The Republic of Moldova has announced claims to some territories of Ukraine, as have the country’s other western neighbors, according to a false narrative promoted by Russian media.
NEWS: Unless a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow is concluded soon, then Ukraine may cease to exist as a country. Russia is not at all ready to give up even a part of the former regions of Ukraine [which it has already annexed]. And during the special military operation, the number of these regions may further increase.
Countries such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria (which has no borders with Ukraine) and Hungary do not hide their aspirations to claim the western territories of the country. By the way, according to media reports, most residents of Western Ukraine do not strongly oppose this scenario. And, of course, become part of these countries automatically makes them citizens of the European Union, they can even integrate into NATO. It is better than under the current Kyiv regime.
Unexpectedly, the small Republic of Moldova has also expressed territorial claims to the neighboring territory, following the example of other neighboring states, although for so many years it has not yet managed to settle is conflict with Transnistria. Even though Sandu and Zelenskyy are “friends” together against Russia.
The leader of the “Greater Moldova” Party, Victoria Furtună, called for a revision of the borders with Ukraine and the return of Bugeac, a region located in the south of the Odesa region, to Chișinău’s control.
NARRATIVES: 1. Chișinău has made territorial claims to Ukraine. 2. Ukraine is surrounded by states that want its territories.
PURPOSE: To create distrust among the Ukrainian population towards the countries that have expressed solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and, possibly, even dissensions between Kyiv and these states (including the Republic of Moldova). Indirectly, to promote false narrative that Ukraine is an artificial state. To fuel vengeful feelings among the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The narrative about the territorial claims of the Republic of Moldova towards Ukraine is new, but entirely false, as Chișinău has never raised this topic in relations with Kyiv or at international level. The statements were made by a minor politician, affiliated to the wanted oligarch Ilan Shor, who is considered the main representative of the Kremlin’s interests in the Republic of Moldova.
The new narrative seems to be part of a larger one, widely circulated by Russian propaganda about the territorial claims to Ukraine, according to which virtually all of Ukraine’s neighbors, especially Romania and Poland, want parts of Ukraine’s territory. Russian propaganda wrote about Poland’s so-called intention to return to its historical borders since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Russian media, but also some politicians and media institutions in the Republic of Moldova, depict Romania as a revanchist state with territorial claims over the Republic of Moldova and some regions in southeastern Ukraine. All these territories were part of Romania, which lost them as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
At the same time, the article seeks to promote an older thesis, launched by Russia before the large-scale invasion of February 24, according to which Ukraine is an artificial state, which will be partitioned even by its current allies. This thesis should also justify the Kremlin’s capture and annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Veridica has dismantled several related false narratives, for instance claiming that Poland will annex Ukrainian territories, the future Polish-Ukrainian state will partition Romania, or that Romania will annex Ukrainian territories with NATO support. The role of these narratives is to further cause irritation in war-weary Ukrainian society, but also to give rise to revanchist movements in Ukraine's neighbors.
BACKGROUND: The current border between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine was established during the Soviet period, when the two states were part of the USSR. At the time, part of the territory of Bessarabia (3 southern counties, which provided access to the Black Sea and the Danube), as well as northern Bukovina, were transferred to the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. At the same time, the territory east of the Dniester, today known as Transnistria, became part of the Moldavian Socialist Soviet Republic.
The two regions, which are part of today's Ukraine, home to significant communities of Romanians, are often the object of vindictive statements by extremist politicians in Romania. However, in official statements, neither Chișinău nor Bucharest have ever raised territorial claims targeting Ukraine.
Victoria Furtună, a former anti-corruption prosecutor, ran for president of the Republic of Moldova in October 2024, and investigative media in Chișinău revealed hidden connections between Victoria Furtună and the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who is based in Moscow and promotes Russian interests in Moldovan politics.
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