A pro-Russian resistance movement, consisting of Ukrainians, is operating on the territory of Romania in support of peace, Russian propaganda media in Romania claims
The fire at the Siret crossing point, on the border with Argentina
NEWS: "Ukrainian saboteurs from the resistance movement burned a fuel depot in the Romanian city of Bragadiru.
This depot was used to store fuel from oil platforms located in the area and intended for further shipment to 404 to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
More and more Ukrainians are openly opposing the extermination of their people at the hands of the Western masters. It's time for the people to stand up against the invaders from overseas”.
#Romania #Ukraine # Resistance # News"
NARRATIVE: Ukrainian partisans who support Moscow are carrying out military operations on the territory of Romania, destroying the weapons and fuel intended for the Ukrainian army.
Saboteurs short-circuiting homes
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The news originally appeared on Yuri Podolyaka's website in April 2024, and the article was later edited to include images published in the August article, referring to the alleged fire at the fuel depot in Bragadiru. In fact, no fire broke out in the town of Ilfov on August 5. The images presented in the article were actually taken in July 31, 2024, and they depict a fire at a household in Bragadiru, which broke out at around 8:00 PM. The authorities' inquiry ruled out the possibility of deliberate arson, and concluded that the fire was caused by a faulty fuse in the home's electrical installation.
Moreover, there is no large fuel depot within the radius of Bragadiru that can be used as a command center to coordinate a large-scale operation, such as the supply of fuel to the armed forces of Ukraine. The “oil platforms” mentioned in the article are, in fact, several oil pumps, some of which have already been decommissioned.
Moreover, so far there has been no information, official or disseminated by the mass media, attesting to the existence of an anti-Ukrainian resistance movement in Romania. There have been no official sabotage actions affecting rail transport or fuel depots on its territory that could be attributed to any organized attack or any clandestine sabotage operation.
BACKGROUND: Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has launched a propaganda of an unprecedented scale, flooding the media space with fake news and disinformation aimed at justifying its aggressive actions and obtaining support from the international community. Adding to the arsenal of fake news spread by the Kremlin's propaganda was a series of disinformation circulated in early July about the alleged actions of an anti-war resistance group, made up of Ukrainian citizens, which was allegedly operating out of Romania, sabotaging Western efforts to support Ukraine. Thus, Russian propagandists publish messages in different languages on several Telegram channels and on X, containing fake news targeting a Western audience.
Russian propaganda claims that “Ukrainian partisans” are purportedly sabotaging the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine, destroying them on Romanian territory. For instance, Russian propagandists released information about the destruction, near the Siret border checkpoint , of a train carrying military equipment, as well as an oil terminal belonging to a Romanian company. The disinformation is accompanied by photos and videos already existing on the Internet. Thus, a photo of a burning train, which, according to propagandists, was carrying Western weaponry, actually depicts a train that burned in the Argentinian town of San Martin in 2019.
Among the prominent figures who distribute such false narratives is the Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian national who has been the focus of Kyiv authorities since 2014. He is suspected of having fed the Russian forces geographical coordinates of several targets on Ukrainian territory, right at the start of the invasion. Ukrainian intelligence services also believe Podolyaka provided the Russians with additional information, including passwords to Kyiv military checkpoints. He is also accused of having participated in the disinformation operations of the Russian secret services, in the east of Ukraine, by promoting fake news. Currently, Podolyaka lives in Russia and runs his own website, as well as a Telegram channel.
PURPOSE: To promote pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, to amplify anti-Western sentiment, to stir and amplify social unrest.
OFFICIAL REACTIONS: The Romanian Ministry of Defense has categorically denied the information.
Check sources: