By supporting Ukraine, the West has actually declared war on the Russian Federation, and the Chisinau government has sided with the West, which might have serious consequences, Mejdurecie.md reads. The article is trying to justify a potential replication in the Republic of Moldova of the situation in Ukraine, if the first maintains its current stand towards Russia and the West respectively.
NEWS: “The EU member states have decided to send to Ukraine planes, rockets and other high-tech military equipment. It’s no exaggeration to say that, in fact, the West has declared war on Russia.
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The entire policy of the Chisinau authorities is coordinated with that of Washington and the EU. We recall that the EU foreign ministers have agreed to ban RT and Sputnik in the EU”.
NARRATIVES: 1. The West has provoked Russia to attack Ukraine. 2. Russia is currently facing the whole of the Western world, which is supporting Ukraine. 3. The Republic of Moldova risks suffering grave consequences because it has sided with the West.
CONTEXT/LOCAL ETHOS: The international community has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the world's major economies (excluding China), as well as most European countries, have imposed unprecedented sanctions. Several states have also promised military aid, including ammunition and equipment, and the EU has announced it will provide half a billion euros for Ukraine's military needs. But both NATO and other states have announced that they will not intervene in the war, even if they have strongly condemned the Russian invasion.
The Republic of Moldova has criticized the Russian military intervention in Ukraine too, but has not imposed economic sanctions. The only involvement of the Chisinau authorities consists in organizing shelter and food for Ukrainian refugees.
PURPOSE: To justify the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. To inoculate the idea that the Russian Federation is fighting the entire West, which is trying to limit its security space. To present the pro-European government in Chisinau as an ally of the West and hostile to the Russian Federation, respectively. To undermine the efforts of the Republic of Moldova to get closer to the West by frightening the population and politicians with the prospect of an invasion similar to that of Ukraine.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The thesis that Russia was provoked to start this war and that it is fighting not against Ukraine, but against the whole West, is a basic one for the Kremlin propaganda. No country in the world has said it will get involved in the war in Ukraine. European states and NATO members have stated they support Ukraine, including with military equipment, but no more than that, despite Kiev's demands for more substantial support against the Russian aggression.
At the latest meeting of the NATO foreign ministers, on March 4th, the Alliance reiterated that it would not get involved in the war and declined Kiev’s request to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
It is true that on February 28, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell stated in a press conference that military aircraft could be delivered to Ukraine, but later the Member States denied this possibility, the statement of the European official being termed as a “diplomatic blunder”.
Even though it condemned Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, Chisinau did not align with Western sanctions, saying they would be ineffective and their adoption dangerous for Moldova.
Theoretically, Russia could launch a campaign in the Republic of Moldova, given that it has troops on the territory of this country, as it did in Ukraine, it supports a separatist territory, just as in Ukraine and Moldova used to be a member of the USSR, being seen by the Kremlin, like other ex-Soviet countries, as part of its sphere of influence. On the other hand, Moldova is a neutral state, and controlling it is a much lower stake than controlling Ukraine. Moreover, Russia is currently busy with Ukraine, and has not made any threats or preparations for war with Moldova. At the same time, Moscow has enough leverage to influence Moldova. Finally, it should be noted that when Moldova signed the EU Association Agreement at the Vilnius Summit in 2013, it was not under the same pressure from Russia as Ukraine, which then refused to sign.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The West has announced its support for Ukraine, including with military equipment.
