🇲🇩 220,000 Russian citizens — and one authorized polling station

Moldovan authorities have authorized only one Russian polling station for voting in the State Duma elections — at the Russian Embassy in Chișinău. Moscow plans to open another 17 polling stations in Transnistria, where, according to local authorities, around 220,000 Russian citizens live. Chișinău has already called for their opening to be abandoned, stating that holding the vote without the consent of the Moldovan authorities would constitute a violation of the country’s sovereignty.

Concerns about voter access are not theoretical here. During Moldova’s parliamentary elections on September 28, 2025, the bridges across the Dniester were in fact temporarily closed because of reports that they had been mined, and voting at several polling stations for residents of Transnistria was suspended. Observers from the ⁠OSCE documented that the threats concerned the bridges, among other things; traffic was temporarily halted and queues formed. ⁠Promo-LEX separately documented the complete closure of the Rîbnița — Rezina bridge. All these bomb reports later proved to be false. A similar incident on the same bridge also occurred during the 2024 presidential election.

Formally, no one is depriving Russian citizens of their right to vote. 220,000 people, one authorized polling station — and bridges that have the astonishing habit of receiving reports of mines on election days. Let’s see whether the familiar scenario repeats itself for a third time.


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