"How Russia's millions almost persuaded Moldova to reject the EU," reads a headline in the British v. " ;The Times" for the referendum in the country.
Putin's regime does not try to hide its interference in elections in other countries, but the brazenness of his latest campaign was unusual even for the Kremlin, the publication notes.
Russian "money-for-votes offers distort EU referendum results in Moldova", reads the headline of the British "Telegraph". The decision to change the country's constitution to include EU accession was voted on by a narrow majority, despite predictions of an easy victory.
"Criminal groups working together with foreign forces, hostile to our national interests, attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda," Moldovan President Maya Sandu said at a press conference in Chisinau.
She did not directly mention Russia, but the European Parliament, Moldovan security services and the US warned that the Kremlin was interfering in the referendum and presidential election, which were held on the same day.
Yesterday the EU said it had evidence of "unprecedented interference". Moscow denies these claims. The same day, the Kremlin said there were "anomalies" in the Moldovan vote count and called on Sandu to "prove" his allegations of interference in the elections, "Telegraph" recalls.
"An unprecedented attack on democracy" in Moldova, the elections are destabilized by Russia, writes the French newspaper "Figaro".
Pro-European forces narrowly won the EU accession referendum. President Maya Sandu will face a second round against a candidate backed by pro-Russian forces.
In the elections in Moldova, the incumbent president faced an unusual opponent - Department 11 of the FSS (Russian intelligence), which deals with Moldova, say members of the Moldovan authorities, notes the French edition.
According to sources in the local security forces, since January, Russia has spent more than 10 million euros per month on political interference operations in Moldova. The amounts and the means used are unheard of on the continent, the sources of "Figaro" emphasize.
V. "Los Angeles Times" in turn reminds of the statement of the Moldovan president that "unfortunately, the judicial system has not been able to do enough to prevent vote buying and corruption".
"We need to put an end to this too, correct everything that went wrong and learn our lesson. We heard you - we know we need to do more to fight corruption," she said at a press conference after the vote.
However, the close result "will be particularly problematic because it will fit the claims being spread by the Kremlin and pro-Russian forces,", notes Christian Kantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University.
Moldova and Georgia are fighting the same fight, wrote the French newspaper "Southwest". Over Moldova, which votes on Sunday, and Georgia, which will vote on Saturday, hangs the equally troubling shadow of a Russia doing everything in its power to block the European path of the tiny Black Sea republics and keep them in orbit you are Their story echoes Ukraine's post-Maidan revolution, whose aftermath included invasion, war and a bleak future.