Russia’s playbook in Georgia and Moldova

The recent elections in Georgia and Moldova were marred by significant Russian interference, including disinformation campaigns and vote-buying. As the Kremlin seeks to undermine the candidate countries’ EU futures, Brussels needs to take action.

This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Tefta Kelmendi, deputy director of the ECFR Wider Europe Programme, and Nicu Popescu, distinguished policy fellow at ECFR, to discuss what was at stake in these elections. What do the results mean for Georgia and Moldova’s EU accession? How did disinformation schemes and vote-buying under Russian influence impact the votes? And what actions should the EU take in response?

Bookshelf:

• La lumiere vacillante by Nino Haratischwili
• Economists at War: How a Handful of Economists Helped Win and Lose the World Wars by Alan Bollard.

This podcast was recorded on 31 October 2024