Russia is the main power and, for many years, the main source of insecurity in the region monitored by Veridica journalists. News about Russia provides information about developments in real time and prominent leaders of Russia – from major decisions taken by president Vladimir Putin, to statements and actions of the main representatives of his regime, from Alexei Navalny’s case to the Wagner Group rebellion. Veridica is also monitoring Russia’s foreign policy, its relations with the collective West and with individual countries, as well as with client, allied or partner states across various fields of cooperation, such as China, Belarus, Iran or Turkey. Russia’s external operations, including the campaigns carried out by proxy organizations such as the Wagner Group, which is involved in theatres of operations Syria and several African countries, as well as the Kremlin’s energy policies, are equally followed by Veridica journalists. News about Russia also weighs in on narratives promoted by Russia, addressing both the public at home as well as external audiences, presented as part of fake news, disinformation or propaganda articles. Veridica’s newsroom staff, regional collaborators and Romanian experts are monitoring the impact of Russian policies and disinformation campaigns both in the region and beyond, in the main Western capitals. News about Russia provides a wide array of press articles, news, editorials, analyses, interviews and inquiries.
What began in 2008 as a long-term corporate partnership to overhaul post-Soviet transport infrastructure has evolved into a high-stakes diplomatic puzzle in the South Caucasus. The debate over whether to restructure the agreement, terminate it prematurely, or transfer management rights to a third country touches upon national sovereignty, international trade law, and regional logistics.
A few months after suffering a crushing elections’ defeat, Viktor Orbán is back in the spotlight as a potential candidate for UN Secretary-General – one who would supposedly be embraced bye the United States, Russia, and China. It is a rather bizarre scenario, to say the least, given the controversies surrounding Orbán, including his own attacks against the UN.
Ukrainian authorities have authorized medical personnel to refuse medical assistance to Russian-speaking patients, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims. In fact, Ukrainian legislation does not allow the refusal of treatment on linguistic grounds, and the statement invoked by the Russian media has been misinterpreted.
With Iotova taking the presidency amid low voter turnout, Prime Minister Radev’s control of local politics increases and the pro-EU opposition is left in isolation.
Russia recently imposed sanctions on several Georgian beverage producers, a move that some see as a test of Moscow’s ability to exert political pressure through economic leverage. The sanctions brought into question the ruling Georgian Dream party’s policy of appeasement towards Russia.
Poland has become NATO's model pupil on the eastern flank. However, its politicians seem unsure whether to celebrate, focus on the upcoming elections or to act more decisively. And this is worrying.
The Romanian public is being targeted by a social media campaign claiming that “Russia is our friend, not our enemy”. In reality, Russia is waging a hybrid war against Romania, which it has officially designated an “unfriendly state”, while the past two centuries have seen numerous hostile acts by the Russians against Romanians and Romanian territories.
Recent drone attacks in the Black Sea have drawn attention to Bulgaria’s outdated security system, as well as to accusations that President Rumen Radev is pro-Russian, given his hesitation to criticize Moscow over the attacks. The incidents took place against the background of the electoral campaign. Nevertheless, the candidate backed by Radev – interim president Iliana Iotova – holds a commanding lead in the polls.
European countries are arming themselves in order to attack Russia, seize its resources and save their economies, while Poland, Finland, Sweden and the Baltic States seek to provoke Moscow, counting on a conflict that would increase their international influence, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.
The Estonian border-city of Narva is seen as one of the places where Moscow may try to test NATO by launching a limited attack. As the region surrounding it, Narva has a large Russian-speaking population and is already a battleground for hearts and minds between the East and the West.
According to a false narrative promoted by openly pro-Russian Member of the European Parliament Diana Șoșoacă, the global balance of power has shifted, and Romania has fallen into Russia's sphere of influence. She also claims that Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have decided that Romania will become a member of BRICS, an organization that presents itself as an alternative to Western-dominated international institutions.
