Putin attacks not only Ukraine: a new war - on social networks

Former US ambassadors to Romania Mark Gitenstein, Adrian Zuckerman and Jim Rosapepe wrote about this in an article for Politico.

According to them, the Kremlin's attack on European democracy goes beyond Ukraine - and has long since spilled over into the digital space.

"Putin is spending millions of dollars on massive disinformation campaigns to manipulate European voters," the diplomats warn. In their view, this is a new form of warfare that allows attacks without tanks or invasions.

After the failed attempt to seize Kiev, Putin, according to the authors, has stepped up an old Soviet strategy - destroying Western democracies from within by supporting populists and pro-Russian forces.

A key example was an attempt to influence Romania's 2024 presidential election.

"Putin bet on Calin Georgescu, a candidate almost no one knew about. But in just two weeks, he won 21 per cent of the vote, shocking the other 15 participants in the race," the ex-ambassadors said.

Georgescu said he did not collect donations or spend campaign funds.

"In fact, he had a powerful patron in the person of Putin," the authors believe.

They describe the "information bombardment" of social media - TikTok, Telegram and other platforms - as part of a Leninist strategy to undermine democracy, also directed against US, NATO and EU interests.

The intervention was revealed thanks to the joint work of Romanian and Western intelligence services. Romania's Constitutional Court cancelled the first round of elections, citing interference and violations of electoral law. In the second round, turnout exceeded 65 per cent and Romanians decisively rejected the pro-Russian candidate: 54 per cent against 46 per cent.

"Romanians made a historic choice: not a return to Moscow's control, but a path to freedom and alliance with the United States within NATO," the diplomats wrote in an open letter before the vote.

They said, "Romania was Putin's next goal after Ukraine - as it was once Stalin's goal."

The election was won by pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan. New US President Donald Trump has promised to strengthen military and economic co-operation with Bucharest.

Nevertheless, the authors note a worrying trend: some Western figures continue to flirt with the Kremlin. These include businessman Mario Naufal and Ilon Musk's father, who attended forums in Moscow, as well as far-right commentators Jackson Hinkle and Alex Jones. Dmitry Peskov, Dmitry Medvedev and "Russian peace" ideologue Alexander Dugin also spoke at one of the events.

"The battle for Romania has been won, but Putin's war on democracy continues," the authors write.

In their opinion, the next targets could be elections in Moldova, Estonia, Georgia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

"We need to stop the interference before the propaganda takes root," they emphasise.

The conclusion the former ambassadors reach is unambiguous: cyberspace has become the new battleground for democracy. "Putin's tactics require a decisive repulse not only on the battlefield, but also online," the authors note.

"The best weapon against propaganda is the truth. And the courage to speak it out loud," the diplomats emphasise.