The U.S. has voiced concern over Romania’s presidential election after declassified documents showed the NATO member was the target of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks,” according to Reuters.
Romania, an Eastern European country that shares a border with Ukraine, held the first round of its presidential election on November 24, where the pro-Russia candidate Calin Georgescu secured victory after previously receiving only single digits in the polls.
According to Politico, the Romanian Intelligence Service report, released on Wednesday, found that Georgescu’s election campaign on TikTok gained enormous momentum in just two weeks before the election.
This was through coordinated accounts, recommendation algorithms and paid promotion, according to Reuters.
Vadim Ghirda)/AP
The reports also identified more than 85,000 cyberattacks seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in Romania’s election IT system, while obtaining access to data and changing content, Politico reported.
The log-in details for Romanian election-related websites were also found to have been posted on a Russian-based cybercrime platform.
Newsweek has contacted the President of Romania’s office, the White House and the Russian government’s press office via email for comment.
The U.S. state department released a statement saying, “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. Data referenced in the report should be fully investigated to ensure the integrity of Romania’s electoral process.”
State department spokesperson Matthew Miller also added that Romania’s position in NATO “cannot be turned back by foreign actors seeking to shift Romania’s foreign policy away from its Western alliances.”
“Any such change would have serious negative impacts on U.S. security cooperation with Romania, while a decision to restrict foreign investment would discourage U.S. companies from continuing to invest in Romania,” the statement said.
Georgescu has previously said he would stop the aid given to Ukraine by Romania for its war effort against the Russia and in an interview in 2018, he called Russian President Vladimir Putin one of the few politicians in the world who is a “true leader,” The Week reported.
The presidential candidate has also been highly critical of NATO, deeming it the “world’s weakest alliance” only last week, according to Radio Free Europe.
He has also criticized the European Union in the past, according to Politico.
However, per the Radio Free Europe report, last week Georgescu said, “I do not want out of NATO, I do not want out of the European Union.”
“But I do want us to stand firm, not to kneel there, not to accept everything, to do everything in our national interest,” he added.
Georgescu also dismissed the declassified documents in a TV interview on Wednesday, saying that the proceedings were a “massive desperation of the system,” Romanian news channel Realitatea TV reported.
“Don’t please them, don’t fall into their game,” he said.
As no candidate achieved a majority in the first round, the Romanian people will vote again in a runoff election on December 8, which will be between Georgescu and pro-Europe candidate Elena Lasconi.
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