The Biden administration and lawmakers in Congress are raising alarm over Russian interference in presidential elections in Romania, a NATO ally that borders Ukraine and the Black Sea.
Romania’s security council declassified intelligence this week that a Russian-backed online influence campaign promoted the election of the ultra-nationalist and Moscow-friendly candidate Calin Georgescu, who went from relative obscurity to win the first-round vote late last month.
A run-off vote will take place on Sunday, where Georgescu faces off against the second-place candidate, reformist Elena Lasconi.
“We are concerned by the Romanian Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT)’s report of Russian involvement in malign cyber activity designed to influence the integrity of the Romanian electoral process,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Data referenced in the report should be fully investigated to ensure the integrity of Romania’s electoral process.”
Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the chair and ranking member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, condemned Russian interference in Romania’s presidential contest and urged vigilance heading into Sunday’s vote.
“Romania is an exemplary U.S. partner and NATO ally. The Romanian people prize their sovereignty and independence and deserve to live free from Russian imperialism and war criminal Putin’s delusional designs,” the lawmakers wrote.
“We urge vigilance from the Romanian people as they go into their presidential election this weekend.”
In a report released Wednesday, Romania’s intelligence service described an “aggressive promotion campaign” to exploit algorithms of some social media platforms, in particular TikTok, to “rapidly increase Calin Georgescu’s popularity,” leading him to jump from one percent in the polls at the beginning of November, to win the first round of votes with nearly 23 percent.
Georgescu, in an interview with the Associated Press hours before the intelligence reports were published, denied that he is pro-Russian. But he has said previously that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “man who loves his country,” called Ukraine “an invented state,” and expressed skepticism of NATO’s utility.
The European Commission on Wednesday issued a retention order to TikTok to freeze and preserve data related to the Romanian elections and also upcoming elections in the European Union.
Another Romanian Intelligence Service report documented 85,000 cyber attacks targeting information systems supporting the electoral process, and said the scale of the cyber campaign and the methods employed pointed to “a state attacker.”
The intelligence reports were declassified by Romania’s outgoing President Klaus Iohannis.
“Romania — together with other countries on the Eastern Flank of NATO — has become a priority for Russia’s hostile actions,” read another Romanian intelligence analysis.
“There is a growing interest in the Kremlin to influence (at least) the mood and agenda in Romanian society in an electoral context through propaganda and disinformation…supporting Eurosceptic candidates and fueling anti-system movements,” the report continues.
Alleged Russian interference in Romania’s elections follows allegations of Russian interference in Moldova’s presidential elections earlier this year, where the Kremlin was accused of supporting vote-buying efforts and a propaganda campaign to defeat a referendum on accession to the European Union, and the re-election of President Maia Sandu.
