Romanian authorities have obtained concrete evidence that Russia orchestrated cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at manipulating the country’s November 2024 presidential elections, Mediapart quoted by G4Media reported on May 3, citing sources within the French administration and intelligence services.

According to the French investigative portal, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) traced a wave of more than 85,000 cyberattacks targeting Romania’s electoral infrastructure, launched from 33 countries but coordinated by Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR), led by Sergei Narishkin. Narishkin is known as a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The SVR-led interference campaign reportedly began in 2023, with the initial objective of promoting candidates aligned with sovereignist and isolationist views. While Senator Diana Șoșoacă (banned from running in the annulled presidential elections last November) was initially targeted for support, the operation eventually focused on Călin Georgescu, whose candidacy was also banned in 2025 for extremist rhetoric. Georgescu won the annulled November 2024 first-round vote with 23%, despite polling below 1% weeks earlier.

A key element of the operation was a mass manipulation effort on the social media platform TikTok. Mediapart states that at least 25,000 coordinated accounts engaged in “astroturfing”—a tactic used to simulate grassroots support—designed to exploit the platform’s algorithm and rapidly boost Georgescu’s visibility. The campaign succeeded in transforming the low-profile candidate into a frontrunner.

Following the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the November elections, Mediapart claims that Moscow launched a secondary disinformation campaign labeling the decision a “coup d’état,” aiming to undermine public confidence in democratic processes—an approach similar to tactics used in other European countries.

Romania’s intelligence services have reportedly confirmed Russia’s involvement in the cyberattacks and TikTok manipulation, though the SRI has not yet issued an official statement. The operation was allegedly designed to benefit a candidate who would halt Romanian support to Ukraine and potentially shift the country’s alignment within the European Union and NATO.

According to Mediapart, “the interference was not just experimental but a long-term operation planned at the highest levels of the Kremlin.”

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)

iulian@romania-insider.com