Watchdog: Russia and Ilan Shor behind Facebook disinfo network with over 2,000 fake pages
A large network of anonymous Facebook pages, coordinated by the Russian Federation and fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, is being used to influence the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova and to undermine pro-European public discourse. This information comes from an investigation conducted by the WatchDog.MD community, which identified at least 2,167 automated pages. Out of these, 146 pages are directly linked to the “Shor” group.
Pages with misleading or patriotic names, such as “Moldova Autentica” or “Chișinău de Azi,” promote political messages while violating the META platform's transparency rules. These advertisements are funded in foreign currencies—either dollars or Polish zlotys—from outside the Republic of Moldova.
“The advertisements were sponsored from outside the Republic of Moldova. The telltale sign is the currency used for payments. In Moldova, META accepts payments only in euros, while the initial ads run by Shor were paid for in dollars or other foreign currencies,” states the report.
The analysis reveals that between October 2022 and September 2024, Ilan Shor spent nearly 470,000 euros to promote over 1,400 advertisements on Facebook.
“The total amount may be even higher, as the fugitive Ilan Shor also utilized anonymous pages that ran ads without disclaimers, which are not included in the META Ad Library.”
During the 2024 European Parliament elections, 65% of the ads sponsored by the pro-Russian network were broadcast without any warning about their political content, and META removed less than 5% of them.
WatchDog.MD warns that in light of the elections on September 28, this online infrastructure “could expand significantly to promote political figures in Chișinău who are supported by Moscow.”
The unnamed pages often present themselves as “Advertising Agency,” “Real Estate,” “Business Center,” or “Restaurant.”
In addition to having similar names generated from various terms, the pages use profile pictures of young women. These photos are sourced from dating and video chat sites featuring models from Eastern Europe, particularly Russia and Ukraine.
“These actions aim to create a parliamentary majority that is beholden to the Kremlin, which would obstruct the European integration process of the Republic of Moldova and jeopardize the stability of the eastern flank of Ukraine.”
Watchdog asserts that this network will be reported to the META company. The analysis's authors also urge urgent action from the authorities and international partners to combat this phenomenon of foreign interference.
