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Analyses

Read on Veridica unbiased and straightforward analyses of hot topics on the international agenda. Our journalists and experts are examining the main events at international level, providing you with facts and relevant data, so you can better grasp the current geopolitical context.
12 things to know about the Ukrainian grain crisis

12 things to know about the Ukrainian grain crisis

Like many other topics linked to Ukraine, the grain crisis was also used to discredit Kyiv and undermine international assistance to this country. Certain aspects about this story have been exaggerated or taken out of context, while quite a few false narratives have also surfaced in the region. Veridica has examined 12 burning questions about the Ukrainian grain crisis.

Cezar Manu
Cezar Manu
29 Apr 2023
Russians in Latvia: pro-Ukraine or pro-Putin?

Russians in Latvia: pro-Ukraine or pro-Putin?

Latvia is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. However, around one quarter of its population is made up of Russian ethnics, and the number of those speaking Russian as a first language is higher. The war in Ukraine brought into focus the loyalties of that population – do they support Riga’s policy and Ukraine, or Russia’s aggression and president Vladimir Putin? No one seems to know the answer to that.

Kaspars Germanis
Kaspars Germanis
07 Apr 2023
Timeline: milestones of the Iraq War

Timeline: milestones of the Iraq War

The war in Iraq started with a campaign against Saddam Hussein’s army and ended with the defeat of the Islamic State. In-between these milestones, the Sunnis and Shiites staged insurrections and started a civil war. Thousands of suicide bomb attacks were carried out during this period while battles left whole cities destroyed. Veridica presents the milestones of one of the most devastating conflicts in the Middle East.

Cătălin Gomboș
Cătălin Gomboș
20 Mar 2023
What’s actually new in present-day Russia? How the Putin regime carried over the worst of the imperial and communist eras

What’s actually new in present-day Russia? How the Putin regime carried over the worst of the imperial and communist eras

Putin’s Russia is a conglomerate of toxic residue carried over from successive historical eras. From Russia’s imperial past, Russia inherited the fixation of becoming a global power. From the Soviet era, Putin sought to capitalize on the symbolic remnants of the superpower status, to make Russians believe this chapter in Russia’s history represented the pinnacle of their political existence. He added to this legacy the cynical and cunning attitudes specific to the criminal underworld, and he wrapped them in the illusion of power and wealth, to conceal the ruin and rot of widespread corruption.

Cosmin Popa
Cosmin Popa
17 Mar 2023
The elimination of the Moldovan language and the pro-Russians’ fury. Moscow is losing the key tools it used to maintain its influence in Moldova

The elimination of the Moldovan language and the pro-Russians’ fury. Moscow is losing the key tools it used to maintain its influence in Moldova

The linguistic and identity issue has persisted throughout the Republic of Moldova’s 30 years of independence. The most important claim during the national liberation movement of 1988-91 – the recognition of the Romanian language as the official language and the fact that Moldovans are part of the Romanian people – was hijacked in the following years by politicians from the old communist nomenclature, who also succeeded to include in the Constitution the phrase “the Moldovan language” as the state language.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
07 Mar 2023
The Russian independent media writes about the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions

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.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
02 Mar 2023
A year of war: top 10 moments

A year of war: top 10 moments

Russia launched its “special military operation” in the early hours of February 24. The scale and direction of the Russian attack show that Moscow was planning a blietzkrieg that would end with the beheading of the Ukrainian leadership and at least the seizing of the entire Black Sea coast to open the way to Transnistria. However, the Ukrainian resistance overturned Moscow's plans, and the conflict became a long-lasting one, in which both camps have scored successes, but also failures. Veridica presents 10 of the main moments of this war.

Cătălin Gomboș
Cătălin Gomboș
24 Feb 2023
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

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.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
22 Feb 2023
The Russian independent media describes how Kremlin censors operate and Moscow’s attempts at recruiting foreign mercenaries

The Russian independent media describes how Kremlin censors operate and Moscow’s attempts at recruiting foreign mercenaries

The Kremlin’s censors have little to monitor in terms of anti-Putin criticism, Russian investigative journalists note, after the entire opposition media in Russia was snuffed out or blocked. The Russian independent media also describe how the Kremlin has failed in recruiting mercenaries from Serbia for its Ukrainian war effort.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
14 Feb 2023
The Russian independent media writes about the West encouraging Russia’s aggression in the last thirty years, whether through indifference or collusion

