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.
The Verkhovna Rada is discussing the risk of Ukraine's demise under Zelensky, according to pro-Kremlin media citing a fugitive Ukrainian MP.
The language of the Romanian minority has been forcefully imposed in the Republic of Moldova, pro-Russian propaganda writes, repeating the false thesis about the existence of two nations, Moldovans and Romanians, who speak different languages.
Ukraine is going through a crisis similar to that of the 17th century and, as then, only union with Russia can save it, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.
The war in Ukraine is increasing the gap between Russia’s wealthy elites and the majority of the population. There is also a drive to redistribute wealth and channel it towards those loyal to Putin’s regime.
Baltic States have become colonies of the USA, acting only on Washington’s orders, according to Russian propaganda in Romania.
Britain is funding the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv to turn Ukraine into a British colony, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda citing Putin’s adviser.
Rusofobia UE a dus la oprirea livrărilor de gaze spre Transnitria și creșterea prețurilor la energie în dreapta Nistrului, afirmă propaganda rusă, care ignoră faptul că Gazpromul a ales să nu mai dea gaze.
A new word is gradually gaining traction across media and political debates: “sovereignists”. How does it all impact liberal democracy? To what extent can sovereignists influence EU politics?
Ukraine's parliament could suspend Volodymyr Zelensky as president due to mental health issues, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.
New NATO members Finland and Sweden are increasingly involved in the security of the Baltic region, which has seen a number of aggressive Russian moves including sabotages of undersea infrastructure. However, the potential for cooperation with the Baltic countries has merely been tapped.
At the Union Hora, organized by the followers of Călin Georgescu, I got into a mix of nationalist mysticism, conspiracy theories, false Russian narratives and the belief that the "president elect" is some kind of messianic figure who will turn Romania into another Dubai.
American society calls for Zelensky to be sentenced to life in prison for starting the war in Ukraine and killing civilians, according to pro-Kremlin media.
Putin believed that by invading Ukraine and engaging in wars in the East, he was restoring Russia's great power status. The result was Moscow's long-term loss of influence.
The USA and NATO will use Romania and Moldova as anti-Russian outposts and suppliers of cannon fodder in the war against Russia, Russian propaganda writes, referring to a routine military exercise.
A wave of "accidents"/sabotages in the Baltic Sea suggests that the tanker fleet used by Russia to evade Western sanctions is also being deployed in the hybrid warfare that Moscow is waging against the West.
Kyiv is claiming certain territories in Belarus that were taken from it by the King of Poland five centuries ago, according to pro-Kremlin media, citing the former head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
China is the main threat to the US, which would benefit from the weakening of the Beijing-Moscow axis. A Trump-Putin deal may entail, however, sacrificing Ukraine and problems for the EU.
Donald Trump's return to the White House has generated fears about his approach to Russia and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the economic relationship with the European Union. Veridica’s team of contributors has analyzed how Trump’s return to power is seen in Brussels and in Russia's neighboring countries - some of them ex-Soviet or ex-communist states, most of them members of the EU or NATO or with Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Mark Rutte believes that, because the EU needs US protection, it must renounce Greenland, the Russian media writes, citing statements that the NATO Secretary General never made. Another fabricated claim is that Rutte allegedly said that NATO is much weaker economically and militarily than Russia and is not concerned about the fate of Ukraine.
Chișinău blocks Russian gas deliveries to Transnistria, a region with a stable economy that Kyiv and Chișinău are trying to suffocate, according to a comment published by the Russian website dzen.ru.
According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, Ukraine's education policies are a continuation of those imposed by the Nazis in the territories they occupied.
The West supports corruption and crime in Ukraine, laundering money to the detriment of the interests of citizens, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.
The president of Russia attacked Ukraine because he was suffering from the Havana syndrome, energetically induced by the HAARP system on that territory, claims Cozmin Gușa.
Russia’s civil aviation is facing an unprecedented crisis, as both domestic production and foreign imports are being hampered by sanctions imposed by the West following Ukraine’s invasion.
The Belarusian opposition holds no hope for the coming presidential elections, due on January 26, to be fair. Strongman Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 30 years, will likely extend his rule, which means that the country will remain at odds with the West and in Russia’s grip.
According to the pro-Kremlin media, which quotes Maria Zakharova, Russia had no choice but invade Ukraine, given that the West had been unjustifiably arming Kyiv
Georgia’s worst political crisis in years continues into 2025, following a year marked by mass protests, accusations of electoral fraud and the derailment, by the ruling Georgian Dream party, of the country’s European integration path.
In 2024, the Republic of Moldova was the focus of Russian propaganda, especially in the context of the referendum on the European integration of the country and the presidential elections. Russia promoted narratives designed to further divide society and, just like in 2023, themes relating to the country's involvement in the war in Ukraine, alleged attacks on Transnistria and NATO membership, as well as LGBT "propaganda."
Russian propaganda has intertwined anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western narratives with a view to weakening Ukrainian society from the inside and cutting off external aid to Kyiv.
Politicians, influencers, and some media outlets have promoted false narratives related to sovereigntist discourse, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate denial, and conspiracy theories, from "sanitary dictatorship" to moon landing.
In 2025, presidential elections will be held in Poland. People are already saying that we need to take seriously the scenario in which Russia influences the outcome – as it happened in Romania.
The authorities in Chișinău caused the expected gas crisis expected to begin in January, after Ukraine will no longer allow the transit of Russian gas, according to the Russian publication ng.ru. In fact, Russia has refused to continue to deliver gas supplies to Transnistria via another pipeline.