Why you should pay attention to Moldova

THIS IS THE SECOND BONUS EDITION of Digital Politics in as many weeks. I'm Mark Scott, and want to turn my attention to this small Eastern European country.

Moldova holds both a presidential election and separate referendum on whether to join the European Union on Oct 20. A second round of the presidential race will likely be held on Nov 3.

I visited Chișinău, Moldova's capital, earlier in the year. Nominally, it was to report on how AI-powered disinformation was wreaking havoc. But I left the country with a clear view that this weekend's election/referendum represents the epicenter of so-called 'hybrid warfare' between Russia and the West.

By that, I mean the Kremlin is using digital interference, cyberattacks, paid-for pro-Russian local politicians and covert offline tricks to undermine Moldova's tilt to the West.

Yes, I know that image goes against Oct 14's newsletter about why we need to calm down about state-backed foreign interference.

But when I was in Chișinău, I sat down with Ana Revenco, head of the country’s Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation, and Alexandru Corețchi, director of Moldova’s Information Technology and Cyber Security Service.

What was clear from our conversations was how much is riding on the outcome in Moldova's election/referendum in how we all tackle state-backed hybrid threats.

Let's get started: