Less than two weeks before the presidential elections in Romania, on November 13, 2024, the candidate Călin Georgescu starred in a revealing moment in the DIGI24 study. For five minutes, he hesitated before a simple question: if he admired the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. “It is not my job to answer this question,” was the most concrete thing that came to say. That hesitation now charges another meaning after the involvement of Russia in the manipulation of the Romanian electoral process is revealed.
Research has uncovered a woven influence network around Georgescu. The decision of the Foreign Ministry to expel the Russian military aggregate and its deputy, followed by the opening of a cause for betrayal by the Romania Prosecutor’s Office, has marked a turning point. Moscow’s operation was exposed, and European diplomatic and intelligence machinery reacted to dismantle the threat.
The Kremlin Plan B: a new offensive from the US
The failure of this interference has not meant the abandonment of Kremlin’s plans. With his “plan A” dismantled, Russia has changed strategy and now uses the United States as a springboard to relaunch Georgescu and the “sovereign” movement related to Putin. The confirmation of this turn came from Russian intelligence itself (SVR), which, in a rare event, published a statement attacking the disarticulation of its networks in Romania and implicitly defending Georgescu.
The fact that the SVR has spoken publicly indicates that its secret ways have been compromised. In the same statement, he adopts a surprisingly similar speech to that used by the US vice president, JD Vance, at the Munich Security Conference. It is a maneuver calculated to sow confusion in Romania, suggesting that Georgescu is a Washington agent instead of Moscow.
The strategy seeks to intimidate judges, prosecutors and Romanian political officials, in addition to generating doubts within the state apparatus about the country’s true alliances. It is no accident that figures such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump join the narrative against the cancellation of the elections in Romania, giving Russia new opportunities to manipulate the situation in their favor.
Moscow seeks to weaken the alliance
The Kremlin plays with the idea that, if the Russian threat has failed to bend the Romanian authorities, perhaps the fear of an abandonment of the USA. However, the strategic relationship between Washington and Bucharest does not get rid of a simple political gesture. Although Trump intended to withdraw Europe troops, the process would be long and expensive. To this is added that the EU has begun to strengthen its security policy in a decisive way, with France, the United Kingdom and Germany at the head of an autonomy strategy in defense.
Romania, aligned with Poland and other nations from Eastern Europe, has a key role in this new balance. The EU has already begun to invest billions in its military industry, reducing its dependence on the US and leaving the “sovereignty” protrusous movements in an increasingly complicated position.
The irony of the situation is evident: Trump and Putin’s own actions are weakening the ultra -right -wing forces that both promoted. As Trump’s policies hit European farmers and businessmen and that Putin provocations force military spending in the EU, the populist narrative loses appeal.
For Romania, the situation remains critical, but also presents a unique opportunity. The political and diplomatic crisis caused by Russian interference has reinforced its ties with Europe and NATO. Now, the challenge is to use this support to consolidate its position and avoid falling again into the Moscow traps.
