USSR: Latest news, analysis, video interviews, video reports

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine, a Russian invention now run by non-Ukrainians

WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine, a Russian invention now run by non-Ukrainians

According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, Ukraine cannot exist without Russia, and the political elites in Kyiv are made up of non-Ukrainians who want to destroy the country.

Marin Gherman
Marin Gherman
26 Apr 2024
The Estonian city where people still believe old Soviet lies

The Estonian city where people still believe old Soviet lies

An exhibition in Narva, dedicated to the Soviet bombing of this Estonian city in 1944 and comparing it to Russian bombardments of Ukraine, has outraged some local residents and politicians. The reactions are at least partly influenced by overexposure to Soviet and Russian propaganda.

Olesja Lagashina
Olesja Lagashina
28 Mar 2024
DISINFORMATION: EU sanctions for Moldovans, reminiscent of Stalinist deportations

DISINFORMATION: EU sanctions for Moldovans, reminiscent of Stalinist deportations

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.

Veridica
Veridica
08 Mar 2024
Is Putin afraid of women who demand the return of Russian servicemen from the front?

Is Putin afraid of women who demand the return of Russian servicemen from the front?

Putin has so far avoided a confrontation with the women who demand the return of servicemen from the front in Ukraine. History shows that Russian women are capable of causing trouble for authoritarian regimes.

Cosmin Popa
Cosmin Popa
14 Feb 2024
Vladimir Putin's lies in the interview to Tucker Carlson

Vladimir Putin's lies in the interview to Tucker Carlson

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.

Marin Gherman
Marin Gherman
10 Feb 2024
Bulgaria’s Monumental Problem

Bulgaria’s Monumental Problem

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.

Svetoslav Todorov
Svetoslav Todorov
31 Jan 2024
DISINFORMATION: Today's emigration from Moldova is similar to Stalinist deportations

DISINFORMATION: Today's emigration from Moldova is similar to Stalinist deportations

The deportation of Bessarabians in the USSR is similar to today's economic migration, according to a narrative that tries to trivialize one of the great Stalinist crimes.

Veridica
Veridica
28 Aug 2023
Why is Kharkiv so important for both Ukrainians and Russians. An outpost of the “Russian world” vs. a symbol of Ukraine

Why is Kharkiv so important for both Ukrainians and Russians. An outpost of the “Russian world” vs. a symbol of Ukraine

The successful counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kharkiv region was not just the result of good tactical planning, but also a consequence of pro-Ukrainian sentiment at society level, determined by the country’s history, its invaluable cultural legacy and the positive experience of the first two phases of fighting off the Russian aggression.

Marin Gherman
Marin Gherman
13 Sep 2022
DISINFORMATION: If the Republic of Moldova had remained a part of Romania, it would have been an underdeveloped region, with an illiterate population serving Romanians’ interests

DISINFORMATION: If the Republic of Moldova had remained a part of Romania, it would have been an underdeveloped region, with an illiterate population serving Romanians’ interests

The population of the Republic of Moldova would have been illiterate, forced to serve Romanians, had its territory remained part of Romania, reads a false narrative launched by a pro-Russian publication. The narrative was launched after a settlement in the Republic of Moldova commemorated the Romanian servicemen killed in World War II.

Veridica
Veridica
08 Aug 2022
DISINFORMATION: The Soviet regime did not organize the famine in Bessarabia

DISINFORMATION: The Soviet regime did not organize the famine in Bessarabia

The famine in Bessarabia was not organized by the Soviet regime, it was a consequence of the drought and the local authorities’ lack of action, and Moscow helped Moldavians. The false narrative appears in an online publication close to the Kremlin, and the purpose is to exonerate the totalitarian Soviet regime, which imposed itself through terror.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
31 Jul 2022
The Latvian war with Soviet monuments and how it was stepped up after the invasion of Ukraine

The Latvian war with Soviet monuments and how it was stepped up after the invasion of Ukraine

Respected and hated. Saw a lot of flowers, but was also cursed and even blown up. That’s the fate of the Monument of Victory in Riga which is, probably, going to be demolished as a consequence of Russia’s large scale invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of other Soviet era monuments may soon follow

Kaspars Germanis
Kaspars Germanis
29 Jun 2022
How May 9 turned from a celebration of the might of Russia and the USSR into a day of solidarity with Ukraine

How May 9 turned from a celebration of the might of Russia and the USSR into a day of solidarity with Ukraine

Outside Russia, Moscow’s representatives and supporters tried to mark Victory Day in ex-Soviet and ex-communist countries, but in most cases, their actions were overshadowed by protest actions against Russia’s acts of aggression or demonstrations of solidarity with Ukraine. Veridica’s contributors in ex-Soviet and ex-communist states have closely followed May 9 celebrations.

Cătălin Gomboș
Cătălin Gomboș
11 May 2022
PHOTOREPORT – The May 9 parade in Chișinău: between Soviet nostalgia and the blurred memory of the USSR’s glory days

PHOTOREPORT – The May 9 parade in Chișinău: between Soviet nostalgia and the blurred memory of the USSR’s glory days

May 9 was a much anticipated event in Chișinău: a recent law forbids the public display of symbols associated with the Russian army and the invasion of Ukraine – the ribbon of Saint George and the letters Z and V. Previously, pro-Russians had announced they would ignore the law. Fears were running high that public unrest might break out. That wasn’t the case, and the demonstration actually resembled a display of communist nostalgia rather than an act of solidarity with Russia.

Mădălin Necșuțu
Mădălin Necșuțu
09 May 2022
DISINFORMATION: The banning of Russian army symbols is an insult to Moldova's history and values

DISINFORMATION: The banning of Russian army symbols is an insult to Moldova's history and values

Moldovans must be grateful to the USSR because they were liberated in 1945 and were later able to found a state. The narrative, launched after the Republic of Moldova banned symbols associated with the Russian army and the invasion of Ukraine, ignores the fact that the USSR was an aggressor at the beginning of World War II, and at the end of it became an occupying power.

Mariana Vasilache
Mariana Vasilache
16 Apr 2022