Three former US ambassadors to Romania have written that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failed attempt to manipulate the country’s 2024 presidential election through digital warfare represents a new battleground for democratic sovereignty. In a Politico opinion piece, the retired diplomats argue that Romania’s successful resistance offers a blueprint for defending Western democracies against authoritarian interference.

Former diplomats describe Putin’s digital invasion strategy

Mark Gitenstein, Adrian Zuckerman and Jim Rosapepe write that Putin spent millions of dollars attempting to install a pro-Russian president in Romania through what they characterize as a sophisticated social media manipulation campaign.

The diplomats contend that Putin’s strategy involved boosting candidate Călin Georgescu from complete obscurity to capturing 21% of the vote in just two weeks through TikTok, Telegram and other platforms. They describe this “social media blitzkrieg” as a “Leninist-style effort to destroy democracy in Romania” designed to undermine US, NATO, and EU security interests.

Ex-ambassadors argue intelligence intervention proved crucial

The former diplomats write that Romanian and Western intelligence services successfully uncovered what they call a “stealth invasion” of the country’s electoral process. They argue that the discovery of serious violations of electoral law and foreign interference led to the constitutional court’s extraordinary decision to annul the first round and order a complete do-over.

According to the opinion piece, Georgescu violated Romanian law by claiming he neither raised campaign contributions nor incurred campaign expenses while benefiting from the multimillion-dollar Russian operation. The authors contend this exposed the candidate as having “a malevolent benefactor in Putin.”

Former ambassadors claim voter surge demonstrated democratic resilience

The retired diplomats write that when the second round was held, Romanian citizens responded to the crisis with “clarity and courage,” driving turnout from the average 51% to nearly 65%. They argue that voters chose the democratic, pro-NATO path by a decisive 54% to 46% margin, effectively rejecting Putin’s interference.

The three former ambassadors reveal they had publicly urged Romanians to reject the Russia-backed candidate in what they describe as an unprecedented intervention. “We couldn’t silently stand by and allow the patently false Russia-driven propaganda to go unchallenged,” they write, explaining their decision to issue an open letter with four other former US ambassadors.

Ex-diplomats argue Putin adapted KGB tactics for digital age

The opinion piece argues that Putin’s approach evolved from his KGB background after failing to capture Kyiv militarily. The authors write that “never far from his KGB roots, the Russian president realizes public opinion can be manipulated and shaped by political proxies and propaganda beholden to Russia’s strongman.” They contend this represents a long-standing Soviet strategy to destroy Western democracies from within, now deployed through social media platforms.

Ex-ambassadors warn about upcoming European election threats

The retired diplomats argue that “Putin’s war on democracy continues” beyond Romania, writing that fall elections in Moldova, Estonia, Georgia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and other European nations “are all ripe for interference.” They contend that cracking down on violations of election laws is imperative before propaganda can take hold.