Beyond Ukraine, Moscow is working on three fronts: strengthening the regime by "shaking up" its own elite, establishing governments-in-exile in former Soviet satellites, and promoting a pro-Russian discourse in the West.
Moldovans in Romania might renounce the Union of Romanian Principalities of 1859, due to the aggressive Romanianization policy promoted by Bucharest in the Republic of Moldova, a so-called political theorist from Transnistria says.
The proposed amendments to Romania's National Defense Law gave rise to disinformation narratives fostered by Russian propaganda and pro-Russians in the Republic of Moldova.
The administration of the autonomous territorial unit of Găgăuzia in the south of the Republic of Moldova seems to be the latest instrument Russia will use to hinder the European accession of the Republic of Moldova.
One of the most recently developed conspiracy theories is the one about the “Great Reset”, whereby the “World Government” is purportedly seeking to establish a totalitarian regime on a global scale.
Russian propaganda, alongside politicians, publicists and clerics from the Republic of Moldova, has been promoting for years narratives regarding the threats to the identity and even the existence of Moldova and Moldovans.
The United States and the West do not really provide financial support to the Republic of Moldova, but rather use its human capital, according to a narrative carried by the pro-Russian media in Chisinau.
By organizing the referendum on EU integration, Chișinău renounces Transnistria, says the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. He basically reiterates the thesis on the disintegration of the Republic of Moldova, promoted in Transnistria and Găgăuzia.
Isolated from Russia and marked by an economic crisis, Transnistria is forced to accept measures from Chisinau that it would have otherwise ignored. Tiraspol clings to an aggressive rhetoric, but doesn't really have many options at hand.
The government is forcing Moldova’s European integration on its citizens, according to a false narrative promoted by the fugitive criminal Ilan Shor and picked up by the pro-Kremlin media
Moldova is calling on Russia to remove hundreds of thousands of people from Transnistria, which means the majority of the population, according to pro-Kremlin media. In reality, Chisinau only wants the withdrawal of the Russian army.
Moldovan servicemen might fight in Ukraine under French flag, the Russian media writes, commenting on the signing of a French-Moldovan security agreement.
The sanctions the EU imposed against Moldovan citizens are reminiscent of Stalinist deportations, and lawmakers endorsing this decision resemble local collaborators of the NKVD, a pro-Russian news portal writes. The article also tries to promote the idea that Moldova’s EU accession allegedly violates the Constitution since it would be tantamount to promoting a certain ideology.
The alarmist predictions that Transnistria will call for the annexation to Russia or that Putin will announce the move in his speech before the Russian State Duma turned out to be unfounded. Separatists called on Moscow to protect them “through diplomatic measures”, but it seems to be an attempt to obtain concessions from Chișinău sooner than a step towards joining the Russian Federation.
Bulgaria’s pro-Russian far-right has been increasingly vocal and provocative, as it tries to take advantage of tensions within the pro-European, pro-Ukraine ruling coalition.
The European Union has taken control of the Moldovan banking system, and the authorities are burying the country in debt in order to hand it over to foreigners, Găgăuzia-based media falsely states, the article having been picked by the pro-Kremlin media as well.
Russian propaganda is constantly adapting its narratives in the context of the war in Ukraine, and as overt propaganda loses its effectiveness, it increasingly turns to disinformation and truncating part of the truth.
Romania gained nothing from joining the EU, where it is regarded as a second-tier country, and the same awaits the Republic of Moldova when it joins, pro-Russian propaganda writes.
Both Transnistria and the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia seem to be heating up, against the background of an increasingly fierce hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova.
Ukraine launched missile strikes on Moldova, Russian propaganda claims, turning Ukraine’s use of anti-air defenses into an act of war against Moldova. The article also ignores the fact that Russia was the one that violated Moldova’s sovereignty and its airspace.
According to the pro-Russian media, the referendum on the European integration of the Republic of Moldova is, in fact, aimed at getting the country involved in the war on the side of NATO.
According to a former communist deputy, Moldova's intention to leave the CIS has already triggered an economic decline and if it is carried through, the country will be facing a crisis.
The government says that the referendum on EU accession will clearly show the population's options. However, some see the public consultation set for fall as an electoral maneuver that could backfire against its initiators.
Integration into the EU means vassalage, according to a false narrative promoted by the Russian press, which also writes that the Republic of Moldova will not be accepted into the EU anyway, because the latter is facing a crisis.
The West wants to turn Moldova into an anti-Russian bridgehead, but Russia is the true partner of this country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said. Maria Zakharova also said, according to Russian and pro-Russian media, that the EU won’t bring any economic benefits to the Republic of Moldova.
Chisinau has levied customs duties on companies based in Transnistria in order to bring the region into Romania or under the umbrella of the West, says a separatist deputy, quoted by Russian and pro-Russian media. On this occasion, older narratives related to Transnistria and the conflict in the region have been revived.
The narratives were launched / amplified by Moscow and pro-Russians, and the theses included Moldova’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, an attack on Transnistria and EU rapprochement.
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.
The European Council's decision to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia indicates Brussels' desire to play a more active role in foreign policy. There are several reasons for this.
If Moldova joins the EU, Transnistria will become a destination for migrants and polluting industries, according to a pro-Kremlin publication, which also reads that the promises of European integration for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine were made only in order to distance the two countries from Russia and that none of them has, in fact, any chance of becoming a member of the EU.
The European Council has greenlit EU accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova despite Hungary’s opposition. Veridica has examined Budapest’s counterarguments and the way the announcement was received in Kyiv and Chișinău.
