Today we take a deep dive into the current situation in Transnistria. We look at their recent “election,” the changed power dynamics between Chisinau and Tiraspol and how internal Transnistrian politics might impact future reintegration. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Europe’s in a pickle. Trump's Administration new National Security Policy spells out what should have been clear for nearly a year - the transatlantic security consensus is dead. The US is moving on and Europe does not seem to have internalized this as a *fact.* open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Michael Druckman writes for Moldova Matter’s new series “The Next Economy: Moldova 2030” and argues that Moldova’s renewable energy transition can play a key role in the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Shor signals he’s closing up shop in Moldova? We look at what this means for the Kremlin’s hybrid war. Russian drones cause Moldova to briefly close its airspace, and the Moldovan army gets some new ket. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Curious what fun seasonal events are happening in Chisinau this month? Check out Moldova Matter’s new “The Month Ahead” series and learn about the musical and cultural events coming up in the capital! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In this first article of our new The Next Economy: Moldova 2030 series, former Deputy PM and Minister of Economy Dumitru Alaiba makes the case for one important policy that could help Moldova shift from a consumption to an investment economy. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

This week, Moldova and Romania commemorated the passing of Ilie Ilașcu - a national hero for his role in confronting the Transnistrian “authorities.” We also look at the latest political news, and an archeological find by 2 Moldovan grade school students. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace multiple times with one crash landing on the roof of a house. Also, Moldovan and Romanian customs officers seized a shipment containing anti-tank missiles and MANPADS leaving Moldova. This week’s roundup: open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

A tragedy has created a scandal as to who is responsible. Also, a new series of MPs have resigned from parliament as the window closes for people to either ditch their old jobs, or leave their new office. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Today I’m announcing a new non-profit that I co-founded - the Moldova Resilience Fund. This US based 501c3 will support independent media, civil society and civic activism groups in Moldova. Read this announcement to find out more - and how you can get involved. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Today the Journo Birds team write about the story of Simpals - one of Moldova’s most successful local IT companies and a veritable factory of innovative startups! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

The EU gives Moldova high marks on reforms, Gagauzia backtracks on Shor, Plaha says he would be out already if there wasn’t this pesky “justice reform” and a truly ludicrous MMA match planned in Chisinau. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

"Before the first missile struck our neighbour Ukraine, the first weapon was the lie." President Sandu spoke at the Paris Peace Forum on the new information threats faced by democracies - and how nations must work together to push back. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Check out Part 2 of my Meet the Ministers series. I look at who’s in, who’s out and what it all means for Moldova’s new government. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In Part 1 of our Meet the Ministers series we take a deep dive into Prime Minister Munteanu’s new cabinet. Who’s out, who’s in, and what does it signal going forward? open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Alexandru Munteanu presented the program of his new government yesterday for a vote of confidence in parliament. We take a deep dive into this program to see what the new PM has planned for the next 4 years. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Alexandru Munteanu has named his proposed government. In today’s roundup we look at this and other updates of the week from Moldova. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Patricia Mihailă tells the story of Moldova’s migration from hand scribbled medical prescriptions to a secure, online e-prescription system. It’s just one more fascinating story of how Moldova is using digital infrastructure to simplify people’s daily lives. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

The Patriotic Bloc has fractured, leaving only 1 MP in the Kremlin’s primary election vehicle. This week Parliament was seated, factions were formed and the process of appointing a new Prime Minister officially began. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Prime Minister Candidate Alexandru Munteanu has 3 citizenships, Plaha gets 30 more days behind bars and Voronin continues to piss off Igor Dodon. All this and more in the Weekly Roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In a new story, the JournoBirds team explores cybersecurity for SMEs and startups like Pinky Cybersafe in Moldova. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Word.

President Maia Sandu addressed the Venice Commission on what may be the political question of our time - are our democratic institutions capable of handling hybrid attacks via crypto, social media and other new channels? open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

The Constitutional Court officially validated the recent parliamentary elections. That means the process of forming a new government will begin in earnest next week. We look at all this and more in the latest roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Moldova has a new candidate for the post of Prime Minister. Who is he (like, really) and what does his selection say about the direction of the country? In my latest article I try and answer these questions and more. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In today’s roundup I look at what happens next in forming a government, why PAS just lost 2 new MPs, updates on Russia’s hybrid attacks - and we finally answer the question, where is Plaha’s lackey - Constantin Țuțu? open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

My first thoughts on what we should learn from the massive PAS victory in these elections. Also, on making house wine. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

PAS wins a decisive election. President Sandu’s party will be able to form a government and Moldova will continue its path to Europe. I dive into the results and reactions to the historic victory. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

www.moldpres.md/eng/society/... The Information Technology and Cyber Security Service reported multiple cyberattacks on electoral infrastructure on September 27-28, 2025. Moldova's Prime Minister announced that all attacks were found and neutralized in real-time, without affecting the process.

