Moldova, caught between Ukraine and Romania, is experiencing relentless attacks from Russian malign influence operations. President Maia Sandu emphasizes the inadequacy of existing democratic processes to counter such subversive tactics, yet Moldova is positioned to serve as a model for democracies facing similar threats. As global support wanes, particularly from the US, there is an urgent need for the UK and EU to devise new strategies to safeguard freedom in Moldova, which is crucial for the stability of Europe and countering Russian aggression.
Our democratic processes were not designed for these kind of dangers to democracy. But Moldova can also be the place where democracies can learn to fight back against such attacks, while remaining true to themselves.
Moscow's ultimate aim, Sandu argues, is to help bring its allies to power in Moldova, and then use Moldova to threaten Ukraine from the west and the EU from the east.
As the US retreats from supporting a secure and democratic Europe, Vladimir Putin will become ever more emboldened. Britain and EU countries need to reinvent how we keep ourselves free.
The more it can pull off such acts of malign influence, the more its status as a reborn superpower is enhanced, and the weaker the hopes for liberal democracies surviving in a dog-eat-dog world will seem.
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