Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Not Addressed
The UK Government must support Moldova in its investigations into those actors which sought to...
Recommendation
The UK Government must support Moldova in its investigations into those actors which sought to undermine electoral integrity through cyber-attacks, fake bomb threats at polling stations and foreign information manipulation 85 and interference campaigns. This includes the UK sanctioning individuals and organisations responsible. The UK must make clear that there are consequences for those who sought to deliberately interfere in Moldova’s democracy. (Recommendation, Paragraph 93)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses the use of AI in information manipulation and its potential for countering FIMI, stating it will assess the utility of existing AI sandboxes and scope a bespoke AI counter disinformation sandbox, but does not address the recommendation to support Moldova's investigations or impose sanctions.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
20. This Government recognises that Moldova remains on the front-line of Russian hybrid threats, particularly hostile information operations. As such, Russia’s attempts to influence, subvert, and undermine Moldova’s democratic processes during last year’s elections were not unexpected. 2 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/699c9dd4882eb23165f1277f/Sanctions_ Notice__Russia__24_February_2026.pdf 21. We are proud of the support that we provided to support Moldova’s efforts to safeguard its electoral integrity in the face of this interference – this included the UK imposing sanctions in April 2025 on Evrazia, a pro-Russia network of actors operated by exiled Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, that was seeking to destabilise Moldova’s democracy and spread Russia’s malign influence.3 In August 2025, the UK also imposed sanctions on a Russian cryptocurrency network, again connected to Shor and his company A7, both of which had been involved in information interference activities.4 We are pleased that this work was acknowledged by the Moldovan government and the Committee as valuable. We will endeavour to support the Moldovan government where possible with their investigations into those actors which seek to undermine the country’s democracy. 22. The UK-Moldova Defence and Security Partnership, agreed in November 2024, contains specific joint actions to counter FIMI and to improve Moldova’s resilience to hostile cyber activity. We are proud to support CyberCor, Moldova’s national institute of cybersecurity innovations, to develop emerging talent and bolster Moldova’s national cyber security. We look forward to continuing our work with the new Moldovan Government in support of our shared priorities in this area. Moreover, as set out in our response to recommendation 1, this Government recognises that a truly independent media and vibrant civil society are crucial to a functioning democracy. In Moldova the UK will continue to provide broader ‘whole of society’ support to increase institutional and societal resilience to hybrid threats.
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