In recent weeks, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world with a fortune of $426 billion, according to recent estimates, has also shown interest in Romania, in addition to the many fronts open in American and European politics.
With nearly 190 million followers on the X network, formerly Twitter, of which he is the owner, Elon Musk intervenes in the politics of NATO member states, sparking public debates, endorsing extremist and fascist parties and their leaders.
Since the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the elections, Elon Musk has made three direct posts about Romania, challenging the decision, indirectly supporting Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate heavily promoted through illegal means, as per the Constitutional Court’s reasoning, on TikTok and other social networks.
The head of Tesla, who invested $250 million in Donald Trump's campaign and is set to receive a position in the future U.S. government, has managed to draw attention to Romania, placing a target on the authorities in Bucharest, vulnerable to Russia's hybrid attack on the electoral process in Romania, according to multiple intelligence reports.
Shopping with Russian Money
Musk's attacks are strikingly similar to those coming from the Kremlin, from Vladimir Putin, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the billionaire has been accused multiple times of being involved in Kremlin's propaganda operations due to significant financial interests.
In 2022, when he acquired the social network Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk turned to Russian oligarchs to secure part of the funds.
Even the world's richest man found it challenging to transfer such a large sum of money, as his wealth consisted of investments in companies that could be destabilized by a massive sell-off of shares or other financial operations.
At that time, Musk's effort to acquire Twitter, following the sale of a portion of his shares in Tesla, amounted to $33 billion, with $7 billion coming from a consortium of investors, most of which was contributed by two Russian oligarchs, and $4 billion from bank loans.
Each year, company X must pay $1.2 billion in interest, with the economic efficiency of the social network falling far short of generating such a sum.
Since Elon Musk's acquisition, X/Twitter has lost over 50% of its advertising revenue, laid off 1,200 employees, and has been involved in multiple lawsuits in the U.S.
But with its help, the billionaire managed to bring Donald Trump back to the White House.
Misinformation on the X Network
Abandoning any content verification of posts, transforming X into a platform for launching false information, manipulating algorithms by promoting certain messages over others... all indicate that the network's acquisition was more of a political project than a commercial one, and this is becoming increasingly evident.
Those who spread lies and misinformation undermine our democracy.
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, response to Elon Musk's attacks
A study commissioned by the European Commission in 2023 reveals that the X network has published the most fake news after examining over 6,000 messages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and YouTube.
"My message to the X network is: you must respect the law. We will be watching what you do," said Vera Jourova, European Commissioner for Values and Transparency, at that time.
Since then, the situation has deteriorated further, and the European Commission's response remains slow and ineffective, despite the Digital Services Act (DSA) coming into force and providing mechanisms to counter propaganda, political interference, and hybrid warfare conducted through social networks.
From the Russians' Man to the Americans' Man
Neither the incumbent president nor the prime minister have reacted to Musk's attacks on Romania, nor to other Russian propagandists who are intensifying their messages these days, trying to escalate the political crisis in the country.
Ten years ago, if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support an international reactionary movement and directly intervene in elections, including in Germany, we would not have believed it, nor could we have imagined it...
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, response to Elon Musk's attacks on European states
Currently, the pro-Russian party in Romania, composed of reservists from intelligence services, the army, and police, supported by political leaders such as Victor Ponta and businesspeople, is trying to transform Călin Georgescu from the "Russians' man" to the "Americans' man," meaning to receive validation from the U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump.
Thus far, all attempts have failed, but Elon Musk's entry into the game, most likely influenced by Russian billionaires, shareholders at X, has the potential to change Trump's attitude toward Romania, if it hasn't already.
Due to political corruption, the mediocrity of party leaders, the lack of involvement from Klaus Iohannis, and tensions between intelligence services, Romania has been left completely exposed to the hybrid warfare unleashed by the Kremlin, starting from November 19, when the Permanent Electoral Authority was compromised following a cyberattack, according to an SRI report.
Since then, the situation has continuously worsened, with institutional response unable to ease internal tensions and the increasing pressure exerted by Russia and its affiliates on Romania's political system.
An Interesting Observation
"How can a judge annul elections and not be considered a dictator?" wrote Elon Musk on his X account on December 20.
The way the idea was formulated indicates that the American billionaire doesn't know much about Romania's constitutional system, how decisions are made, or the context in which they were made.
The post seems as if it was suggested by one of his associates connected to individuals interested in disinforming the international public opinion about what happened in Romania.
If Russia faces a complete defeat, civilization will end.
Elon Musk, October 2022
Elon Musk behaves like a significant player in the disinformation war, aiming to weaken NATO member states that have provided massive support to Ukraine.
All his actions are geared towards undermining European solidarity and reducing military support for Kiev.
An interesting observation directly confirming the billionaire's strategy is that since acquiring X/Twitter, he has not criticized Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader who initiated the invasion of an independent state and is guilty of cold-blooded killings of thousands of innocent civilians through Kremlin army bombings, torture, and violence in Ukraine.