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The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have accused Russia of attempting to influence the outcome of Moldova’s upcoming presidential election.

In a joint statement issued by the US State Department, the three nations claimed that Russia is involved in a scheme to sway the Moldovan election set for October and to incite protests if a pro-Moscow candidate loses. Specifically, the countries accused Russia of creating a campaign to project “negative public perceptions of Western governments and Moldova’s incumbent leadership, while degrading public confidence in Moldova’s ability to secure itself and maintain rule of law.”

The joint statement also accused Russia of “supporting candidates for Moldova’s presidency” that are “actively using disinformation and propaganda online, on the air, and on the streets to further their objectives. They are agitating criticism of the incumbent Moldovan president’s government and political party, in order to incite protests.  Part of these operations would include spreading lies about the incumbent president’s character and intentions, and about supposed electoral irregularities.”

The Russian embassy in Washington did not provide an immediate comment on the allegations. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean expressed gratitude on social media for the support from the US, Canada, and the UK, vowing that the Kremlin’s efforts to destabilize Moldova would fail.

Moldova, a nation of 2.5 million people and a former Soviet republic has been vocal in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has expelled Russian diplomats amid accusations of Moscow plotting to overthrow its government.