DISINFORMATION: EU sanctions for Moldovans, reminiscent of Stalinist deportations

NARRATIVES: The pro-European administration in Chișinău is fully subordinated to the West. 2. Sanctions imposed against people investigated for aggravated fraud and attempts to undermine democratic due process resemble the deportations of the Stalinist regime. 3. (implicit) The EU is the new USSR.

BACKGROUND: The Republic of Moldova is considered one of the countries most affected by the war in Ukraine, both economically and socially, as well as in terms of security. Moldova is the most vulnerable country if Russia decides to expand its attacks. The country is already the target of a hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation, and in the last year Chișinău officials (but also authorities from Ukraine and Western states) condemned Moscow's plans to destabilize the internal political situation in the Republic of Moldova in order sidetrack its European accession efforts.

In this context, the European Council adopted a framework comprising specific restrictive measures, which gives the EU “the possibility of imposing sanctions against persons responsible for supporting or implementing actions which undermine or threaten the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the country’s democracy, the rule of law, stability or security”.

One month later, on May 30, 2023, under the said framework, the Council imposed restrictions on seven individuals from Moldova, namely politicians and businessmen with Moldovan or Russian citizenship involved in destabilizing activities. Some of them are connected to “bank fraud” investigation, which caused significant losses for the budget of the Republic of Moldova. Others are associated with efforts orchestrated by the Kremlin to destabilize the Republic of Moldova. The list of targeted individuals includes politicians / oligarchs / businessmen who fled the Republic of Moldova to avoid prosecution for criminal offenses, such as Ilan Shor, Vlad Plahotniuc, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc and their close associates, but also Igor Chaika, a businessman and son of a former high-ranking Russian official, considered a close associate of the pro-Moscow former president of Moldova, Igor Dodon. Part of these individuals were also subject to sanctions introduced in some Western states, including the USA, under the so-called Magnitsky Act.

On February 22, 2024, the Council imposed sanctions against six other individuals and a public organization (the decision the author of the article refers to). Among them is the Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Security Service Department of Operational Intelligence responsible for Russia’s covert operations in the Republic of Moldova notably in the Transnistrian region since 2016. Furthermore, the Council sanctioned executives of media trusts owning several media channels in the country, that frequently promote messages aimed at obstructing and undermining the democratic political process. The list also includes other individuals engaged in the dissemination of disinformation and inciting violence and fear, or linked to the “bank fraud” case.

Beyond specific elements related to the Republic of Moldova, the European Union has for years been the target of a disinformation campaign carried out by Russia both in the ex-Soviet space and in Western Europe (see, for instance, Russia's involvement in the Brexit campaign). As part of this campaign, Moscow promotes a series of false narratives, including about various EU “agendas” - the “LGBT agenda” promoting the rights of sexual minorities and even pedophilia, an agenda to eliminate Christian identity, an agenda (which often goes hand in hand with others) on altering ethnic identity, etc. In ex-communist states, the same campaign also promotes the narrative according to which “the EU is allegedly the new Soviet Union”. Another narrative heavily circulated in the same space is that of “Western”, which invokes old communist stories regarding the imperialist nature of Western countries and, at the same time, seeks to validate the idea that political forces (in power or in opposition) which espouse sets of values ​​specific to liberal democracies, are in fact controlled by the West.

PURPOSE: To associate the Moldovan government with the organizers of the Stalinist deportations.

WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The Stalinist persecutions in the Republic of Moldova consisted of large-scale deportations (hundreds of thousands of people), aimed at eliminating the national and social identity in the Romanian territories invaded and annexed by the USSR. Political affiliation, social status, the level of education, religion or simply ethnicity were reason enough for the occupying authorities to trigger these large-scale persecutions. No one ever raised questions with regard to the inquiries or certain decisions of courts of law. The victims were robbed of their rights and many of them even died, due to the inhumane conditions they were subject to during the transport or at the point of destination.

With regard to European sanctions, we’re talking about a few individuals whose involvement in criminal actions or destabilizing security has already been confirmed. The sanctions are only intended to prevent the respective individuals from carrying out economic activities intended to support their operations on the territory of the European Union, or from entering its territory.  There has never been any question about their detention, deportation or the confiscation of their assets (their assets are merely frozen) or any other arbitrary punitive measures (all of which require court decisions following due trials).

The sanctioned individuals are investigated by the authorities in the Republic of Moldova in order to be held accountable for the criminal acts committed, which is why it makes sense that blocking their activity on the territory of the EU should be welcomed. The decision basically doesn’t undermine Chișinău’s sovereignty, the country that designated them criminals, but actually recognizes it.

It’s not the first time Russian or pro-Russian propaganda denies or minimizes the effects of abuses committed during the Soviet period or exaggerates the achievements and development of former USSR member states. Veridica has debunked disinformation narratives denying the organized famine in 1946-1947, but also attempts to compare the deportations with phenomena currently existing in Moldovan society, in order to discredit the pro-European government in Chișinău.

As for the narrative about the European Union being an ideological construct similar to the USSR, again we are dealing with the USSR.

The USSR was an imperial-type political structure created in the name of communist ideology that sought to impose (by force, if necessary) a certain political, cultural and social administrative model at global level. Conversely, the European Union is a community based on the idea of ​​common economic interests meant to eliminate political and military conflicts among members. The economic community primarily involves the elimination of customs barriers between states and the creation of a single market, which implies the adoption of a set of common economic regulations. The political union is merely the second goal, deriving from the first. In this case as well, we’re talking about observing a set of common values ​​and principles also found in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, therefore right that are essentially fundamentally and universally guaranteed. EU membership requires the observance of certain values ​​(an independent and impartial judiciary, the separation of powers in the state, a functional democracy, a market economy, etc.), and the accession process primarily depends on candidates themselves: they submit their accession letters, they have to fulfill all accession criteria. At no rate is EU membership imposed with the help of the army, as communism was imposed, first by winning a civil war, then by invading and occupying territories that were forced to become part of the USSR and, finally, by invading neighboring countries and forcibly include them in the Warsaw Treaty.

As far as political ideologies are concerned, every European Union member state has political factions that have different ideologies and that take turns taking power. The variety of political ideologies existing in the EU is also evident if we study the makeup of the European Parliament and the great European political parties. Some ideologies associated with war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity (Nazism and Communism) are, however, banned in some EU member states. It should be noted that the Russian Federation is courting extremist parties from Europe working with extremist ideologies.  Vladimir Putin is a product of the Soviet era and an overt admirer of the USSR. Additionally, Stalin has been gradually rehabilitated by Putin's Russia, a process never before seen, not even in the Soviet Union after Nikita Khrushchev came to power.

GRAIN OF TRUTH: Government representatives hailed the introduction of sanctions against controversial individuals, who are possibly involved, whether directly or indirectly, in attempts to destabilize the internal political situation in the Republic of Moldova.