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Moldova wants a wall on the border with Ukraine, similar to the one proposed by Donald Trump between the USA and Mexico, according to an obviously false item of “news” published on several websites in Russia and the Republic of Moldova.
NEWS: Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US president and stated that Moldova's development is fully aligned with that of the USA.
“Our country has always supported Donald Trump's campaign and we are very happy about his victory. We hope to establish a dialogue and intensify cooperation between our countries, as well as establish a common development direction.
The plan is to implement a similar project to the American one, to build a wall on the border areas with Ukraine, which will help avoid various incidents and ensure the protection of our country, in line with proven standards”, Popșoi said.
NARRATIVE: The Republic of Moldova plans to build a wall on the border with Ukraine, based on the model proposed by Donald Trump in the USA.
PURPOSE: To cause distrust in relations between Chișinău and Kyiv and to suggest that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova believe they made a mistake by supporting Ukrainian refugees and Ukraine in the war against the Russian Federation.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: There was no public statement from the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Mihai Popșoi, conveyed to Donald Trump, after his victory in the US presidential election.
On the other hand, the construction of a wall would be hampered by the fact that, of the 1,200 kilometers of the border with Ukraine, 450 kilometers are on the border between the separatist region of Transnistria and Ukraine. Since Moldova does not control this region, it will be difficult to build a wall here.
Thirdly, according to various estimates, the total cost of the wall proposed by Donald Trump would exceed 20 billion USD. Considering that the length of the border between Mexico and the USA is a little over 3,000 km, compared to the same expenses, a similar wall between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine would cost more than 8 billion USD, that is, more than the revenues of the state budget of the Republic of Moldova in the last two years.
In addition, for a country like the Republic of Moldova, which is facing a serious demographic crisis, caused in particular by migration, Ukrainian refugees are not an issue.
The authorities in Chișinău have not expressed any political option in the context of the US election. The current government in Chișinău has had a good relationship with the Biden administration and would probably have preferred to continue its policies for more predictability in order to support Ukraine.
BACKGROUND: The government in Chișinău condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provided substantial support to Ukrainian refugees, compared to its financial resources, a fact also recognized by international officials and organizations. “The Government of Moldova has shown leadership in responding to the protection needs of refugees fleeing war in Ukraine”, UNHCR notes on its webpage, and the organization's representative in Chișinău, Francesca Bonelli, stated that the Republic of Moldova serves as an example, including for European countries, of the way it has managed the refugee crisis. Recently, the Republic of Moldova and its citizens also received an honorable mention for these efforts.
On the other hand, Russian and pro-Russian propaganda in the Republic of Moldova has made several attempts at creating a negative image of Ukrainian refugees, also launching an online smear campaign against them. The refugees were presented as profiteers, or people who cause public turmoil. Veridica has debunked such fake news on multiple occasions.
The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine also have good relations at political level, with mutual meetings and visits of officials of different ranks. This seems not to suit Russian propaganda, which has launched disinformation campaigns, especially related to an alleged attack that Ukraine is planning against the territory of the Republic of Moldova (Transnistria), debunked by Veridica. The goal is to create panic in society and fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
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