The main goal for 2026: how the Kremlin is trying to achieve the collapse of NATO and the EU from within

Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a closed briefing for military leadership, called the “collapse of NATO and the EU from within” one of Russia’s goals for 2026. Western intelligence agencies consider Moldova, where Moscow is conducting a large-scale campaign of interference in domestic politics, to be one of the key areas of this strategy.

This is reported by The New York Times .

According to journalists, the closed meeting took place after Putin’s public statements about European leaders allegedly exaggerating the threat from Russia. At the same time, during a closed briefing, he voiced a different position, according to the publication’s interlocutors.

Western intelligence officials believe that Moldova is one of the Kremlin’s top foreign policy priorities after Ukraine. According to them, control of the country could provide Russia with a springboard for further actions against Ukraine or the West.

The Russian operation against Moldova included more than just disinformation and cyberattacks. GRU-linked operatives reportedly organized training camps in Serbia, Bosnia, and Russia, where Moldovan citizens were trained for provocations and unrest.

A separate direction was the political campaign through the network of Moldovan-Israeli businessman Ilan Shor. It involved more than 150,000 Moldovans, and before the referendum on EU accession in 2024, about 38,000 activists received almost $20 million.

The network’s members were used to spread pro-Russian materials on social media, organize protests, and campaign against President Maia Sandu and Moldova’s European integration.

Russia has stepped up its campaign ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections on September 28, 2025, the publication reported. Moldovan law enforcement officers have conducted hundreds of searches and detained people linked to Shor’s training camps and financial network.

There was no serious violence on election day, and Sandu’s party won just over 50% of the vote. At the same time, Moldovan officials believe that Moscow is continuing a long-term campaign to destabilize the country.

The Kremlin has publicly denied interfering in Moldova’s internal affairs or attempting to undermine the West. The Kremlin did not respond to The New York Times’ request for comment on the circumstances described in the story at the time of publication.

By the way, British intelligence believes that Russia may be preparing a direct provocation against the UK and its NATO allies in the coming months . According to the British side, the Kremlin may use the situation to test the reaction of the country’s new government.

Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Russia could be preparing an operation “under a foreign flag” by using Ukrainian drones for provocation.

Recall that the administration of US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany amid escalating disputes between the US and its European allies. Poland and Germany have already stated the risks to NATO and the need to strengthen European defense .

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