He works as a journalist since 2001, and he has been a Radio Romania war correspondent, between 2003 and 2008, in Iraq and Afghanistan; his interest in the Middle East dates, however, from 1993 to 1997, when he lived and studied in the region. Between 2009 and 2012 he was a correspondent for Radio Romania in the Republic of Moldova where, starting with the spring of 2011, he contributed to the establishment and coordination of Radio Romania Chisinau. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Bucharest and has a master's degree at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Bucharest - "Middle East - Languages and cultures in contact". He won several awards and distinctions, including "Young Journalist of the Year 2008", awarded by Freedom House Romania, for written report, and the Euro-Atlantic Association "Manfred Woerner" Award for war correspondence. He wrote "Piano Man in the House of War. Notes from Iraq and Afghanistan" (Bucharest: Corint Books, 2021).
In the recent legislative elections, the regime in Tehran scored a victory and suffered a defeat at the same time. The winners were exactly who the ayatollahs wanted to be, but the turnout was the lowest in the history of the Islamic republic. The victory shows that the regime's ultraconservatives are firmly in control of Iran, but the low turnout indicates a loss of popular support for a regime that has been increasingly challenged in recent years.
disinformation, manipulative stories and fake news continued to flood the media as usual. Maia Sandu, PAS and the West were again the favorite targets of disinformation and fake narratives. Fake news authors were pretty much unimaginative, as they have been over the course of the entire campaign, resorting to narratives they used before, both in the current campaign, as well as in previous ones: a victory for the right-wing would spell disaster for the country
Maia Sandu and PAS intend to give away Moldova’s natural resources to Western powers, allowing them to buy farmland at very low prices, sputnik.md writes, even though neither the president of the Republic of Moldova nor the party she founded have so far made any comments in this respect. The narrative is linked to the liberalization of the land market in Ukraine, a decision which was also the target of fake news disseminated by the Russian and pro-Russian media.
Veridica has debunked fake news about manipulating statistics in favor of Maia Sandu, her alleged links with fugitive oligarchs and her unrestricted use of the Intelligence and Security Service. All this while, we are told that non-governmental organizations (which Maia Sandu and PAS obviously work for) are on the brink of destroying the country, while the current “regime” – another reference to Maia Sandu, despite the fact that the president’s prerogatives are rather limited, and the country continues to be run by the Socialists and their allies – is ready to apply for NATO accession.
The “regime” in Chisinau wants to have the Republic of Moldova join NATO and is ready to make “unfriendly” gestures towards Russia, according to a false narrative promoted by Sputnik. The starting point of the narrative was the participation of a single Moldovan army platoon in a multi-national exercise to which, in the past, Russia would also be invited.
The Republic of Moldova is at a crossroads, politicians and analysts seeking to mobilize the electorate for the July parliamentary elections are saying. This is by no means the first “crossroads” in the country's electoral history: almost every time elections have taken place in the last 30 years, someone has described them as crucial to the country's future. No matter what Moldovans chose - whether they voted for those who promised to bring salvation or those about whom they were told would bring disaster - the country always took a step back and remained one of the most corrupt and probably the poorest country in Europe.
Russia has no choice but keep its troops in Transnistria, in order to ensure the peace and security of the region, which is allegedly targeted by the Republic of Moldova, Romania and NATO. The false narrative is spread by the Kremlin's bullhorn, Sputnik, in the context in which Transnistria has become one of the themes of the Chisinau election campaign.
Kyiv is using the war against Russia to forbid citizens from coming to church on Easter ad to attack Orthodox traditional values, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes.
Upsizing the NATO forces in Romania doesn’t makes any sense, as Russia does not intend to attack other states and promotes peace, according to the Russian MFA spokesperson. She ignored, however, the very reason for strengthening NATO's presence in the East: Moscow's aggressive policy.
Vladimir Putin is a good Christian, but his image has suffered because of Russophobia. These false narratives are based on statements made by the Archbishop of Thomis, Theodosius, and amplified by Sputnik. At the same time, the idea that Putin and Russia have nothing to do with Communism, which was imposed by the West, is also promoted.
Simona Halep experienced health problems at the Australian Open and was knocked out due to the anti-COVID vaccine she took. The narrative is promoted by activenews, a website with a predominantly anti-vaxx and coronasceptic editorial policy.
The QR code on the green pass helps impose the so-called “social credit” system, whereby Romanians (and the rest of mankind) will be enslaved by the global cabal. The false narrative is promoted by anti-vaxx and Eurosceptic media and is linked to older conspiracy theories regarding documents with biometric data.
The Djokovic vs. Australia scandal has turned the player into a symbol of the anti-vaxxer movement and led to the emergence or resurrection of many false narratives about the pandemic or Serbia.
Ukraine would need two fully equipped mechanized divisions to push the Russian forces out of the four regions annexed in the fall, according to the reserve lieutenant general Cătălin Tomiță Tomescu, tank officer and former commander of the Multinational Corps South East (MNC-SE ), NATO’s regional command. General Tomescu warns, however, that its human and material resources are an advantage to Russia, as well as the fact that its leaders are indifferent to the huge losses they are experiencing on the front.
A key piece in the so-called "axis of resistance" built in recent decades by Iran has fallen. Russia loses its most important Arab ally in the Middle East. The future of Syria, uncertain. Risk of regional war.
Russia is fighting a “holy war” against the evil embodied by a coalition of Nazis, Islamists, Westerners and the LGBT community, according to a narrative promoted, among others, by the Moscow Patriarchate. The thesis regarding a “fight between Good and Evil”, which includes this narrative as well, transpires also in disinformation narratives, fake news and conspiracy theories promoted by Russia in the West and in Romania.
Ukraine has been accused of being responsible for the terrorist attack in Moscow. Originally published on Telegram, the thesis was developed by Vladimir Putin and his close siloviki, the current and former head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov and Nikolai Patrushev, both ex-KGB, like Putin. The narrative rids the Russian authorities of all responsibility, plays well into the rhetoric about the Ukrainian-Western aggression and can be used to escalate the war. Arguments in its defense include falsehoods and an older conspiracy theory.
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 US and the UK have bombed targets in Yemen. The operation, aimed at deterring further attacks by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea, could cause an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” is an ultimatum and a death threat to the collective West. Many of those hailing and sharing it are the very people al-Qaeda would hunt.
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