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...

Moldova is in the American news for an unexpected reason!

I like how he says "I've got an idea" and then tries to defend it as "not crazy" by noting that it isn't his idea at all.

As Zelensky headed into a high-stakes meeting in the Oval Office this week, Vice President JD Vance warned him to “behave.” “Mr. President, so long as you behave, I won’t say anything,” Mr. Vance recounted to Fox News on Wednesday, adding that the Ukrainian leader chuckled in response. 🤮

A fun subplot of this election is the "Vladimir Voronin is all out of fucks to give" storyline. In a TV interview he explained how Plahotniuc personally told him that he gave Igor Dodon €860,000 euros in the "kuliok" (black bag) case. 1/5 newsmaker.md/ru/video-pla...

This is a great op-ed by Ronald Linden on how nonsensical Trump's 25% tariffs on Moldova are, and how poorly they align with US national interest. thehill.com/opinion/inte...

A7A5, the ruble-backed stablecoin tied to Ilan Shor and Russian state bank PSB, is moving $1B+ daily - and may be laying the groundwork a new voter bribery threat in Moldova. I break down recent reports and hear from experts about what all of this means. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

From the JournoBirds team - the story of Planable, Moldova’s first tech startup to be acquired by an international company. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

„Nici obiective, nici consecvente” – De ce nu putem avea încredere, dar nici nu putem ignora noile rapoarte ale Departamentului de Stat privind drepturile omului. www.ro.moldovamatters.md/p/perspectiv...

“Neither objective, nor consistent” - Why we can't trust, but also can't ignore, the State Department's new human rights reports. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Bașcanul Guțul, condamnat la 7 ani. Judecători și procurori, amenințați cu moartea 24/24. Detalii și despre războiul hibrid al Kremlinului împotriva Moldovei, în sinteza săptămânii. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In this article from the JournoBirds, Patricia profiles 2 Moldovan AI startups seeking to upend traditional customer support tools. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

As summer vacation month blends with pre-election maneuvers, the potential return to politics of Plahotnic has added a whole new angle to the coming political street-fight. We check in on the top stories in this week’s roundup (part 2). open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

On the State Department reports that portray Germany as more oppressive than El Salvador. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Bashkan Gutsul was convicted and sentenced to 7 years. Judges and prosecutors received 24/24 death threats and intimidation while trying to do their jobs. Updates on this story and the Kremlin’s hybrid war against Moldova in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

You can feel the election season starting in Moldova - a preview we take a look at what mailings I’m getting, and some potential reasons that the Socialists like me enough to send me 8 of the same paper :) open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Plaha is returning to Moldova? Willingly(?) We take a look at the latest updates on the arrest and extradition proceedings regarding the fugitive oligarch. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

President Sandu issues her starkest warning to date - effectively claiming that all the major opposition forces in this election are Kremlin controlled. We look at these claims, and some of the ways that the opposition seem connected, in this weekly roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

MEGA figures from around Europe and the US converged in Chisinau for a surprise conference. Moldovan authorities banned some speakers from entry saying that the event is part of Russia’s hybrid war against Moldova. Read my coverage of the event here. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Vertical farms, state of the art mapping and new uses for drones - Moldovan entrepreneurs are modernizing the country’s agriculture. A new story from Iurie Gandrabura of the Journo Birds team. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In a guest post, Cathy Byrd reflects on Moldova’s summer holidays juxtaposed with memorials for the victims of Soviet oppression - the deportations. She looks at how Moldova remembers this history, and talks to descendants of the victims to share their stories. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

So Netflix has a show coming out this fall about Moldova... and I have to admit that I absolutely love the song and the trailer. (you'll have to go to facebook to watch / listen) www.facebook.com/watch/?v=102...

It’s been a big news week in Moldova. We look at updates on how Greek authorities detained Plahotniuc, and check in on lots of big election news - including how Mr. Voronin really isn’t feelin’ it this time. All this and more in the Weekly Roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Moldova’s most wanted man was just detained in Greece on an Interpol arrest warrant. The Moldovan authorities are preparing to seek his extradition. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

In my latest subscriber only article, I look at how PAS came to be the only viable pro-EU option in the coming elections. We dive into some common critiques of the party and discuss reasons that people are worried about the party’s baggage going into September. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

This week Moldova has officially started the electoral season. We look at the final results of the 11th Parliament, and at a new investigation that shows the violent preparations by Ilan Shor’s paramilitary camps from last year. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

After multiple amended FARA filings we can now report who paid for Vasile Tarlev’s $45,000 aborted lobbying trip to DC, and what it means about efforts to shape narratives about Moldova in the West. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

A State Department employee shared with PBS News an image from inside the department. The image includes a piece of paper taped to a mirror with the words, "Colleagues, if you remain: RESIST FASCISM. Remember the oath you vowed to uphold."

You couldn’t have 2 starker views of the future on display than we saw this week. The EU is offering Moldova an open door, Ilan Shor and the Kremlin’s local puppets are calling for Moldova to be a vassal in Russia’s new empire. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

Chisinau’s Mayor, Ion Ceban has been barred from entering the Schengen area on national security grounds. Reportedly, so have Vasile Tarlev and Natalia Morari. Today I look at what happened, and what it may mean. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...