovereignty” and removing PAS from power, Mr. Voronin struck up a far more pessimistic tone and indicated that he thought the project was more or less doomed2.
The mandate of parliament ended mid month and all eyes turned towards elections when…
Surprise!! Plahotniuc is Detained in Greece
In another “no one had this on their bingo cards” moments of 2025, the Moldovan police announced on July 22nd that the Greek authorities in Athens had detained 2 Moldovan citizens - Vladimir Plahotniuc and Constantin Țuțu. Journalists quickly reported on the luxury villa he was hiding at in Athens, the dozens of IDs and fake identities, new details on Plaha’s Kremlin connections and early questions about how he might fight extradition (or try to get extradited to Russia instead). Meanwhile, Plahotniuc returned to social media to share his musings with us on facebook, and Veaceslav Platon returned to Telegram as the UK authorities released him on bail.
Surprise!! It’s MEGA time in Chisinau!
Another surprise was when we all discovered that Europe’s far right Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) leadership had all converged in Chisinau for a conference on July 28th. The news broke when American Christian fundamentalist Brian Brown was denied entry at the airport. Brown, who leads the World Congress of Families and has extensive contacts with the Trump administration, Russian government, Romanian far right, and many other Christian far-right groups around Europe, ultimately was let into the country following pressure from the US Embassy.
At the conference, George Simion spoke about how Moldova was really part of Romania and Brian Brown accused the Moldovan government of being communist.
MEGA Chisinau 2025’s website was basically a burner site, but no real information but headings like “Road Trip” followed by “lorem ipsum…” and other placeholder text. The entire event seemed to be a thinly veiled astroturfing event designed to promote Moldova’s pro-Kremlin and Shor-linked political groups while generating anti-PAS headlines.
Warnings of “Unprecedented Intervention”
As July came to a close, President Sandu chaired a meeting of the Supreme Security Council and warned of unprecedented interference in the elections by the Kremlin. She stated that this came in the form of 3 captive factions being run by the Russian government, namely “The Sovereignists,” Shor and his parties and False Pro-EU Parties.
Not everyone liked this PAS vs the world approach - even among the pro-EU and anti-Russia community. It was a major debate over the summer as people worried about there being zero potential pro-EU coalition partners for PAS and despaired at the party winning a new mandate on its own. I wrote a piece unpacking this political reality on the pro-EU flank and traced this history of PAS in the process. Here’s a link:
July - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
August - The Shadow Campaign
At the start of August I took a short vacation in the spirt of seeking a little calm before the storm. As such I missed out on a few fun stories like Maia Sandu stealing / buying sperm from Neil Patrick Harris and Elton John (not real stories of course). As Russian propaganda got weirder, a ZdG report from inside the MEGA conference highlighted the fact that no one managed to anticipate questions like “who paid for this?” (to which there were no answers).
On August 5th Bashkan Gutsul was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison. This verdict was in a sense shocking - the justice system had actually held someone accountable for political corruption. We know that the pressure on the judge and prosecutors was immense. They received death threats and photos of decapitated bodies to their phones constantly. SMS threats were sent to their colleagues and families inviting them to the official’s funerals. One judge had a funeral wreath delivered to her door.
With the official campaign due to start at the end of the month, a sort of shadow campaign continued. Romanian President Nicușor Dan visited Moldova for his personal family vacation and spent time with President Sandu and visited with Moldovans at festivals.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Voronin seemed intent on torpedoing the Patriotic Bloc. While his colleagues appeared in suits to announce their blocs formation, he came in sandals and what might be charitably called “casual Friday” attire.
Voronin followed this up by a, shall we say, “candid” interview where he told journalist Anatolie Golea that the famous Kuliok (bag) given from Plahotniuc to Dodon contained €860,000 euros. He also noted that Plahotniuc was upset because it was supposed to contain €1 million and he wasn’t sure who stole the rest. The whole story is insane and well worth a read. In addition to the actual news, it inspired what was my worst prediction of the year - that this election would be Voronin’s Last Rodeo3.
Also in August the US State Department released their 2025 “Human Rights Reports” which departed radically from past practice and were called “Neither Objective, Nor Consistent” in a case of charitable understatement. It appears a 25 year old Senior Policy Advisor kinda just made up a whole new approach to human rights… basically, if you are friends with Trump you can do no wrong. So that’s a very 2025 moment. I wrote about the reports, and why this new “approach” is dangerous for Moldova and other small countries.
