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The Russian foreign intelligence service (SVR) says that the EU is preparing the infrastructure of the Republic of Moldova and Romania for war, and that Brussels is interfering with Moldova’s internal affairs, with devastating consequences.
NEWS: The European Union’s (EU) intervention in Moldova’s internal affairs has led to a catastrophic polarization of society and planted a time bomb at the foundation of the republic’s statehood. This is the conclusion of a statement released by the Press Office of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).
“The destructive impact of the European Union on Moldova has already led to a catastrophic polarization of society. Thus, a time bomb was planted at the foundation of Moldovan statehood”, the statement reads.
The institution also indicated that the European Union is increasingly treating Moldova “as its vassal”.
“Evidence of that are “off-camera” contacts between Eurobureaucrats and the Moldovan leadership. The head of the EU representation in Chișinău, Jānis Mažeiks, stands out for his impudent behavior”, the statement states.
According to the SVR, Mažeiks allowed himself to provide the ruling “Action and Solidarity” Party with detailed instructions on how democracy should function in Moldova until the parliamentary election of 2025. He also allegedly asked the Republic's authorities to criminally prosecute the leaders of the opposition parties “Revival”, “Chance” and the “Victory” bloc and to dismiss the Governor of Găgăuzia, Evghenia Guțul. In addition, Mažeiks allegedly suggested to the country's leaders to create a new pro-Western party, “For a European Moldova”, which is expected to be led by the former Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu.
[...]
The entire current politics of Moldova revolves around the unification with Romania.
The leadership in Chișinău, led by President Maia Sandu, a Romanian citizen, is forcing Moldovan people (who, for their most part, are not interested in Romanian politics and do not share the pro-Romanian fanaticism of president Maia Sandu and her entourage) to accept unification with Romania and NATO membership. Opposition to unification continues to rise.
[...] Current cooperation between Bucharest and Chișinău is based on the principle of hostility towards Russia. Even infrastructure projects contribute to the general framework of deterring Russia on NATO's Eastern Flank. For instance, Romania and Moldova intend to reconstruct, with funding from the World Bank, the Iași (airport) – Ungheni – Chișinău (airport) – Odesa railway corridor. The corridor could be used by NATO forces for a swift deployment to Odesa, a strategic port on the Black Sea coast.
NARRATIVES: 1. The EU is interfering with the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova and dictates the government's agenda. 2. The government in Chișinău is forcefully imposing unification with Romania and NATO accession. Romania and the Republic of Moldova are preparing infrastructure on the territory of the Republic of Moldova to facilitate the movement of NATO troops.
PURPOSE: To challenge the autonomy of Chișinău authorities. To bring back into the public space the narratives about an imminent “annexation” of the Republic of Moldova to Romania and its involvement in the war in Ukraine, against Russia.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: There is no evidence attesting to the involvement of the West/ the EU in the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova. As confirmed by the results of the October 20 referendum, the government in Chișinău and the majority Moldovan population, want the country to join the EU, a long process which involves reforms, many of them unpopular. Conversely, journalistic investigations as well as inquiries carried out by security forces have demonstrated Russia's involvement in the electoral processes in the Republic of Moldova, acting via the wanted politician and oligarch Ilan Shor, now living in Moscow, who created a genuine network by means of which he bought votes.
Divided along ethnic and linguistic lines, Moldovan society is polarized by false narratives and threats, intensively promoted by Kremlin propaganda, but also by pro-Russian politicians and media outlets in Chișinău. Some of these refer to the “annexation” of the Republic of Moldova to Romania and its involvement in the war in Ukraine.
Annexation to Romania is one of the scare tactics that still works for Russian-speaking minorities, but also for a part of society accustomed to the narrative about the Romanian “gendarme” and the “Romanian-fascists” who attacked the Soviet Union in 1941. Veridica has repeatedly debunked false narratives related to “annexation” and other related versions, some claiming that EU accession will lead to the annexation of the Republic of Moldova to Romania, or that Brussels has already greenlit the annexation of the Republic of Moldova to Romania. One of the latest such false narratives states that, following the referendum on European integration, Moldova’s Parliament could decide to abandon neutrality and unite with Romania. In fact, even if there are voices and a part of the population on both banks of the Prut River that favor unification, this topic has never been officially discussed in Bucharest and Chișinău, and this option is not supported by the majority of the population of the Republic of Moldova.
The same is true of NATO-related narratives, which intensified with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is not the first time when Russian and pro-Russian propaganda promotes the narrative stating that the Republic of Moldova could be used as a transit territory for Western military equipment in route to Ukraine. Even during the first days of the war, a false narrative was launched about the fact that NATO intended to deliver weapons to Ukraine via the Mărculești Airport, which Veridica dismantled.
Also, the narrative stating that NATO / the West intends to involve the Republic of Moldova and the Moldovan military in the war in Ukraine is one of the Kremlin's favorites, and Veridica analyzed several of them.
In addition, the Republic of Moldova does not have significant military capabilities that would make it a powerful ally in a war. The army of the Republic of Moldova ranks second to last in the world, according to an annual ranking compiled by Global Firepower.
A rail connection between Iași and Odesa has been discussed for several years, and the intention to build a European-gauge railway line was announced by former European Commissioner Adina Vălean in 2023, a civilian project to be funded by the EU. This railway line would be necessary to facilitate the movement of trains, given that the gauge in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine is wider than elsewhere in Europe, which involves changing the axles of the trains, thus impacting the efficiency of rail transport. Connecting rail infrastructure is also important for the European integration of the two countries.
BACKGROUND: The press release issued by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) seems to have set its sight on the 2025 parliamentary election in the Republic of Moldova. There is, however, the timing of its publication was deliberate, ahead of the second round of the presidential election in Romania, to justify pro-Moscow narratives about the alleged interference of the West/ the EU in the internal policies of the two states.
Pundits expect a fierce battle pitting pro-European against pro-Russian political forces in the upcoming parliamentary election, and the SVR seems to be trying to unite the forces of the latter to form a common front against the current pro-European government.
OFFICIAL REACTIONS: The Head of the EU Delegation in Chișinău, Janis Mazeiks, whom the SVR statement refers to, joked on Facebook, reiterating concerns about Russia's attempts to undermine democracy in the Republic of Moldova. “As an old saying goes, ‘the thief thinks everyone steals’. We are concerned about the persisting attempts by Russia to undermine Moldova’s democracy. However, everyone knows that the EU is not Russia. We act transparently and communicate using official channels. For me, for us, this mention is a badge of honor. It confirms that our work to support Moldova on its European path produces results and is noticed. The EU remains committed to cooperation, transparency, and shared values—not manipulation or secrecy”.
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