Russian propaganda is becoming more sophisticated and Finland should not underestimate its ability to exploit existing divisions, Moldovan President Maia Sandu warned during a visit to Helsinki on Friday.
Speaking to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, Sandu described information influence as one of the most serious forms of Russian interference and said new artificial intelligence technologies are making it easier to spread targeted messages.
According to Sandu, those messages do not necessarily take the simple form of portraying Russia positively and the West negatively. They can instead build on genuine concerns already present within a society, making outside influence more difficult to identify.
“It is about exploiting the existing divisions in the target country,” Sandu told Yle.
How Russian propaganda exploits existing divisions
Sandu said Russian influence campaigns can seek to undermine trust in a country’s ability to protect its citizens or in its political institutions. Because such narratives can amplify existing fears and disagreements rather than introduce entirely new ones, their origin may not always be obvious.
Moldova has had direct experience of this type of pressure. Sandu said Russia has particularly promoted anti-EU narratives in the country, which has pursued closer integration with the European Union since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022 and received candidate status three months later. Accession negotiations formally began in 2024.
The Moldovan president has repeatedly framed information manipulation as part of a broader set of security pressures facing the country. In her official remarks in Helsinki, Sandu said Russian drones had entered Moldovan airspace more than 45 times in 2026, including eight incidents during the previous week.
“Russia uses drones and lies to intimidate us,” Sandu said.
Finland and Moldova want to cooperate on resilience
Sandu was in Finland for a working visit hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb. According to the Office of the President of Finland, their talks covered bilateral relations, Russia’s war against Ukraine, European security, Moldova’s EU accession process and transatlantic relations.
Sandu said Moldova had much to learn from Finland’s approach to comprehensive security and civilian preparedness. She proposed creating a structured dialogue between Finland and Moldova on resilience, while also pointing to cooperation on keeping advanced artificial intelligence systems under human control.
The two presidents later took part in the opening of the Helsinki Security Forum, organised by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (Ulkopoliittinen instituutti). The forum, held from 2 to 4 October, focuses on different layers of European security, including defence, technology, resilience and Russia’s role in the region.
For Finland, Sandu’s warning links information security to the wider question of national resilience. For Moldova, the same challenge is closely connected to its security relationship with Ukraine and its continuing path towards EU membership.