The Russian independent media writes about the West encouraging Russia’s aggression in the last thirty years, whether through indifference or collusion

Russia’s imperialistic drive is the result of policies in the “liberal” ‘90s, which the West and Ukraine turned a blind eye to at the time, the Russian independent media writes. Independent publications also claim that, by invading Ukraine, Russia brought European closer together. Previously, Moscow was bankrolling MEPs to gather support for Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Independent journalists have also analyzed the attitude of Russian artists towards the war, and noticed that those artists who are particularly popular with the younger generations refrained from supporting the war and even criticized it.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
07 Feb 2023
The Russian independent media writes about the stream of dead coming from Ukraine and the failure of the Gerasimov doctrine

The Russian independent media writes about the stream of dead coming from Ukraine and the failure of the Gerasimov doctrine

Russian funeral businesses are overcrowded and cemeteries across the country are expanding or new ones are being created due to the large number of people killed in the war in Ukraine, the Russian independent media writes. Veridica has also discovered an analysis about the failure of the so-called Gerasimov doctrine, which was supposed to make the Russian army a modern force capable of fighting a new type of war with hybrid elements

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
30 Jan 2023
The Russian independent media writes about who killed Ukrainians in Dnipro and how the Putin regime uses fear to serve its interests

The Russian independent media writes about who killed Ukrainians in Dnipro and how the Putin regime uses fear to serve its interests

“In Russia, journalists don’t ask questions”, one officer suspected of having played a part in the bombing of a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro told a journalist. The Russian independent media also says that the Kremlin’s efforts to increase the size of its army are doomed to fail, and describes how the Putin regime is trying to keep the Russians in check and strike fear into the international community.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
23 Jan 2023
Georgia risks compromising its relation with the West and returning to Russia's orbit if ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili dies in prison

Georgia risks compromising its relation with the West and returning to Russia's orbit if ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili dies in prison

Over the past year, the health of the former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is serving a six-year prison sentence, has been a major topic of political debate both inside and outside of Georgia. The opposition and Saakashvili's lawyers say he should be transferred to a European clinic to be treated for mental illness, personality deterioration and severe depression. The government claims that the former president is faking it. Finally, signals are coming from Brussels that if Mikheil Saakashvili dies in detention, Georgia's European future could be jeopardized.

Diana Shanava
Diana Shanava
20 Jan 2023
The Russian independent media writes about the massacre in Makiivka, the Russification of deported Ukrainian children and a new arms race

The Russian independent media writes about the massacre in Makiivka, the Russification of deported Ukrainian children and a new arms race

The Russian authorities have for the first time admitted to sustaining heavy losses following a Ukrainian attack, and the shift in the communication strategy seems to be meant to prevent a scandal, the Russian independent media writes. Independent journalists also discuss the Russification of Ukrainian children deported to Russia and the arms race triggered in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
13 Jan 2023
The Estonian route: while trying to get to Europe, thousands of Ukrainian refugees are forced to go East to avoid the fighting

The Estonian route: while trying to get to Europe, thousands of Ukrainian refugees are forced to go East to avoid the fighting

Estonian city Narva and Russia’s Ivangorod are connected by a Friendship Bridge, a name that sounds quite ironic nowadays when many Ukrainian refugees use the bridge to make their way to Europe. They had to go East, then North, as their route West was blocked by the fighting. A network of Russian and Estonian volunteers has been helping these refugees. While some continue towards other European countries, many decided to stay in the small Baltic country, which is starting to feel overwhelmed.

Olesja Lagashina
Olesja Lagashina
12 Jan 2023
Romania in 2022: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION narratives debunked by Veridica

Romania in 2022: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION narratives debunked by Veridica

The war in Ukraine, sovereigntist rhetoric and conspiracy theories regarding the so-called sanitary dictatorship were the topics of scores of disinformation narratives and fake news published in Romania in 2022. They were promoted by/on various media outlets (România liberă, Național, Activenews, GoldFM, gândește.org etc.) as well as on social media by controversial figures such as Sorin Roșca Stănescu, Cosmin Gușă, Diana Șoșoacă and Adrian Severin.

