Alina Radu & Elena Calistru: PEACEFUL INTERVENTION - HOW ROMANIANS AND MOLDOVANS ARE RECLAIMING POLITICS

Cathrin Kahlweit in conversation with Alina Radu and Elena
Calistru





PEACEFUL INTERVENTION - HOW ROMANIANS AND MOLDOVANS ARE
RECLAIMING POLITICS





Romania and Moldova have a lot in common: the neighbouring
countries are united by a shared history, a common language, the
struggle for a stable, resilient democracy and the fight against
Russian propaganda and Russian influence. But there are also many
things that divide them:


Romania is a member of NATO and the EU, which Moldova would like
to be – and Moscow still has a foothold in Moldovan politics via
Transnistria, Gagauzia and a partly Russian-speaking, pro-Russian
population.


Despite enormous resistance and personal attacks, both women have
long been committed to democratic oversight, fighting corruption
and an independent media landscape. They do not want to leave
their countries to oligarchs and mafiosi, but rather to
strengthen democratic forces in the still fragile post-Soviet
democracies. Radu and Calistru will report on how this can be
achieved and what headwinds to expect on 15 December 2025.





Alina Radu (Moldova) is editor-in-chief and
investigative reporter for Moldova’s leading daily newspaper,
Ziarul de Gardă.


Elena Calistru (Romania) is the founder of the
NGO Funky Cizitens, which focuses on civic engagement and
political oversight, and the fact-checking platform Factual.ro.


 Cathrin Kahlweit, long-time SZ
correspondent, is a publicist and presenter.