Yesterday I appeared on the Power Vertical Podcast for a discussion titled “The Battle for Moldova.” In a final article before the elections I also go through some final electoral updates - such as Victoria Furtuna’s being excluded from the elections. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Police raids arrest 74 people accused of planning electoral violence. New polls show PAS ahead, but there are issues, and Plahotniuc is back in Moldova after 6 years. Here’s my latest pre-election update. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Today we look at the concrete promises and platforms of the top 4 election contenders. Who wants to build a wine city? what do the parties say on the EU / geopolitics? We dive deep into what they do (and don’t) propose. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

"tariffs not healthcare" Totally agree with that choice. I like the total boycott of government funding option too. But I *hate* the feckless stupidity of picking a healthcare fight when no one is talking about it. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/o...

President Maia Sandu just gave a live address to citizens speaking of the existential threat that the country faces due to Russia’s hybrid attacks and attempt to overthrow the country’s democracy. Here is the full address in English: open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

New investigations from ZdG, the BBC and NordNews infiltrate the Shor network and expose Kremlin hybrid war operations. At the same time, Bloomberg reports on documents outlining the Kremlin’s plans. All this and more in the Weekly Roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

“EU by 2028,” “Moldova is Hell,” “I alone can fix it,” “we decided not to have any policies this time!” Today I dive into the electoral programs of the 4 parties most likely to enter parliament and look at what their top-line messages are. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Excellent piece: "“influence operations” is an utterly inaccurate term to describe what is happening in Moldova. Russia is engaged in a multi-vector war" www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/re...

President Maia Sandu met with Pope Leo XIV this week at the Vatican where she spoke about Moldova’s work caring for Ukrainian refugees. We also check in with election updates, the official date of Plaha’s extradition to Moldova and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Hybrid war isn’t just bots vs. fact-checkers. From Britain’s black propaganda in WWII to today’s Moldova, info ops can go on offense too. My latest piece digs into a suspicious leak in Chișinău open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

President Maia Sandu addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg calling on all member countries to focus on defending democracy - “with teeth, and together.” open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

23 parties, blocs & independents are on the ballot—who really matters? My guide breaks down who can make parliament, who could spoil, and what coalitions/geopolitical lanes might look like. Read it all on Moldova Matters. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and use of energy as a weapon of hybrid war has caused Moldova to embrace renewables as a matter of national security. In this piece I dive deep into the opportunities and challenges facing Moldova's green pivot. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Ever wonder how Moldova’s parliamentary elections work? Today we dive into the voting process, seat allocation, organization of elections and more! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

ZdG once again infiltrated Shor’s network to shine a light on the Kremlin’s hybrid war tactics. In this roundup we look at their reporting, and also catch up on the latest updates from the campaign. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

With the election around the corner people keep asking me what the polls are saying… and whether or not we can trust them. In this article I dive into the 5 serious problems facing polling in Moldova and talk about how to think about pre-election polls this year. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In a new article, Olga from the JournoBirds team looks at how Moldova’s farmers are adapting to changes - by adapting new technologies. From satellite crop monitoring, to smarter tractors, these farmers are finding that the future of their profession is digital. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Crazy cat memes, Labubu arrested, Plaha in handcuffs! Moldova’s parliamentary election campaign kicks off in style. In today’s roundup we dive into the most important stories of the last 2 weeks and look ahead to what comes next. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz traveled to Chisinau to join in celebrating Moldovan Independence. Their trip showed strong support for Moldova’s place in the EU… and for any political parties running on a platform of EU integration. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Thank you to legendary journalist Jill Dougherty for this amazing review! Follow Moldova Matters in English: www.moldovamatters.md Or in Romanian: www.ro.moldovamatters.md

Vladimir Voronin gave a TV interview confirming key details of the corruption (and treason) case against his bloc partner Igor Dodon. I dive into the details of the story, and what it says about the twilight of Mr. Voronin’s long political career. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...