Moldova-Romania reunification a side effect of Russian decolonisation

Between 1812 and 1991, the Russian empire has occupied the Moldovan territories in one way or another, but even after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin’s tentacles still find ways into the country landlocked between Romania and Ukraine.

Russian coordinated information manipulation, cyberattacks and financing of political parties is not uncommon with the media playing a central role in these strategies, amplifying pro-Russian narratives to undermine Moldova’s European integration and exacerbate internal political divisions.

Even though the government’s main focus is ascension into the EU by 2030, reunification with Romania has not left public discourse in Moldova and Romania and is considered an easy way for Moldova to gain NATO and EU security guarantees.

"If we have a referendum, I would vote for the unification with Romania," Maia Sandu said in the British podcast "The Rest is Politics" last Sunday.

Sandu, Moldova’s pro-European president, was reelected in 2024 under "unprecedented interference" by Russia , EU spokesperson Peter Stano said at the time.

Iulian Groza, executive director at the Institute for European Policies and Reforms in Chișinău, Moldova explains: “In 1991, people initiated the process of separation from the Soviet Union and the majority of the people at that time were looking towards returning to Romania."

“It didn’t happen back then, partially because of the leftover Russian security services infiltrating and sabotaging the unification movements and political support from Romania lacking."

“In the last years, unification support has risen to around 40%, with similar numbers in Romania. Not only because of the war. Over the last 20 years, many Moldovans have gained Romanian citizenships, largely for practical mobility, work and study reasons.”

Margherita Gobbat, researcher at the Center for Social Sciences in Tbilisi, Georgia, adds: "This does not automatically translate into political support for unification, which remains below the 50% threshold required for a referendum.”

Society is deeply divided between Romanian speakers that view the EU as an opportunity, supported by the large Moldovan diaspora in Western Europe, and the Russian speaking citizens. 

"Who feel threatened by the cultural, social, and economic rapprochement with Romania and the EU. Public discourse is divided on the present and future of the country, with each side framing the other not just as politically different but as a threat to the nation’s future.”