Russia working to undermine Moldova vote: US

Russia is seeking to undermine Moldova's upcoming presidential election and has spent millions of dollars on its efforts to do so, the White House said Tuesday.

Moldova is holding a presidential vote as well as a referendum on joining the European Union on Sunday, a decisive moment for the ex-Soviet country of 2.6 million people.

"Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova's election and its European integration," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.

"In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova's presidential election. We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns," he said.

Kirby has previously accused Russia of seeking to destabilize Moldova, saying last year that its eventual goal was to bring in a pro-Moscow government.

Pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu is the clear favorite against 10 other candidates in the Sunday presidential vote.

Sandu and other high-ranking officials have accused Russia of trying to influence the election as well as the EU referendum.