Also in August, Moldova Matters published the deepest dive to date on Ilan Shor’s crypto ventures and how they were being weaponized against Moldova. This article came about after my previous article in June resulted in a wave of tips from various groups working on tracking crypto sanctions relief. Speaking personally, this was also around the time that the pace of work and reporting was becoming completely overwhelming. Soo…
Also in August, I became a Moldovan citizen. Being a full member of my adopted country marked a personal milestone and is major honor. Rather improbably, it also turned into a bit of a news story so I wrote a reflection on that as well.
In mid August Ilan Shor attempted to organize what he called a “permanent protest” and he promised to pay protestors who occupied central sections of the city €3000 euros / month. The government denied permission for these events and after some brief street clashes, and the arrest of some people in Labubu and Pikachu costumes, the whole affair fizzled out.
On August 27th Moldova celebrated 34 years of independence. This was marked by an unprecedented visit by 3 European leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. They joined in independence day events and sent a clear signal that Europe supports Moldova’s EU trajectory.
Marking Independence day, President Sandu put out a video message where she said (in part):
“Everything you do means Moldova. When you feel safe, Moldova is safe. When you act freely and independently, Moldova is free and independent. When you choose the right path, Moldova is on the right path. Moldova lives through you. Through every hand that works. Through every heart that loves. We forge the path of Moldova.”
On August 29th the election campaign officially began.
August - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
September - The People Vote
To say that September was a busy month for the Moldova Matters team (aka me) would be a massive understatement. I approached the campaign and election time with 2 parallel workflows. On one hand, I was keeping readers informed about the latest news and reporting. On the other, I was aware that a lot of people were tuning in to Moldovan elections for the first time - so I wanted to publish a lot of explainers to give this whole event context.
On that front, we took a deep dive into polling in Moldova and where it falls short, looked at the actual mechanics of parliamentary elections themselves, and took a deep dive into the the party platforms and promises of the main players (part 1, part 2). I also wrote a piece called “Who I’m Watching in the Parliamentary Elections” to outline who I thought those main players were and what outcomes I thought were possible. It wasn’t a prediction per-say, but it holds up well. Finally, on the big picture front I wrote an article about the types of hybrid information attacks / propaganda that were being used. It looked both at Russian efforts like “Kanzlerdaddy” and potential black propaganda being conducted by someone in support of Moldova.
On the narrative front, September started with a stunning ZdG investigation called “The Kremlin's Digital Army.” Journalist Natalia Zaharescu, went undercover as part of an online team spreading Kremlin propaganda. Amazingly, Zaharescu, who won the European Press Prize for infiltrating Shor’s network last election, just stayed embedded. Shor’s people forgot to remove her cover identity from their database and simply reached out again to see if she wanted to get paid to undermine this election too.
Meanwhile, President Sandu was on a whirlwind tour working to make the case that EU countries must focus on defending their democracies - “with teeth, and together.” She made this case in a major speech to the European Parliament.
In Moldova, the information space was basically chaos. Citizens were getting calls that were “push-polls” implying violent outcomes for the country if it joins the EU. Online propaganda was off the charts and on the ground police were conducting daily raids to interdict money used in voter bribery networks. Lithuania banned Irina Vlah from the country for 5 years essentially labeling her a Russian asset.
In addition to writing this newsletter, I was in meetings almost daily with international journalists, election observation missions and others writing or reporting on the elections. One of these was a mission with the McCain Institute who conducted a pre-election mission and met with basically everyone in the country. Their ultimate report was stark. Author Laura Thornton wrote:
A key takeaway from the mission is that “influence operations” is an utterly inaccurate term to describe what is happening in Moldova. Russia is engaged in a multi-vector war not only to thwart Moldova from its democratic trajectory toward European Union (EU) membership (…) and bring to heel in Russia’s sphere of influence but also to threaten broader security in Eastern Europe and geopolitical alignment.
Meanwhile, Greece released Plahotniuc associate Constantin Țuțu. We’ll come back to his weird story later.
In mid September ZdG, the BBC and NordNews all released investigations based on undercover operations in the Shor network. Teams of journalists infiltrated different parts of this sprawling network, but amazingly were even together in the same room at times. Their work further exposed the vast web of money and effort being focused on destroying Moldova’s democracy.
