Michal Kukawski
21 May 2026

Poland’s Crypto Meltdown and its Links to Polish Politicians and the Russian Mob

Poland’s largest cryptocurrency exchange collapsed into scandal amid allegations of fraud, money laundering, political influence, and links to the infamous Tambovskaya Bratva. This Russian criminal organization had been associated with St Petersburg’s political and business underworld during Putin’s rise to power.

Ukraine Invasion All
1 day ago
FAKE NEWS: Joining the EU actually means joining NATO

According to an Armenian diplomat, joining the EU is actually tantamount to joining NATO, the organization she claims is behind the war in Ukraine. Her remarks essentially echo long-standing narratives pushed by Russia and pro-Russian factions across the former Soviet space. These narratives also target other nations with European aspirations, such as the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

4 days ago
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine is taking over the Romanian industry with money taken from Romanians

Ukraine is buying up Romania “piece by piece” with money given by Romanians to the government in Kyiv, according to a false narrative carried by the sovereignist media.

2 weeks ago
WAR PROPAGANDA: Elections will only take place in Ukraine if Zelensky is captured like Maduro

According to pro-Kremlin media, Ukraine will not organize elections until the West abandons Zelenskyy and changes the regime in Kyiv following the model used to change the regime in Venezuela.

3 weeks ago
FAKE NEWS: Joining the EU means the destruction of the Orthodox Church

The Republic of Moldova can join the EU only at the cost of destroying the Moldovan Orthodox Church and getting involved in the war in Ukraine, according to a piece of disinformation published by noi.md, a website known for spreading false narratives.

Opinions All
Aleksandar Djokic/Belgrade, Serbia
19 May 2026

Russia's Forced Retreat from Serbia's Oil Industry

NIS is currently Russia’s most important tool of economic leverage over Serbia. Belgrade must force its sell in order to avoid US sanctions. It would be the most consequential energy transaction in the Balkans in two decades. However, there are lots of questions lingering over this story.

Orbán's Stadium, Magyar's Final

Viktor Orbán is a die-hard football fan, and the game even has a place in his political philosophy. He built the stadium that will host the Champions League final, but on the night of the final, the place of honor will go to his successor, Peter Magyar. The story can also be seen as a parable for what is happening these days with Hungary and the system built by Orbán.

Daniel Nolan/Budapest, Hungary
read time: 9 min
Putin is stomping on the online freedom. It's a new blow to the Russian economy

Russia’s struggle with the open proves that the Kremlin is trying to reorganize everyday life around the logic of security, control and dependence on state-approved infrastructure. The paradox is that this attack is directed against one of the few spheres where Russia had real modernizing potential: its digital economy.

Alexander Malyarenko/Vilnius, Lithuania
read time: 5 min
Georgia wants to name a skyscraper "Trump" to repair relations with the US

Against the backdrop of sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili and a frozen strategic partnership with the United States, the project looks less like a real estate initiative and more like an attempt to create a convenient pretext for dialogue with Washington.

Diana Shanava/Tbilisi, Georgia
read time: 6 min

Fake News, Disinformation & Propaganda All
Veridica
21 May 2026

FAKE NEWS: Joining the EU actually means joining NATO

According to an Armenian diplomat, joining the EU is actually tantamount to joining NATO, the organization she claims is behind the war in Ukraine. Her remarks essentially echo long-standing narratives pushed by Russia and pro-Russian factions across the former Soviet space. These narratives also target other nations with European aspirations, such as the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

FAKE NEWS: Ukraine is taking over the Romanian industry with money taken from Romanians

Ukraine is buying up Romania “piece by piece” with money given by Romanians to the government in Kyiv, according to a false narrative carried by the sovereignist media.

Cezar Manu/Bucharest, Romania
read time: 3 min
FAKE NEWS: Actor Ioan Isaiu died because of the anti-COVID vaccine

Ioan Isaiu died because he was vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a false narrative launched after the actor's death due to a heart attack and quickly picked up by conspiracy and pro-Russian websites.

Andreea Pavel/Constanța, Romania
read time: 3 min
FAKE NEWS: A hantavirus pandemic is set to be declared, caused by the COVID-19 vaccine

The global cabal is preparing the next “plandemic,” caused by hantavirus infection, an adverse effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a chorus of conspiracy theorists around the world.

Cezar Manu/Bucharest, Romania
read time: 7 min

Media monitor All
Russia Legalizes Crypto
Pro-Kremlin Russian press
Read time: 4 min
Russia Legalizes Crypto

Between circumventing Western sanctions and laundering money with digital tools

The Russian independent media writes about the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions
Independent Russian press
Read time: 9 min
The Russian independent media writes about the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions

The Russian leadership believes the country is permanently at war and pursues imperial and expansionist policies, the Russian independent media writes. Russian journalists also say Putin’s plan to restore “Great Russia” seeks to capture Ukraine through armed force and Belarus by forcing a unification.

