Main content

Moldovan Minister: “We are a constant target”

Mihai Popșoi says Moldova’s public institutions are regularly targeted by Russian hackers

Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister has spoken of his country’s efforts to bolster defences against cyber warfare despite its “modest capabilities”.

“We are a constant target of Russian attacks on our infrastructure, not just the public broadcaster, but also the post office and government institutions are regularly targeted by hackers which experts attribute to Russia”, he said.

Speaking to HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur, Mr Popșoi, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, said his country has recently identified Russia as its main security threat, and had committed to reaching a target of 1% of GDP spent on defence, “which is a big jump to what historically was the investment in Moldova”.

“Our predecessors, many of whom have been pro-Russian, had no incentive to invest in defence; they actually had all the incentives to maintain Moldova’s vulnerability,” he added.

Mr Popșoi has been Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Moldova since February 2024, after his predecessor Nicu Popescu resigned. Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, the former Soviet country is scheduled to hold presidential elections in October 2024. A referendum on Moldova’s bid to join the European Union will be held on the same day.

Release date:

Duration:

2 minutes