The USA is sustaining huge losses in the war in Iran, and hundreds of wounded American soldiers have been brought to the 57th Air Base at Mihail Kogălniceanu, according to a fake news report promoted by former intelligence officers, supporters of the pro-Russian Călin Georgescu.
NEWS: [...] I want to tell you that two days ago, transport planes of this type landed at the Kogălniceanu base and brought 800 wounded Americans to be hospitalized across Romania, but also to be taken to hospitals in Germany, where they have military bases, as well as to France and elsewhere, so it is a disaster from this point of view. Including at Ramstein base in Germany, planes arrive every two days transporting wounded Americans [...].”
NARRATIVE: Hundreds of American soldiers wounded in the war in the Middle East have been brought to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base.
Without presenting any piece of evidence, former intelligence officers are presenting a casualty count that exceeds the real one several times over
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: First and foremost, the narrative promoted by the former Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) General Gheorghe Dragomir, was dismissed by the Defense Ministry itself a few days after it was launched in the public space on YouTube, when it started to gain momentum on social media. The statement was made in a viral online “show” on YouTube in which the former Romanian Intelligence Service officer Cristian Troncotă also took part, who approved of Dragomir, and both sympathized with Călin Georgescu.
The Ministry led by Radu Miruță said that the information is “alarmist and completely unfounded”, categorically dismissing the “story”, and relaunched a public appeal regarding the verification of information from official and reliable sources:
"False speculation regarding the transport of wounded soldiers to the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogălniceanu [...]. The Ministry of National Defense categorically denies these claims. The narrative launched in the public sphere is an attempt at disinformation. In fact, activity within the Mihail Kogălniceanu Base is carried out according to current schedules, without any medical or logistical emergency of the nature described. We reiterate the importance of verifying information from official and reliable sources”, the Defense Ministry conveyed on Friday.
Another argument as to why the claim is false comes from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) itself, whose spokesperson, Tim Hawkins, told AFP that since the start of Operation Epic Fury, 303 American soldiers have been wounded in total, and “273 have returned to active duty”.
The main American medical facilities in Europe are in Germany, not in Romania
The main American medical hub for Europe and the Middle East is the Ramstein base + Landstuhl hospital (Germany); Romania is not such a hub.
The Kogălniceanu base is used for equipment, troop transit, military rotations, logistics or operational support in the Black Sea, and the medical training that takes place here is basic, used for stabilizing patients and sending them to other bases (most often Ramstein), since the base in Kogălniceanu has low-level medical facilities.
Last but not least, in addition to the “800 wounded soldiers at Kogălniceanu”, the former Foreign Intelligence Service deputy director speaks about a “disaster” among the American military victims.
The USA could not have kept such a large number of wounded secret, and their transport to Romania wouldn’t have passed unnoticed
The American military system and consolidated democracies in general are designed in such a way that it is almost impossible to cover up losses or a huge number of wounded in such a situation.
Then, if the story were actually true and almost 1,000 soldiers had been transported to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base aboard aircraft, then it would have been simply impossible for at least one such aircraft, out of the dozens that would have been necessary, not to be observed by locals, or the for the local media not to report on the noise resulting from their transportation.
Military aircraft traffic is not a common, usual element in the area, so increased traffic in such a short time (48 hours, according to the statements in the “article”) would have alarmed the population, who would have shared information or images in the public space, on social media or in the press, but none of this happened.
Moreover, assuming nonetheless that the American soldiers were brought to the American base at Kogălniceanu, the argument that such a large number of soldiers would be treated in Romania is devoid of logic, especially in light of the lack of infrastructure, conditions and the capacity to take in such a large number of patients in the ICU (ATI) departments of nearby hospitals, should this be necessary.
In crisis situations, Romanian state hospitals barely manage to handle treating dozens of victims, let alone hundreds. A few hundred soldiers could not be supported by military hospitals, and Romanian hospitals, in general, face a major problem regarding in-hospital infections that cause complications and in many cases lead to death.
PURPOSE: To create panic. To alarm the population regarding the future of Romania in the context of the war in Iran. To cause anxiety and stress by inducing the idea that Romania is already part of the war or is about to. To disseminate hatred toward American partners.
BACKGROUND: The conspiracy and false information about the hundreds of wounded Americans who arrived at Kogălniceanu base was published three days before the show in which Călin Georgescu launched another conspiracy theory regarding the air base in Constanța county, about which he said it collects the “filth of Europe” and that soon everyone will find out what is happening there.
Neither did the show host ask for explanations, clarifications or evidence for what the former pro-Russian candidate in the 2024 presidential election said, nor did the latter bring arguments for his claims.
Last but not least, the launch and amplification of conspiracy theories regarding the Kogălniceanu base take place in the context where the war in the Middle East is escalating, the situation is becoming more tense, and attention is shifting from the Ukrainian front toward Iran and the role that Romania could play in this context, given that it hosts an American base on its territory.
An amplification of anti-American narratives would stir fear, then dissatisfaction and irritability in society following the anti-Ukrainian model, also promoted by Russian propaganda. Such fears that turn into hatred radicalize and split society, a fact that exclusively serves Russia and its allies.
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