Moldovan outlet Ziarul de Gardă published an investigation into a network linked to the Pobeda bloc controlled by Ilan Shor. After earlier parts of the project were released, ZdG journalist Natalia Zaharescu, operating under the name “Irina Zakhar,” was contacted again on November 7, 2024 and offered free training for “activists coordinating communications.”
Most communication took place via Telegram. A coordinator identified as Eva Sergeyevna added the reporter to a group called “Training for Communication Activists,” where evening audio calls were held. An instructor calling herself Asya Albertovna spoke about an “information struggle” and described the effort as a pilot project meant to expand across Chisinau and then all of Moldova.
Participants were taught how to use Telegram and VPNs, hide their phone numbers and avoid real names. They were instructed to build district-based groups, alternate entertainment content with political messaging and complete test assignments. One of the first practical tasks was to support Ion Galushka, a candidate for mayor of Causeni, through posts, comments, likes and reposts on Facebook ahead of the repeat local election on November 17, 2024.
Asya Albertovna said political themes had to be presented carefully so that people would feel they had reached the conclusions themselves. She also said older voters were the key target audience and that fear was the most effective tool for reaching them.
The network later shifted its focus to TikTok. In December, in a group called “Training APC/2” with as many as 500 participants, coordinators Adam and Mikhail Aleksandrovich prepared a New Year flash mob. Activists were told to post similar videos using the same melody and slogans about gas “at one leu,” banning LGBT, fair elections and pension supplements; iPhones were promised to those whose videos drew the most views.
In the spring, the effort continued under a project called “InfoLider,” where participants were encouraged to amplify claims about censorship in Moldova and other narratives consistent with Russian propaganda. When the journalist was asked to submit identity document details and an account number at Russia’s PSB Bank to receive payment, she sent previously prepared cover data. On March 13, she was removed from the Telegram group and her chats with coordinators were deleted. According to ZdG, the network kept operating, spreading synchronized messages against the EU and Moldova’s European path.