Picnics in the graveyard. Fractures in parliament.
Moldova’s unique “Easter of the Dead” marks a moment of reflection - but underneath, political alliances are breaking apart and energy pressures persist.
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Over Easter, Moldova had a busy week.
From energy instability and regional tensions to ambitious (and controversial) plans to overhaul local government, plus big moves in foreign policy - there’s a lot to unpack.
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New on Moldova Matters: a guest post by Cristina Panaguta.
A powerful personal reflection on April 2009 - memory, identity, and Moldova’s unresolved past.
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New report: how the Shor network uses crypto, A7, and a ruble-backed stablecoin (A7A5) to move money across borders and fund political operations.
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Guest post on Moldova Matters:
The 2009 pro-European revolution was real - but it was also a stolen opportunity.
Daniel Vodă on why 2028 is Moldova’s make-or-break moment for EU accession.
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Moldova narrowly avoided rolling blackouts after a deliberate drone strike on a key power line.
But a much bigger crisis is unfolding - driven by the global oil shock - with real risks of recession ahead.
What happened and what comes next:
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Newsletters are having a real moment - especially in Central & Eastern Europe.
I’ve put together a list of the CEE newsletters I rely on most for understanding the region.
If you follow the region, or European politics - this is a great place to start:
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March 27, 1918 → March 27, 2026
What really happened when Bessarabia united with Romania - and could it happen again?
Igor Cașu, Director of Moldova’s National Archives, separates history from myth.
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A Russian drone strike has damaged a key power line supplying Moldova — triggering an energy emergency and raising the risk of blackouts.
This wasn’t just an incident. It exposed a critical vulnerability in Moldova’s energy system.
Full analysis:
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Moldova’s 2025 elections weren’t just targeted - they were engineered to fail
In a new report with WatchdogMD, I break down how cyberattacks, disinformation, and protest mobilization were meant to work together to undermine the vote - and why they didn’t
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A leaked Moldovan government document is offering the clearest look yet at how officials are thinking about Transnistria.
It’s not a plan—but it reveals a strategy.
Here’s what it says (and why it matters):
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Guest article by Vasile Tofan: Moldova’s local government system is too fragmented to work.
~900 mayoralties. Shrinking population. Limited capacity.
A Baltic-inspired model would replace this with ~40 strong municipalities.
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Oil in the Nistru. Water cutoffs in the north. Fuel prices surging. Russian drones overhead.
This week, Moldova faces a cascading crisis - environmental, economic, and security.
Full breakdown:
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Old Glory is being carried around the world by villains and gangsters. It'll take generations to undo the stain... if it can even be done.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/h...
Final part of my 4-part series on religion in Kremlin influence campaigns during Moldova’s 2024–25 elections.
How Moscow links “traditional values” to Western anti-globalist networks—and why the contradictions create openings to push back against Russian FIMI.
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Oil prices are surging as the Iran war disrupts global supply and closes the Strait of Hormuz. What could this mean for Moldova and Europe?
In this week’s roundup: the potential energy fallout, Transnistria’s gas issues and a week of political scandals in Chișinău
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Kremlin-linked influence campaigns about Moldova aren’t just aimed at Moldovans.
Part 3 of my series with WatchDog examines how a delegation of far-right Western bloggers helped spread religious-themed disinformation about Moldova to English-speaking audiences.
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Part 2 of my new series on the Kremlin’s use of religion to influence Moldova’s elections looks at how networks were used to spread political messaging, pay clergy, and build a grassroots propaganda machine around “traditional values.”
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Thanks for the comments and the interest! I think it's the "full communion" part that is lacking in practice even if that's the official view from Constantinople (or elsewhere in the Orthodox world)
Hi Ivan - I note this partially in the comparison section with the situation in Ukraine. At the same time, this is the colloquial use here in Moldova and is the preferred framing of the Moldovan Orthodox Church ("schismatic priests" etc). I've opted to keep the local framing.
Religion became a key vector in Kremlin influence operations during Moldova’s recent elections.
In Part 1 of a new series based on a report with WatchDog, I explain the Orthodox church schism that underpins these campaigns.
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As Moldova marks 34 years since the outbreak of the Transnistrian war, Chisinau steps up the pressure on Tiraspol and takes concrete steps in the “convergence” strategy for gradual reintegration.
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Some reflections on 4 long years of war and a roundup of how the grim anniversary was marked in Moldova.
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With Maia Sandu in Munich and US Senators in Chisinau there was a lot of diplomatic news this week. Plus, we got updates on Igor Dodon’s corruption case with recordings of his negotiations with Plahotniuc (on behalf of Putin). This week's roundup...
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New economic data show the depth of the crisis facing the Transnistria region. Plus - Prime Minister Munteanu visits Kyiv, the EU is considering a 2-speed Europe and team Moldova makes their debut at the Olympics. All this and more in the Weekly Roundup.
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It’s been 100 days since the Munteanu government took office - what are their main accomplishments? What comes next? Who knows. The PM perplexingly dismissed the 100 day marker as “Soviet” and gave us a masterclass in missed opportunities in political communication
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Fascinating read
Over the weekend an electrical fault in Ukraine triggered a cascading power outage that took down almost the entire Moldovan grid. We look at the technical cause and how the authorities responded in this week’s roundup.
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I’m sharing Aliya’s entire opening statement. We owe it to her, and those who no longer have a voice, to watch. youtu.be/zrcW8SZtYpI?...
As the world tries to make sense of the new revelations in the Epstein files, I take a look at where Moldova is mentioned and what it can (and can’t) tell us about his connections to the country.
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