The authorities of Romania officially accused the Russian Federation of yet another interference in the presidential elections. Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania Andrii Tarnea on the evening of May 19 stated, that a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at influencing the election process in the country was recorded in social networks.
“During the presidential elections held in Romania, we again saw signs of Russian interference. The viral fake news campaign on Telegram and other social networks aims to influence the electoral process. This was expected and the authorities debunked the fake news.” Andriy Tarnea stressed.
The previous presidential election in Romania was annulled due to serious irregularities in the electoral process, interference by foreign forces and the use of opaque digital technologies. The country’s intelligence services have uncovered evidence of Russian influence, including manipulation of social media aimed at supporting far-right pro-Russian politician Calin Georgescu.
In the second round, pro-European candidate Nikushor Dan and far-right nationalist George Simion competed. Russia’s interference in the internal affairs of Romania confirms the previous statements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine that the aggressive intentions of the Kremlin go far beyond the borders of Ukraine and also concern the countries of the European Union and NATO.
