Executive Summary

The parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova and the presidential elections in Ukraine, which took place in 2019, are the subject of this policy paper. The aim of the study is to analyze the Russian Federation’s foreign policy instruments and options in addressing the two electoral campaigns, how the narratives of Moscow’s official leaders have developed, as well as the interests of other stakeholders for whom the campaigns served as a base to redefine the approaches and strategies to Moldova and Ukraine. The analysis also seeks to identify additional elements promoted by Russia that influenced the public opinion, or the voters in the two states in order to contribute to the final decision of the citizens. The premises for this study are multiple. These include discourses – officially Kremlin positioning as an actor/partner who does not interfere with the domestic affairs of other states; actions and systemic presentation of anti-interference measures from Moldovan and Ukrainian political leaders; and active measures used by Moscow to strengthen its positions in the region. The internal policy options of Ukraine and Moldova are vulnerable to foreign policy resources allocated by Russia to achieve external goals.

Author: Angela Grămadă

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