Authors: CĂTĂLINA BUDURIN, ANDREI RUSU
Summary
Between July 31 and August 29, 2025, the Russian Federation, through the network led by oligarch Ilan Șor, along with several local political actors sponsored 571 advertisements on Meta platforms, with a total estimated budget of €33,653. Compared to the previous period (May – July), when approximately €45,000 was spent over three months, there is a noticeable intensification of investments in a single month. On YouTube, Șor, Andrei Năstase, and Natalia Morari placed 274 ads, but the amounts spent cannot be identified because Google has not activated the “political ads” label for the Republic of Moldova.
The analysis shows that:
- Șor dominates in terms of ad volume – 393 ads (≈68.8%), with a budget of €18,110 (≈53.8%);
- Andrei Năstase invests disproportionately much – 120 advertisements (≈21.0%), but with a budget of 11,618 EURO (≈34.5%), i.e. over one third of the total;
- Marian Lupu – 58 ads (≈10.2%), with 3,925 euros (≈11.7%), but supported by a network of pages designed to promote pro-Plahotniuc messages, which were later deleted by Meta.
There is a noticeable escalation of Șor’s network tactics, which increased spending compared to May – July (€31,687 for 1,326 advertisements), now investing €18,110 for 393 advertisements in a single month. Pages funded by him include associated politicians such as Vasile Tarlev, the Republican Party ”INIMA Moldovei”, the political party ”Moldova Mare”, and the TV channel MD24. Even though the MD24 page was blocked, the branded content was promoted through other proxy pages, which were subsequently blocked by Meta (”Moldova24”, ”David10”, ”Laura5”, ”Rich Ethan Kenneth”, ”Anemone GQ”). At the same time, the network reactivated sponsorships on anonymous pages with patriotic names (e.g. ”Știri din Moldova”, ”Valorile Familiei Moldovenești”, ”Patrioți Agricoli”, ”Moldova în Veci”, ”Сильная Молдова”etc.).
Andrei Năstase stands out with a significant increase in advertising investments. If previously, over three months (May-July), he spent approximately €10,000, now this amount has been exceeded in a single month, reaching over €11,600.
Marian Lupu allocated €3,925 for 58 advertisements, also more than in the previous period. However, a key factor is the involvement of a network of fake pages clearly designed to manipulate public opinion and rehabilitate Plahotniuc’s image.
During the period analyzed, the main propaganda narratives promoted through Meta and
YouTube focused on:
- election fraud;
- justice as a political weapon;
- social genocide;
- the agricultural crisis and the sale of land to foreigners;
- loss of sovereignty through European integration and IMF/EU conditions;
- rehabilitation of Plahotniuc’s image.
We note that these campaigns aimed to undermine Moldova’s pro-European path, destabilize the political climate, and erode trust in state institutions. As a result, insufficient communication from authorities and pro-European parties leaves room for these toxic messages. In the context of the parliamentary elections, the authorities, in collaboration with civil society, must intensify their efforts to combat disinformation, actively inform the public, and request that digital platforms take firm measures to prevent electoral interference.