Cătălin Gomboș
Cătălin Gomboș
09 Jan 2023
The Republic of Moldova 2022: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica

The Republic of Moldova 2022: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica

The war launched by Russia in Ukraine also led to an intensification of the use of propaganda materials, fake news and disinformation targeting the Republic of Moldova. The goal was to discredit the West and undermine the values it promotes, but also to blame the pro-European government for the economic and social issues initially triggered by the Covid pandemic, then by the war.

Veridica
Veridica
06 Jan 2023
The Russian independent media writes about the economic fallout of the war

The Russian independent media writes about the economic fallout of the war

The war in Ukraine is costing Russia more and more every day, the Russian independent media writes, reporting on the budget deficit for 2022 and the budget for 2023, also referring to the problems facing the industry sector, where the focus is on military production.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
04 Jan 2023
Why Putin’s Russia is fascist and why Ukraine is fighting on behalf of the free world and needs to win*

Why Putin’s Russia is fascist and why Ukraine is fighting on behalf of the free world and needs to win*

On February 24, 2022, the free world woke up to a dystopia. It had believed in peace more than it did in the signs of war, and had invested Putin with its good faith, just as it had done with Hitler in the years leading up to World War II. Russia has reintroduced large-scale war into a post-modern, hedonist society whose instincts were weakened by peace and prosperity, thus restoring evil to a global standing. Prior to the launch of the invasion, Europe hadn’t seen an interstate conflict in over 75 years. Any counterfactual examination is obviously pointless, but still, the question remains: how could the West fail again to foresee the predictable advent of a totalitarian regime with fascist overtones and the start of a new war in Europe?

Marian Voicu
Marian Voicu
26 Dec 2022
The Russian independent media writes about deserting servicemen and Moscow’s “crisis propaganda”

The Russian independent media writes about deserting servicemen and Moscow’s “crisis propaganda”

Russian servicemen sent to the frontline in Ukraine are trying to flee the war and dodge military service, and the authorities respond by putting them on trial, the Russian independent media writes. Independent journalists also look at the Kremlin’s response to the defeats sustained by the Russian army in Ukraine: it fashioned a “crisis propaganda”.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
23 Dec 2022
Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are leaving the “Russian Spy Bank”, while Hungary stands with Russia

Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are leaving the “Russian Spy Bank”, while Hungary stands with Russia

The decision of the four countries to leave the International Investment Bank (IIB), also known as the “Russian Spy Bank”, came within days of Russia invading Ukraine. The legal proceedings were cumbersome in certain countries, due to the financial risks such a move entailed. Set up in 1970, the Bank continues to operate today in Budapest, although key decisions are taken in Moscow.

Marian Voicu
Marian Voicu
21 Dec 2022
Eastern Europe, just a stop on the New Silk Road. Chinese investments, limited by government restrictions, but also by Beijing's lack of interest

Eastern Europe, just a stop on the New Silk Road. Chinese investments, limited by government restrictions, but also by Beijing's lack of interest

Rich Western countries with important markets are a major stake for China. Chinese companies are also present, to a lesser extent, in Central and Eastern Europe. But is this region a stake in itself for Beijing, or just a “stop” on the New Silk Road to the West? How extensive are bilateral relations and to what extent are they influenced by the West? Veridica collaborators in the region – Bulgaria, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine – have tried to answer these questions.

Cătălin Gomboș
Cătălin Gomboș
19 Dec 2022
The Russian independent media writes about the Kremlin’s propaganda in Europe and hunting down “terrorists” among “neo-Nazis” and pupils

The Russian independent media writes about the Kremlin’s propaganda in Europe and hunting down “terrorists” among “neo-Nazis” and pupils

The Russian independent media writes that Russian special services have developed a new propensity for “preventing” terrorist attacks perpetrated by Ukrainian “nationalists”. Journalists also note that the Kremlin’s official channels are still followed by Russians in the European diaspora, although they have been banned at EU level.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
16 Dec 2022
Auschwitz-Birkenau. Death at a wave of a finger

Auschwitz-Birkenau. Death at a wave of a finger

As the years pass, the last witnesses to the nightmare of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the death factory where more than a million Jews from all over Europe were exterminated, are passing away. What remains is the camp itself, and the objects within it that allow historians and conservationists to learn the stories of individuals. Their stories not only help to understand the tragedy of the victims who were exterminated here, but add a human, personal dimension to these memories.