Not to be outdone, Bloomberg published an investigation based on some leaked documents showing the Kremlin’s plan to take over Moldova. They had the random but fascinating detail that Igor Dodon had used the security services to spy on his political enemies while president. Dodon then added Bloomberg to his list of participants in the global “Sorosist” conspiracy.
On September 22nd President Maia Sandu chose to address the country. In it she warned that “our sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and European future are in danger.” She ended with an appeal to citizens saying:
“The danger is great, but our strength must be greater. Let us be worthy of our Moldova! Let us not sell it to thieves, nor allow others to sell it! Let us show the world this Sunday that Moldova is not a piece of land to be traded for thirty pieces of silver, but our sacred home.”
That same day, officers of the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), aided by the police, conducted mass raids at 250 locations across the country. The raids targeted a Shor network that had brought people to Serbia in July for training with firearms, bomb making and the use of drones. Investigative outlet Cu Sens had previously reported on the growing network of paramilitary camps set up by Shor and the Kremlin. 74 people were detained.
Meanwhile, the court of appeals suspended Irina Vlah’s “Heart of Moldova” party, effectively removing them from the elections. The Patriotic Bloc quickly reshuffled their party lists, and wily survivor Vladimir Voronin managed to push himself and his people waaaay up the list.
As if there wasn’t enough drama, on September 25th Vladimir Plahotniuc landed in Chisinau in handcuffs and was turned over to the police4.
On Sunday September 28th Moldovans went to the polls at home and around the world and voted decisively to continue the country’s European path.
Congratulations poured in from across Europe5 as people showed genuine shock that Moldovan voters had resisted so many attempts to sway (or terrify) them and had sent a strong rebuke to the Kremlin.
Igor Dodon did not celebrate and called on all opposition parties to come and protest what he called a rigged result. Only he and Shor-backed politician Vasilie Tarlev attended and after a few speeches to a moderate sized crowed everyone went home.
Police and journalists from Newsmaker later reported that those who attended had been contacted with an offer of €150 euros to protest with a €50 euro bonus to “bring a friend.” It was a final reminder in this election season that Kremlin efforts to spark mass street protests with bribes had completely failed.
September - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
October - Who is Alexandru Munteanu?
After the insane pace of September I took a few days off to reflect, harvest grapes and make wine and pickles. Then I published my reflections on the election outcome.
As state institutions went about the step by step process of certifying the election and parties started forming factions in parliament, President Sandu was asked how come efforts to counter voter bribery were more successful in 2025 than 2024. She said that in both elections the police worked effectively to counter these efforts, but that in this election they had the full support of prosecutors6. Basically, after the shock of 2024, all state institutions were focused7 on this fight and in 2025 and they prevailed in protecting the vote.
President Sandu attended the European Political Community Summit in October and gave a forceful speech at the 35th anniversary of the Venice Commission. In both she spoke with a new mandate for EU integration, and with a dire warning of the need to protect democracies while defending democratic principles
Much of the story of October was about PAS candidate for Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu and his work forming a government. This all started with people asking, “who is Alexander Munteanu?” as Moldovans and foreigners alike scratched their heads and tried to google him. He quietly spent the month forming a prospective cabinet and preparing for a vote of confidence.
Meanwhile, parliament self organized into official factions. The only really interesting part of that was the Patriotic Bloc imploding. Voronin’s Communists decided to form their own faction, announcing this by a very weird video where he sticks his tongue out at journalists for a long period of time.
Eventually Dodon’s Socialists also left the block. That left Vasile Tarlev as the only member of the Patriotic Bloc, leaving it defunct and making him an independent. That means that parliament has an unprecedented 6 party factions + Vasile Tarlev.
On Friday, October 31st parliament voted in the new government.
Also in October, Plahotniuc lackey and bodyguard Constantin Țuțu returned to Moldova via a bewildering series of illegal border crossings, missed flights, lies from his lawyers and general confusion. He apparently wanted to sneak into the country and publicly surprise everyone with his presence8. When he tried to bribe the border guard he was promptly arrested - discovering how much had changed in the 6 years since his boss ran the country.
After the chaos of September a month of winemaking and parliamentary wrangling and Constantin Țuțu’s shenanigans was just what the doctor ordered.
October - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
November - Meet the Ministers
Moldova Matters started November with a series of articles looking at the new government and ministers. First we started with a deep dive into the government’s program to see what they planned to do and how it stacked up against past programs. Then we did a 2 part Meet the Ministers series (Part 1, Part 2) looking at who’s in, who’s out and what it all means.
