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NATO and the Americans are preparing the occupation of Moldova, one possible scenario being the annexation by Romania, a deputy of the separatist Parliament in Tiraspol claims. This is a relatively new scenario, after the Kremlin previously promoted narratives about Moldova’s plans to join NATO or NATO pushing the Republic of Moldova into the war in Ukraine.
NEWS: “On October 31, joint Moldovan-American military exercises were organized in northern Moldova. As part of the “Aurochs Partner 2023” exercise, military with the “Fulger” special battalion of the Moldovan forces and the “Moldova” motorized infantry brigade from Bălți, as well as American special forces executed parachute jumping and infantry shooting drills in training centers at the “Decebal” air base in Mărăcușești.
The previous month, over September 10-22, Moldovan, Romania and American servicemen were involved in joint military drills in training centers in Moldova as part of the “Fire Shield / Rapid Trident 2023” military exercise. Approximately 200 Moldovan servicemen were trained by specialists with the 101 Airborne Division of the United States Army, deployed to Romania to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, in the context of escalating tensions between Russia and NATO countries”.
[…] “I don’t rule out the two possible scenarios. In the first scenario, NATO (or possibly the USA and Romania or Romania alone) might deploy troops in order to occupy Moldova and completely cut off this country from its ties with Russia or its allies. Then, Moldova could be brought under “the EU umbrella” (or it might undergo a form of “accelerated European integration” as part of the ongoing war on the territory of Ukraine, or Moldova might be annexed by Romania, seen as a “last-resort measure”).
[…] In the second scenario, invasion forces might try to conquer the entire territory of the former Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova, including Găgăuzia and Transnistria. This scenario plays into the idea of eliminating “Russian bridgeheads” in the former Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova and represents a maximalist approach”.
NARRATIVE: NATO / the West / Romania are preparing to occupy the Republic of Moldova, including the separatist region of Transnistria, controlled by a pro-Russian regime.
BACKGROUND: In the last year, Russian propaganda has scaled up its media campaigns about alleged preparations in the Republic of Moldova with support (or, according to different narratives, under orders) from the West and/or Ukraine in order to attack the separatist region of Transnistria. The scenarios and objectives described vary to certain degrees: to open up a second frontline against Russia, although Transnistria doesn’t have common borders with Russia or with the current frontline; to take control of the military depot in Cobsana and supply Ukrainian forces with the ammunition stored therein (ignoring the fact this is Soviet-era ammo, which many military experts say is unusable).
A variety of this scenario is the Republic of Moldova’s NATO accession. Any declaration of support for the Republic of Moldova, coming from leaders of NATO member states, as well as any meeting or joint military exercise (which have been held periodically for years) are described as steps towards Moldova joining the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization. The authors of this scenario disregard the fact that Moldova is a neutral country under its Constitution and has one of the most poorly equipped and underfinanced armies in the world. Moldova is also facing a separatist conflict in the breakaway region of Transnistria in the east, which also hosts Russian troops. All these elements make Moldova less eligible for NATO membership.
The article in question tests a different version of this scenario, stating that the West / NATO are preparing to conquer the Republic of Moldova, while Romania might play an important role by annexing its territory.
PURPOSE: To fuel anti-NATO phobias dating back to the Soviet period and reinforced by Russian propaganda, amidst citizens on both banks of the Dniester.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Moldova’s cooperation with NATO started back in the 1990s. One of the most important projects carried out in partnership with NATO was the evacuation of large volumes of Soviet-era pesticides that posed a threat to the environment, threatening to poison farmlands and waters. Over the years, the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova have taken part in dozens of military exercises, either in bilateral format or under the aegis of NATO, without it becoming a prerequisite for NATO accession.
The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization continues to be described as the boogeyman to a large part of the Moldovan population, which regards the Alliance through the lens of Soviet and, more recently, Russian propaganda.
The risk the Republic of Moldova could join NATO or NATO might set up military bases on the territory of the Republic of Moldova has been frequently invoked by pro-Russian politicians in Chișinău, although the topic has never been raised in official talks.
Disinformation about NATO’s alleged activities in the Republic of Moldova, the construction of military bases or even the possible NATO accession of Moldova are periodically circulated in Russian media and Russian-language media in the Republic of Moldova, also fueled by statements or allegations made by left-wing politicians.
The claim about a possible occupation of Moldova’s territory by NATO is completely unfounded, all the more so we are talking about a defensive military alliance. The “Aurochs Partner 2023” military exercises did not take part under the aegis of NATO, as the article suggests, but were Moldovan-American bilateral exercises organized “in line with the Battle Training Plan of the Moldovan Armed Forces for the current year”, according to the Moldovan Defense Ministry.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova carry out joint drills with military of other states, including NATO.
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