Moldova is heading into a high-stakes parliamentary election on Sunday that could either further its push to join the European Union or pull the nation closer to Russia.

The tug of war between East and West in Moldova’s politics has imbued the election with outsize importance. Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova, a tiny nation of 2.4 million people, is both strategically important because of its location and a critical test of sentiment toward western Europe.

The vote, for 101 representatives who will serve four-year terms, comes at an unsettled moment in the country’s geopolitics.

The Trump administration has cut foreign assistance, including to Eastern Europe, and pulled away from instruments of American influence in the region, including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. In Moldova, the pro-European party of President Maia Sandu has said Russia is trying to sway the vote by pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into extensive disinformation campaigns, ones fueled by false news generated by artificial intelligence.

Domestic issues also loom large. Moldova’s economy is barely growing, high energy prices are a burden and poverty is widespread. That has left Ms. Sandu’s party contending with serious grievances.

Marta Kos, the European Union commissioner who deals with the bloc’s expansion, said the election had become about “much more” than Moldova. “It is also about us,” she said. “It is also about the European Union.”

Will Moldova move toward Russia?

Moldova declared its independence as the U.S.S.R. fell apart more than three decades ago, but it remains home to a sizable Russian-speaking population. The two nations have historically had close economic ties, and the Russian Orthodox Church is influential.

In recent years, though, Moldova has moved toward the 27-nation European Union. It elected Ms. Sandu in 2020. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, drawing closer to Europe seemed to be the best avenue for Moldova to avoid future domination by Moscow.

In 2022, Moldova applied for European Union membership; last October, a national referendum enshrined support for joining the bloc into the Moldovan constitution.

But voters supported the E.U. measure narrowly, 50.4 percent to 49.5 percent, reflecting a growing division between the nation’s pro-European and pro-Russian sides.

The closeness of last year’s vote suggests that Ms. Sandu’s party could lose its control of Parliament this time. That would make it more difficult for the party to continue making the reforms needed for Moldova to eventually join the European Union.

“We are so close in the negotiations with the E.U., and there is a window of opportunity,” said Sergiu Panainte, the deputy director of the German Marshall Fund’s Bucharest office. Russia is so active in the election because its leaders “understand that Moldova is about to be lost for them pretty much forever,” he said.

What are the parties?

Ms. Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity, which favors stronger European Union ties, secured 63 seats in the last election, in 2021.

It is running against pro-Russian candidates, most notably the Patriotic Electoral Bloc coalition.

Voters can cast their ballot for a political party, for an electoral bloc of two or more parties or for an independent candidate. There are 23 competitors registered, including 15 political parties, four coalitions and four independent candidates.

If Ms. Sandu’s party does not win an absolute majority, it could form a coalition with other parties, Mr. Panainte said, or there could be a snap follow-up election.

What has happened so far?

Russia has used TikTok, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and artificial intelligence to spread false information about Ms. Sandu and her party. Trump administration policies mean there are fewer checks on Russia from the United States.

When Moldova last held elections, Biden administration officials urged American platforms to do more to identify inauthentic accounts. But that has stopped with the new White House. Instead, Meta has cut fact checkers at Facebook, which is widely used in Moldova.

The United States has also slashed money for the region, including money meant to strengthen Moldova’s “inclusive and participatory political process,” just as it has pulled back support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Still, both the European Union and Ms. Sandu’s party have been trying to stem Russian messaging in Moldova. Ms. Kos has visited the country three times, reaching out to mayors and Orthodox priests.

And the police in Moldova detained dozens of people accused of a plot to stoke disorder days before the election.

Political scientists and authorities alike continue to worry that if Russian-aligned parties perform poorly, there could be protests, or a refusal to recognize the results. If they perform well, Moldova’s E.U. hopes could end.

“I don’t believe, if the pro-Russian forces win, that Moldova will go the European way,” Ms. Kos said.

When will results come in?

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, with results arriving after they close. A final count could come as early as Sunday night but could also arrive early Monday. It will take a few days for the result to become official.