As the new ministers began meeting their teams, police and prosecutors continued making arrests and bringing cases in relation to election subversion efforts. Some politicians that had been close to Shor seemed to try and distance themselves in public statements. Others just began slipping away - in many cases leaving judges to pronounce their sentences to an empty courtroom.
The biggest stories of the month of November revolved around security. Multiple drones violated that country’s airspace and crashed decoy drones were found in Northern Moldova and west of the country in Romania. Also, border guards stopped and searched a truck trying to cross from Moldova to Romania that was filled with weapons - specifically, Soviet made surface to air missiles and anti-tank missiles. All of this launched dozens of new conspiracy theories.
Most concerning of all was the “28 Point Ukraine Peace Plan.” This plan, which was apparently written by the Russians, leaked to the press and then inexplicably embraced by Trump as the US plan, was deeply disconcerting to all of Europe. The feeling in Europe that the United States was no longer a reliable ally (and perhaps a hostile country) will be the dominant theme of December as well.
November - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
December - Europe’s in a Pickle
As more drone incursions caused the Chisinau airport to close, Ilan Shor announced that he’s closing up shop in Moldova. Some mayors of the former Shor Party followed suit and resigned or simply vanished (often one step ahead of an arrest warrant). Some read this as the Kremlin giving up on Moldova (nope) or as Shor having lost the trust of the Kremlin (also nope). His network started popping up in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Hungary - countries notable for all having upcoming elections.
The biggest news of the month in Moldova wasn’t about Moldova. It was the new US National Security Strategy that never once identifies Russia as a threat, but spends a LOT of time attacking Europe. I wrote an analysis of this situation, and about why Europe needs to realize that the former Trans-Atlantic relationship is never coming back:
Otherwise, December has been about Transnistria, with some fake news about their military mobilizing just to keep us on our toes. I wrote 2 pieces this month looking at Transnistria in the context of late 2025. I looked at how the inherent contradictions that in the region’s economy and “government” are starting to unravel - and what that means for Moldova. Then, I reported out a story on how Moldova’s government views reintegration and what their new strategy is.
After that, the holiday season started and the only real news in town was where to find the best Izvar (mulled wine).
December - Outside the News:
In case you missed it, here are some other stories from the month:
Goodbye 2025…
… you shall not be missed. As the world drunkenly staggered from polycrisis to omnishambles, Moldova experienced one of the toughest years in the country’s history. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. But a lot of things went right too.
The fact that this Year in Review series stretched into 2 articles tells you a lot about how many significant events happened this year. Writing these articles I cut many multiples of what I included even as I refreshed my memory on story after story that would have defined a normal year. A person could write a whole book about this last year in Moldova9. At a time when it feels like things are going wrong all around the world, something went right in Moldova this year. It was a hard year, but sitting here in December 2025 I can tell you that people feel more safe, less scared and more optimistic than a year ago. You can also feel a certain pride in the air when people gather to discuss these events.
I have no doubt that 2026 will bring loads of new challenges. The ongoing global “situation” will continue to bring real challenges for small countries - especially those on the edge of war. But as we prepare to bid 2025 farewell, I find in Moldova a growing sense of confidence looking forward. And I can’t think of a better way to end a year than that.
The investigation highlights multiple crimes in the US and in Moldova… but the US kinda decriminalized corruption this year. We’ll see if anything happens in Moldova but its likely the case complexity has meant that people prioritized other things.
Not wrong…
I predicted that the aging politician knew he was being pushed out (down the party list really) and that he would not get into parliament this election. My conclusion was that he was airing some dirty laundry in revenge. Later maneuvering by Voronin showed that he had a few more tricks up his sleeve than I gave him credit for.
By now, my 2025 bingo card is all shot to hell.
Not the US though. There we got silence.
While she didn’t refer to former Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Veronica Dragalin by name, the implication was unmistakable.
At times forcibly
We have no idea why, but he has a VERY extensive reputation for being an idiot.
That’s called foreshadowing for those who made it this far ;)
Once again, congratulations David, on your brilliant work. NO idea how you manage to do this on your own and hope you are earning some from it. My favourite digest!
The MEGA conference framing as astroturfing captures what makes these operations tricky to counter. I worked with a group tracking similar campaigns a couple years back, and the "burner site" detail with lorem ipsum placeholders is such a tell. When political theater gets packaged with that level of slopiness, it's both amateurish and effective at the same time, becuase most people dunno to look past the surface noise.