A man draped in the Moldovan flag takes part in a pro-EU rally of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, in Chisinau, Moldova, on Friday.

Mass arrests, allegations of vote buying and rumours of a looming foreign invasion. The stakes in Moldova’s election are plain in the local headlines, only some of which have any connection to reality.

This tiny country of 2.4 million people – wedged between Ukraine and the eastern edge of NATO – goes to the polls Sunday to cast ballots in an election that pits a pro-European party against Kremlin-backed forces. The vote is being viewed as a key test of Moscow’s ability to influence foreign elections now that the United States has largely withdrawn from its efforts to promote democracy and fight disinformation abroad.

“Our sovereignty, independenc

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