# Why Moldova is second on Putin’s list: Kremlin alleged to seek NATO and EU collapse from within

https://mins.news/en/item/22591

- Meduza, 2026-08-14 21:54 UTC
- World
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/08/15/why-moldova-is-second-on-putin-s-list-what-the-new-york-times-learned-the-kremlin-s-plan-to-collapse-nato-and-the-eu-from-within

> The New York Times, citing officials familiar with a late-2025 briefing, reported that Vladimir Putin set the internal collapse of NATO and the EU as a 2026 goal, with Moldova allegedly central to the plan after Ukraine. Western officials said Russia sought to influence Moldova’s 2025 parliamentary election through cyberattacks, disinformation, vote-buying, and trained operatives. Moldovan authorities disrupted the effort, while Maia Sandu’s party retained its parliamentary majority.