Ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, deepfake videos and unsubstantiated accusations targeting pro-EU President Maia Sandu are spreading online, with analysts warning the country has become Moscow’s “testing ground” for information warfare in Europe.

The vote is seen as crucial in deciding whether the EU candidate country of some 2.5 million people will deepen its ties with the bloc or drift back towards Moscow, from which it gained independence in 1991.

Most polls so far suggest that Sandu’s pro-EU party, in power since 2021, is in the lead, but it faces a tough challenge from the opposition.

Sandu has warned of “unprecedented interference” by the Kremlin, accusing it of “pouring hundreds of millions of euros” to buy votes and targeting voters with disinformation.

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