Marin Gherman
13 May 2025

DISINFORMATION: France supports Ukraine to start World War III

France wants to send troops to Ukraine and supports Kyiv in order to trigger World War III, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.

Ukraine Invasion All
6 days ago
WAR PROPAGANDA: Europe and Ukraine want to hijack Victory Day

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, the European states that are supporting Ukraine are forming a neo-Hitlerite coalition meant to overshadow the Soviet victory in World War II.

1 week ago
WAR PROPAGANDA: The war in Ukraine was planned by NATO

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, the NATO states forced Ukraine to go to war against Russia, though Moscow repeatedly tried to resolve the conflict peacefully.

1 week ago
WAR PROPAGANDA: Militaristic Ukraine risks a nuclear attack, like Japan in 1945

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, if it refuses to negotiate with Russia, Ukraine could repeat the fate of Japan, which was attacked with atomic bombs in 1945.

2 weeks ago
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia has a historical right to occupy Ukraine

Ukraine is inhabited by Russian speakers living on historically Russian lands, which gives Moscow the right to fight Kyiv, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

2024: The year of the "Great Reset"? All
Cezar Manu/Bucharest, Romania
06 Dec 2024

Russian propaganda narratives targeting the election campaign in Romania

Narratives identical or similar to those fostered by Russian propaganda have also been circulated in the current election campaign in Romania. They transpired not only in the rhetoric of far-right parties, which for years have internalized such theses, but also in the statements of certain politicians aligned to Romania's pro-Western course.

Russian narratives promoted by pro-Georgescu influencers on Instagram and TikTok

Romanian influencers, like the sports agent Ana Maria Prodan, continue to promote Călin Georgescu. Just like their favorite, influencers have been amplifying a series of Russian narratives, most of them adapted to Romania, but also all kinds of pseudo-scientific or conspiracy nonsense.

Ludmila Țurcanu/Bucharest, Romania
read time: 6 min
Sovereigntist Romania – from TikTok to polling stations

From Diana Șoșoacă's “pen revolution” to George Simion's “giro giro girofaru” posts and #CălinGeorgescu, sovereigntists have taken Romania’s TikTok by storm, a space where they campaigned even on election day. Altogether, sovereigntist candidates grabbed nearly 40% of total votes.

Ludmila Țurcanu/Bucharest, Romania
read time: 8 min
Trump’s victory and Europe. The party is over. What’s next?

Donald Trump (re)winning the White House could give a long-term boost to the far right in Europe, but it could also encourage the EU to rely more on itself.

Iulian Comănescu/Brussels, Belgium
read time: 9 min
Opinions All
Veridica
13 May 2025

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.

George Simion, accused by former collaborators of lying and manipulating others

George Simion made a name for himself as an anti-establishment activist and a militant for the unification of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, first with “Noii Golani” (The New Rascals), then with “Acțiunea 2012” (Action 2012). His collaborators from back then claim that the leader of AUR manipulated and lied to them in order to achieve his goals. They accuse Simion of violence, using minors and the destruction of the unionist movement. Others say that he would disappear for days, only to return with ready-made plans for future actions.

Ludmila Țurcanu/Bucharest, Romania
read time: 8 min
Romania has become a “laboratory” for Europe’s extremists

George Simion wants to take over the MAGA image, and his good score in the presidential election has brought him to the attention of European extremists. However, a sovereignist policy would spell economic costs and political isolation for Romania.

Iulian Comănescu/Brussels, Belgium
read time: 7 min
Voting split abroad: a pro-EU Moldova, a pro-Sovereignist West

Romanians in the Republic of Moldova overwhelmingly voted for Nicușor Dan, even though the ruling party, PAS, supported Crin Antonescu. Directly threatened by Moscow, the Moldovans rejected George Simion who, although he declared himself a unionist, is perceived as pro-Russian across the Prut. On the other hand, George Simion got most of the votes of the Romanian diaspora in Europe, which until recently preferred candidates and parties defined as pro-European and reformist.

Veridica
read time: 8 min
Fake News, Disinformation & Propaganda All
Cezar Manu/Bucharest, Romania
12 May 2025

FAKE NEWS: Romania to annul the presidential election again

Romanian authorities want to annul the presidential election again, a Russian propaganda publication claims.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Europe and Ukraine want to hijack Victory Day

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, the European states that are supporting Ukraine are forming a neo-Hitlerite coalition meant to overshadow the Soviet victory in World War II.

Marin Gherman/Cernauti, Ukraine
read time: 5 min
FAKE NEWS: Europe destroyed Moldovan agriculture

The EU destroyed Moldovan agriculture, and the integration process deepens the crisis, a Russian website writes. In fact, Moscow imposed embargoes on Moldovan agricultural products, and the EU helped the Republic of Moldova.

Veridica
read time: 3 min
WAR PROPAGANDA: The war in Ukraine was planned by NATO

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, the NATO states forced Ukraine to go to war against Russia, though Moscow repeatedly tried to resolve the conflict peacefully.

Marin Gherman/Cernauti, Ukraine
read time: 4 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.

Multimedia All
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
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.

Andrei Soldatov: Putin's Russia, from CEKA to FSB
Putin's blacklist
read time: 1 min
Andrei Soldatov: Putin's Russia, from CEKA to FSB

Andrei Soldatov is an investigative journalist, one of the best experts on the Russian secret services, blacklisted by Putin's regime and forced to choose exile. The Romanian version of his book "Compatriots: The Brutal and Chaotic History of Exiles, Emigrants and Russian Agents Abroad" was recently published. A discussion of clandestine operations, active measures and political assassinations of the last century and the present.

Dan Stoenescu, Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union to Syria: “The situation in Ukraine is also affecting Syria”
Op-ed
read time: 19 min
Dan Stoenescu, Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union to Syria: “The situation in Ukraine is also affecting Syria”

Syria remains a country ravaged by conflict and a deep humanitarian crisis, a place of conflicting interests of multiple state and non-state actors, says the Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union to Syria, Dan Stoenescu*. In an interview for TVR and Veridica, Dan Stoenescu explained that, although it doesn’t recognize the Assad regime, the EU keeps communication channels open in order to provide assistance to the Syrian people. The EU official also spoke about the link between the war in Syria and the one in Ukraine.