Confronting Memories
Confronting Memories
14 Dec 2022
Russian independent media: the Kremlin is willing to sustain heavy losses if that’s what it takes to continue the war in Ukraine

Russian independent media: the Kremlin is willing to sustain heavy losses if that’s what it takes to continue the war in Ukraine

The Russian independent media writes that losses among the ranks of the recently mobilized will soon reach 100 thousand people, but that’s not going to stop Putin. On the contrary, the Russian president will send every young recruit to the frontline as well. Independent journalists also tell the story of a couple recently arrested in Sweden, tied to the Russian military intelligence and the people who poisoned Sergey and Yulia Skripal.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
01 Dec 2022
Russian independent media: Prigozhin’s sends inmates to war, FSO plans to defend Putin with hypnotists and psychics

Russian independent media: Prigozhin’s sends inmates to war, FSO plans to defend Putin with hypnotists and psychics

The Russian independent media writes that a record-high number of inmates has disappeared from Russian prisons, after having been enrolled by Putin’s friend in the war against Ukraine. On the other hand, focus groups commissioned by the Kremlin reveal that the population opposes the war, contrary to the Kremlin’s wishes. Russian journalists also describe how generals guarding Putin want to use priests, hypnotists and psychics to bolster his protection.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
25 Nov 2022
Drone wars: from Afghanistan to Ukraine

Drone wars: from Afghanistan to Ukraine

Originally developed as surveillance aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – commonly known as drones – underwent a number of transformations, from aircraft used to carry out tactical airstrikes to weapons included in the arsenal of modern warfare, the same as artillery and aviation. Drones play a key role in the war in Ukraine as well, where in recent weeks they have been primarily used as instruments of terror.

Ionuț Iamandi
Ionuț Iamandi
24 Nov 2022
Russian independent media: Russian emigrants promote Kremlin, Moscow tries to conceal war casualties

Russian independent media: Russian emigrants promote Kremlin, Moscow tries to conceal war casualties

The Russian independent media revealed how Russian emigrants in the United States are being used to promote the Kremlin’s agenda, particularly after the annexation of Crimea and in the context of the war in Ukraine. Independent journalists also noticed that official webpages of Russian authorities did not publish the map of territories annexed in this war, as well as the fact that information on budget spending is now unavailable, preventing the media from estimating war casualties.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
18 Nov 2022
The Russian independent media writes about new recruits being sent to their death and the Russian army’s withdrawal from Kherson

The Russian independent media writes about new recruits being sent to their death and the Russian army’s withdrawal from Kherson

Whole battalions of Russians have been annihilated on the Ukrainian frontline, and soldiers are left behind by their commanders, the Russian independent media writes. Independent journalists also reveal how propaganda officers are trained to reflect one of the biggest failures of Putin’s war – the retreat from Kherson

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
11 Nov 2022
The Russian independent media writes about Russians fleeing mobilization and how Putin is accusing others of doing exactly what he is doing himself

The Russian independent media writes about Russians fleeing mobilization and how Putin is accusing others of doing exactly what he is doing himself

The Russian independent media writes that a third of Russian workers have left the country after the mobilization decree was passed. Journalists also note that fake news targeting the West stemming from Putin’s speech at the Valdai club could be true only if they pointed to Putin’s own actions.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
02 Nov 2022
The Russian independent media writes about who is bombing civilians in Ukraine and how the war has shattered the myths of Putin’s regime

The Russian independent media writes about who is bombing civilians in Ukraine and how the war has shattered the myths of Putin’s regime

Journalists have discovered the secret subdivision in the Russian army that is directing the missile attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Moreover, the independent media noticed that the myths underlying Putin’s regime have unraveled one after the other due to the war in Ukraine.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
26 Oct 2022
Serbia and Russia – a partnership for the future, or a dying relic of the past?

Serbia and Russia – a partnership for the future, or a dying relic of the past?

Serbia has been, for years, Russia’s closest ally in the Balkans. For Moscow, the relationship is a means to project an image of power and international relevance. Belgrade, on the other hand, plays the pro-Russian card to show that it has an alternative to a West that bruised its ego during the Kosovo war, but also for some pragmatic reasons, such as Russia’s support in the UN Security Council and its role as an energy provider. Belgrade’s real interests lie, however, with the EU, and the war in Ukraine may bring about a change – albeit a slow one – in its relationship with Russia.

Vuk Velebit
Vuk Velebit
14 Oct 2022
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