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The move helped Moldova’s pro-EU side stem election interference by the Kremlin, and the research obtained is being used in at least four ongoing prosecutions, reporter.london and Rise Moldova can reveal. Authors: Thomas Rowley, Matei Rosca, Marcela Zamosteanu LONDON–A discreet Moldovan-British government operation exposed and disrupted an approximately $100m stablecoin slush fund used for election interference ahead of Moldova’s make-or-break 2025 election, it can be revealed. Moldova’s future as a pro-EU democracy hung in the balance last summer, and the joint government operation is thought to have slowed down a vote-buying and propaganda campaign targeting the country. The atmosphere in the region was febrile. As war raged in neighboring Ukraine, Romania, Moldova’s other neighbor and close partner of President Maia Sandu, had itself been through a major political crisis. In December 2024, the Romanian Supreme Court blocked a pro-Russian candidate from running for president and canceled the entire election ahead of the second round. Moldova, meanwhile, was facing a potential Russia-backed coup led by mercenaries specially trained in Serbia. But the most important front in this geopolitical battle turned out to be in the crypto markets, which Russia has been learning to weaponize in the wake of Western sanctions over…