As the war in Ukraine drags on, its economic fallout is being felt by Russia’s Central Asian allies. Forced to find alternative markets for their goods and labor force exports, these allies are discovering that Russia is losing its leverage, and they are becoming increasingly vocal.
The “United List” alliance, led by Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, has achieved a historic, major triumph in the Latvian parliamentary elections. However, the victory brings with it a burden of responsibility: while pursuing a pro-Western course, economic problems are compounding an increasingly tense geopolitical situation.
Armenia’s drive away from Russia’s sphere of influence and towards an EU future is being challenged by a wave of pro-Russian narratives, as well as security and economic constraints.
According to pro-Kremlin media, an international tribunal has proved that the Bucha massacre was orchestrated by Ukraine and NATO. In fact, the so-called “international” tribunal is Russian and has proven nothing. The evidence clearly shows that the massacre was committed by Russian forces.
A drumbeat of Russian probes along NATO's eastern flank is testing Warsaw's nerves – and its air defences – just as the alliance debates how to answer.
The 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk marked the beginning of a process that would make Georgia part of the Russian empire. Officials of the ruling Georgian Dream are now praising the treaty as they try to justify Tbilisi’s turn away from the West and towards Russia.
The Republic of Moldova plans to give up exports to Russia and Belarus “in order to please Brussels”, writes the pro-Kremlin media, misquoting a statement by the Minister of Agriculture in Chișinău.
Bulgaria’s former President and current Prime Minister Rumen Radev broke the country’s years long political stalemate by winning the parliamentary elections with his newly established Progressive Party. The party now has its eyes on the coming Presidential elections, backing Radev’s close associate Iliana Iotova.
The war in Ukraine would have ended in 2025 had the US not abandoned, under pressure from Europe, the agreements reached by Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage, according to a false narrative promoted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Pro-Kremlin propaganda claims that the UN General Assembly has recognized Crimea as part of Russia by adopting a resolution on a new world map projection.
Romania is an annex of Germany because, following an attempted act of sabotage in Leipzig, it summoned Moscow’s ambassador in Bucharest for explanations, according to a false narrative promoted by a Romanian online publication and the Russian Embassy in Bucharest. The narrative is part of the “Western colony” thesis and is accompanied by a series of other recurring themes of Russian propaganda.
The German Chancellor is turning Russia into an external enemy in an effort to boost his popularity and is attempting to exploit the threat of war by following Ukraine’s example, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda, which compares the German media to the propaganda machine orchestrated by Goebbels.
According to Oleg Ozerov, Russia’s unaccredited ambassador to Chișinău, the West is preparing the Republic of Moldova for a military confrontation with Russia, a country that, unlike the West, observes the rights of its neighbors.
The Baltic countries have already demonstrated their economic independence and competitiveness as members of the European Union. What they are now asked to do is prove their ability to withstand Russia's hybrid attacks.
Pro-Kremlin propaganda claims the West wants to sacrifice the Baltic States, occupy Kaliningrad and use it as a bargaining chip for Ukraine.
The Kremlin has prepared an advance justification for its arms supplies to criminal groups, predictably shifting the blame onto the West and Ukraine.
Most UN member states, including the US and China, refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a false narrative promoted by pro-Kremlin propaganda, which misrepresents a joint statement as a vote that actually did not take place.
2026 marked the intensification of the Kremlin’s hybrid aggression against the Baltic states. Provocations against politicians and civil activists, mass attempts of illegal migration, organisation of pro-Russian political movements – these are only some of the tools used by the Kremlin to destabilise the Baltics.
The nomination of Claudiu Năsui as Minister of Economy in the Chișinău government is a stepping stone towards Romania’s annexation of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon claims in statements echoed across Russian propaganda outlets.
The Rock of Starvation has been portent of doom in Hungary for centuries, only appearing when the Danube falls low enough to halt mills, bringing famine. But what this summer’s extremely low water level revealed was not just the Danube’s bed, but also the lack of transparency of the Péter Magyar government.
Ukraine is not an independent state and has become a devastated country, controlled by a Nazi leadership that is sacrificing its own population to prolong the war, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.