David Smith
American entrepreneur living in Moldova. I write a newsletter about Moldovan political and economic news each week in English at Moldova Matters.
https://moldovamatters.substack.com
- Over the weekend an electrical fault in Ukraine triggered a cascading power outage that took down almost the entire Moldovan grid. We look at the technical cause and how the authorities responded in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Reposted by David SmithI’m sharing Aliya’s entire opening statement. We owe it to her, and those who no longer have a voice, to watch. youtu.be/zrcW8SZtYpI?...
- As the world tries to make sense of the new revelations in the Epstein files, I take a look at where Moldova is mentioned and what it can (and can’t) tell us about his connections to the country. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- A drone crashed in Moldova and this one was armed. Plus, we find out that George Simion, eager to annex Moldova and carve up Ukraine, has no problem with Trump taking Greenland. This and more in the Weekly Roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- In yesterday’s speech to PACE, President Sandu called on Europe to recognize that the continent faces 2 wars - the hot war in Ukraine, and a hybrid war that seeks to fracture democracies - and Europe itself - from within. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- How an antisemitic conspiracy theorist and Jan 6 insurrectionist helped organize a Kremlin-linked disinformation campaign around Moldova’s elections. I’m sharing part of my new report in collaboration with Watchdog.md on externally facing influence campaigns open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Today I’m announcing a new page on Moldova Matters that I’m calling Moldova 101. It’s my “start here” page for anyone new to Moldovan politics, history or culture - check it out! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- As Moldova faces the coldest January in years the talk of the town remains President Sandu’s comments on union with Romania. Also - we look at the resolutions of some important court cases and other updates. See the full Weekly Roundup at Moldova Matters open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Maia Sandu’s podcast remark on union with Romania sparked confusion far beyond Moldova. It wasn’t a policy signal - but it does echo a century of hard security choices. It’s a a Hypothetical with History. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- This is an excellent episode of the War & Peace podcast about how Europe must react to what they call the American "betrayal." podcastaddict.com/war-peace/ep...
- The title kinda says it all - here’s my take on the viral (and fake) story about Transnistria and what it says about the information space surrounding the region on social media. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- The holidays are finally winding down in Moldova and we’re doing a roundup of the stories that you may have missed while celebrating. How is Ilan Shor connected Venezuela? What is all this about a serial killer feeding people to pigs?! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
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- Reposted by David Smith[Not loaded yet]
- "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command" www.whitehouse.gov/j6/
- "An ally just doesn’t say these things or behave in this way." "It took the bloc an entire year to accept the loss of the transatlantic relationship. The question for 2026 is, will it turn this acceptance into action?" www.politico.eu/article/opin...
- We start with Irina Vlah's insane rap video, and then turn towards some of the most consequential months in Moldovan history. Months that passed like years. Enjoy the Year in Review Part 2: July - December. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- What a year! It’s time for Moldova Matters’ annual year in review. In part 1 we look at the events of January - June 2025. From a high stakes election in Romania, to USAID being “fed into a wood chipper,” it was a wild ride. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
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- I waste my time reading the work of political scientists, and then some guy says "it's like everyone is 12 now" and damn is he right. We live on the stupidest timeline.
- Transnistria is weaker than ever - but reintegration won’t be quick or easy. Drawing on closed-door discussions with officials and diplomats, I examine Moldova’s emerging “convergence” strategy how a new approach could see slow but steady progress to a resolution open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- As the year winds to a close we look at some fresh rumors of military preparations in Transnistria and what’s new from the 2026 national budget. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Solarpunk Stork! Misha Zeldin-Gipsman, Director of the Moldovan School of Economics writes an op-ed about how Moldova needs to seek its own path towards rapid economic growth - learning from past examples from small countries, but charting a unique path. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
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- Today we take a deep dive into the current situation in Transnistria. We look at their recent “election,” the changed power dynamics between Chisinau and Tiraspol and how internal Transnistrian politics might impact future reintegration. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Europe’s in a pickle. Trump's Administration new National Security Policy spells out what should have been clear for nearly a year - the transatlantic security consensus is dead. The US is moving on and Europe does not seem to have internalized this as a *fact.* open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Michael Druckman writes for Moldova Matter’s new series “The Next Economy: Moldova 2030” and argues that Moldova’s renewable energy transition can play a key role in the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Shor signals he’s closing up shop in Moldova? We look at what this means for the Kremlin’s hybrid war. Russian drones cause Moldova to briefly close its airspace, and the Moldovan army gets some new ket. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Curious what fun seasonal events are happening in Chisinau this month? Check out Moldova Matter’s new “The Month Ahead” series and learn about the musical and cultural events coming up in the capital! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- In this first article of our new The Next Economy: Moldova 2030 series, former Deputy PM and Minister of Economy Dumitru Alaiba makes the case for one important policy that could help Moldova shift from a consumption to an investment economy. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- This week, Moldova and Romania commemorated the passing of Ilie Ilașcu - a national hero for his role in confronting the Transnistrian “authorities.” We also look at the latest political news, and an archeological find by 2 Moldovan grade school students. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Russian drones violated Moldovan airspace multiple times with one crash landing on the roof of a house. Also, Moldovan and Romanian customs officers seized a shipment containing anti-tank missiles and MANPADS leaving Moldova. This week’s roundup: open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- A tragedy has created a scandal as to who is responsible. Also, a new series of MPs have resigned from parliament as the window closes for people to either ditch their old jobs, or leave their new office. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Today I’m announcing a new non-profit that I co-founded - the Moldova Resilience Fund. This US based 501c3 will support independent media, civil society and civic activism groups in Moldova. Read this announcement to find out more - and how you can get involved. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Today the Journo Birds team write about the story of Simpals - one of Moldova’s most successful local IT companies and a veritable factory of innovative startups! open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- The EU gives Moldova high marks on reforms, Gagauzia backtracks on Shor, Plaha says he would be out already if there wasn’t this pesky “justice reform” and a truly ludicrous MMA match planned in Chisinau. All this and more in this week’s roundup. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- "Before the first missile struck our neighbour Ukraine, the first weapon was the lie." President Sandu spoke at the Paris Peace Forum on the new information threats faced by democracies - and how nations must work together to push back. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Check out Part 2 of my Meet the Ministers series. I look at who’s in, who’s out and what it all means for Moldova’s new government. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- In Part 1 of our Meet the Ministers series we take a deep dive into Prime Minister Munteanu’s new cabinet. Who’s out, who’s in, and what does it signal going forward? open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Alexandru Munteanu presented the program of his new government yesterday for a vote of confidence in parliament. We take a deep dive into this program to see what the new PM has planned for the next 4 years. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
- Alexandru Munteanu has named his proposed government. In today’s roundup we look at this and other updates of the week from Moldova. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
