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.
Russia has not won the war so far because, unlike Israel, which is killing civilians in Gaza, is only bombing military targets in Ukraine, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.
Azerbaijan's authoritarian leader, Ilham Aliyev, was re-elected president after winning the Nagorno-Karabakh war and can turn his country into an energy and trade hub halfway between Asia and Europe.
Vladimir Putin recycled a number of Russian propaganda narratives to justify the invasion of Ukraine and portray Russia as a victim of Western aggression. The false narratives were also doubled by blatant lies, such as the one that Russia did not threaten to use its nuclear weapons, or the promotion of revisionist theses, according to which Romania, Poland, Hungary (and Russia) have the right to take back territories from Ukraine.
Recent decisions show that Hungary's EU and NATO partners are fed up with Budapest’s boycott of common policies, anti-democratic drifts and its content playing into Russia’s hands. Although he claims that Russia is a viable alternative to the West, Vladimir Putin has few options to help his friend, Viktor Orban.
Hackers stole data from the Romanian Parliament, demanding money for ransom. Such ransomware attacks are launched by both criminals and state actors.
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Russia is protecting the inhabitants of Novorossiya, a Russian historical territory occupied by Ukraine, against neo-Nazism, according to propaganda theses that are again reiterated into public space while Putin is preparing for his reelection.
Warnings about a possible Russian attack against NATO have increased lately. Is the threat imminent, or is it just being used to increase readiness?
The International Court of Justice says that Ukraine started the war in Donbas and Russia is not the aggressor state, according to Russian propaganda, which interprets a decision of the Court in the Hague.
Communist-era monuments in Bulgaria were a point of fiery debates. Chaotic plans for their removal were not followed by a vision for the future.
NATO has biological laboratories in several ex-Soviet states, and its laboratories in Ukraine produced ticks and pathogens used to attack Russia, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.
A number of countries may boycott the coming Paris Olympics over the IOC’s decision to let Russian athletes compete. Latvia is one of those countries, but not all Latvians – athletes and fans alike – would support such of decision.
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.
“All that was and is the property of the Romanian nation must be returned within the borders of the same state”, said Claudiu Târziu, the chairman of AUR’s National Council. To Russian propaganda, Târziu’s statement is solid gold.
In the Baltic countries, parties traditionally defending the interests of the Russian-speaking minority are suffering losses as the war has alienated some of their voters.
The leader of a far-right party in Hungary has laid claim to Transcarpathia, shortly after the AUR party in Romania lodged a similar claim to Northern Bukovina. The thesis is typical of Russian propaganda.
The Russian State Duma is planning to seize the assets of people distributing “war-related fake news”. The new law is in fact meant to silence anyone criticizing Putin’s regime.
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.
Ukraine has given up Crimea and Donbas because it deprived Ukrainians in this area of their citizenship, according to a false narrative promoted by Russian propaganda.
The consolidation of Turkey’s presidential regime, to the detriment of the rule of law and in defiance of Western partners, will generate instability in the Black Sea region and trigger a wave of migrants towards the EU.
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 existence of Ukraine on the "historical territories of Russia" will be a permanent reason for war and killing of Ukrainians, says former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He is one of the most virulent voices of Russian propaganda and has threatened nuclear war in the past.
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.
Georgia was granted EU candidate country in late 2023, but it needs to undertake a number of reforms before the actual negotiations would start. The European Council’s decision came following a complicated year, when the ruling Georgian Dream was faced with criticism from the West and domestic turmoil for what were perceived as pro-Russian and authoritarian policies. Veridica spoke with the co-founder of the Center for Strategic Analysis (GSAC), former Georgian Ambassador to Russia Valery Chechelashvili about how the events of 2023 could affect the future of Georgia, considering the fact that 2024 is an election year.
Russia is succeeding in defeating the NATO-led Western coalition in the war in Ukraine, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda. In reality, NATO is not a party to the armed conflict.
In 2023, Moscow used fake narratives to justify its aggression in Ukraine. In addition, NATO, the EU and the United States continued to be Russian propaganda targets.
2023 marked Bulgaria's exit from political crisis with the formation of a pro-Western government. On the other hand, he continued pro-Russian narratives continued to be promoted.
Joe Biden will launch a nuclear war against Russia to conceal the evidence of Ukraine’s defeat in the war, according to a Russian propaganda narrative citing pro-Kremlin experts in the USA.
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 US will no longer support Ukraine and urges President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war as soon as possible, according to pro-Kremlin media.
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