What happened Moldovans narrowly voted in favor of joining the European Union, according to election results released Monday, in a referendum the government said was marred by widespread Russian interference,

Voters in Moldova, a small country bordering Ukraine, voted by a slim margin to join the European Union. Though accession talks began only a few months ago and joining would not happen for years, the vote hinders Russia's attempts to draw the nation of 3 million people back into its own sphere of influence.

After nearly 99% of votes were counted in the referendum held Sunday that asked voters to choose whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution a path toward the EU, the “Yes” vote crept into first place with 50.18% of a total 1.4 million ballots cast, according to the Central Electoral Commission.