The competition between Russia and the EU over influence in the ‘shared neighbourhood' is one between two actors that differ significantly in their nature and their foreign policy approaches. This dichotomy is manifested in separate meso-level conceptualizations in EU and Eurasian studies. This article subsumes the separate theorizations under the more generic concepts of hegemony and power. It focuses on EU and Russian uses of hard power towards Moldova since the beginning of the 2000s. The analysis shows that both actors used coercion in instances when they did not perceive consent for their hegemony in the neighbourhood. Whereas Russia's strategy was one of extended general and immediate deterrence with the aim of preventing Moldova from integration with the West, the EU used coercive diplomacy to compel Moldova to adopt specific sectoral reforms and guarantee the respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. There was less compliance by Moldova if the other regional power provided support to mitigate the costs of non-compliance. Overall, Russia had more power over Moldova than the EU, but this power was negative.