• Research Assistant, Moldova

Victoria Olari

Victoria Olari is a research associate for Moldova at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), where she specializes in monitoring Moldova’s information environment and countering disinformation and foreign information manipulation.

Before joining the DFRLab, Olari served as a program coordinator at the Institute for Strategic Initiatives, where she designed and managed programs on conflict resolution and confidence building, with a focus on the Transnistrian region. She also contributed to fact-checking research through DisinfoLab projects addressing disinformation across Moldova’s regions. Olari previously served as a policy advisor in the Moldovan parliament, where she spent four years advising on key legislative initiatives and gaining deep insight into Moldova’s social and political dynamics.

Fluent in three languages, Olari is passionate about cultural exchange and enjoys traveling to connect with diverse communities.

February 2024

US celebrities unwittingly recruited to undermine Moldova’s president

by Victoria Olari

Pro-Russian propagandists solicited US celebrities on Cameo to record videos calling for the downfall of Moldovan President Maia Sandu
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November 2023

Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin surrogates accuse the US of using ‘climate weapons’ in Crimea

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Following a severe storm in the Black Sea heavily impacted Crimea, pro-Kremlin sources circulated a conspiracy suggesting the US used a weather weapon.
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November 2023

The Kremlin and its proxies attempted to deflect the “spy antennas” scandal in Moldova

by Victoria Olari

Pro-Russian entities attempted to divert attention away from the growing volume of potential intel-gathering equipment on its embassy roof
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