The independent Russian press writes about why Russia must lose the war in Ukraine and how the West can win the competition with the authoritarian regimes
Independent Russian press
Read time: 9 min
The independent Russian press writes about why Russia must lose the war in Ukraine and how the West can win the competition with the authoritarian regimes

Russians must understand that the war in Ukraine is lost in order to be able to bring about a change for the better in their own country, dissidents quoted by independent Russian media believe. They also talk about the losses caused by the war launched by Russia against the neighboring country, but also about the need for the West to become more attractive to developing countries, in order to win the competition with the alternative model offered by autocracies.

Researches

Start your research here. Texts in this section provide a general overview of the key concepts and developments in the field of information warfare, with an emphasis on the anatomy and historical background of the Kremlin's disinformation campaigns and influence operations against the West.

View researches
Other subjects All
From Horia Sima to the 2025 sovereignists: the legionnaires and post-communist Romania (II)
read time: 21 min
From Horia Sima to the 2025 sovereignists: the legionnaires and post-communist Romania (II)

The political evolution of (Neo)Legionarism, from pocket political parties, such as those created by Marian Munteanu, to organizations like The New Right (Noua Dreaptă) – the connecting link between (Neo)Legionarism and sovereigntism – and politicians who frequently make the front page, such as George Simion, Călin Georgescu and Diana Șoșoacă.

From Horia Sima to the 2025 sovereignists: the legionary movement and post-communist Romania (I)
read time: 25 min
From Horia Sima to the 2025 sovereignists: the legionary movement and post-communist Romania (I)

The Legionary movement re-emerged in Romania shortly after the 1989 Revolution. Some legionary theses and ideas can be identified in the discourse of present-day sovereignists. Veridica briefly traces the development of the (neo)legionary movement in post-communist Romania, under the authorities’ permissive eye.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The fate of Ukraine is closely tied to that of Belarus”. An exclusive interview with the Belarusian opposition leader
Exclusive interview
read time: 8 min
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The fate of Ukraine is closely tied to that of Belarus”. An exclusive interview with the Belarusian opposition leader

July 20 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Four years ago, his political stability in Belarus was seriously undermined by mass protests: democratic Belarusians at the time called for new elections and supported Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The break-up of demonstrations was followed by a brutal repression that forced many of them to leave the country, including the leader of the democratic forces. Veridica spoke to Tsikhanouskaya about the current state of the opposition, the release of political prisoners and what we can expect from the presidential election slated for next year in Belarus.

Philippe Sands: “Every person can do terrible things”
Nazi hunting
read time: 30 min
Philippe Sands: “Every person can do terrible things”

Literature helps us understand the act of justice. To overcome the traumas, inherited from victims or executioners, we need both literature and justice. Writer and international law expert Philippe Sands explains how he embarked on a real-life Nazi literary hunt and why it's still relevant today.

Ukraine attacked Russia with “ISIS’ hand”. The story of an FSB/ex-KGB branded narrative
Crocus: what the FSB understood
read time: 10 min
Ukraine attacked Russia with “ISIS’ hand”. The story of an FSB/ex-KGB branded narrative

Ukraine has been accused of being responsible for the terrorist attack in Moscow. Originally published on Telegram, the thesis was developed by Vladimir Putin and his close siloviki, the current and former head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov and Nikolai Patrushev, both ex-KGB, like Putin. The narrative rids the Russian authorities of all responsibility, plays well into the rhetoric about the Ukrainian-Western aggression and can be used to escalate the war. Arguments in its defense include falsehoods and an older conspiracy theory.

Zaiafet: How long can Ukraine resist against Russia?
Two years of war
read time: 1 min
Zaiafet: How long can Ukraine resist against Russia?

The time has come to talk a little more about what is happening in Ukraine, of course, but it has been 2 years since the dictator from the Kremlin decided to attack our neighbor. It's also 10 years since the war actually began, with little green men strategically transported across Crimea for a classic Russian-style liberation. After all this bitter time, the world is a little tired of war. You see, I must turn to another Russian criminal, Trotsky by name, and give you some bad news, quoting him You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

Maia Sandu: We managed to free ourselves from Russian blackmail
Exclusive interview
read time: 1 min
Maia Sandu: We managed to free ourselves from Russian blackmail

The Republic of Moldova will join the EU by 2030, believes President Maia Sandu. In an exclusive interview, Maia Sandu also spoke about Russia's pressure on Moldova, her decision to run for a second term, but also about the war in Ukraine and the importance of supporting Kiev.

War in Ukraine: Odesa says goodbye to symbols of the Russian world.
Velicorous imperialism
read time: 1 min
War in Ukraine: Odesa says goodbye to symbols of the Russian world.

The south of Ukraine, which borders Romania along the Danube in the Odesa region, as the whole country, is going through a war. After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the decolonization process has intensified here.