Fake News, Disinformation & Propaganda

DISINFORMATION: The Western media misleads public opinion regarding the crisis in Ukraine, which in fact is one its diversions
DISINFORMATION: The Western media misleads public opinion regarding the crisis in Ukraine, which in fact is one its diversions

The Western media misleads public opinion regarding the crisis in Ukraine, which in fact is one its diversions. These false narratives are promoted by one of the most controversial Romanian journalists, Ion Cristoiu, and amplified by the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, Sputnik.

DISINFORMATION: Kiev is inspired by Goebbels’ propaganda and says it is not obliged to negotiate with the separatists
DISINFORMATION: Kiev is inspired by Goebbels’ propaganda and says it is not obliged to negotiate with the separatists

Amid rising Russian-Ukrainian tensions and accusations against Moscow for surrounding Ukraine militarily, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukrainian officials were bound by the Minsk peace deal to negotiate with the separatists in Donbass, and Kiev's counterarguments were termed as propaganda in the style of Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Public Propaganda during the Nazi regime.

Marin Gherman
15 Feb 2022
FAKE NEWS: The joint meeting of the governments of Bucharest and Chisinau, a new step towards the annexation of the Republic of Moldova by Romania
FAKE NEWS: The joint meeting of the governments of Bucharest and Chisinau, a new step towards the annexation of the Republic of Moldova by Romania

The joint meeting of the Romanian and Moldovan governments represents a new step towards the annexation of the Republic of Moldova by Romania, according to a Russian analysis platform. The platform also resumes the old false narratives regarding the existence of a Moldovan people different from and older than the Romanian one.

DISINFORMATION: The US is pushing Ukraine towards war with Russia, and Kiev's fate will be decided by negotiations between major powers
DISINFORMATION: The US is pushing Ukraine towards war with Russia, and Kiev's fate will be decided by negotiations between major powers

Ukraine is being pushed by the US towards war, and the Americans want to deploy in that country missiles targeting Russia, according to narratives promoted by the main Russian TV channel. It also claims that the fate of Ukraine will be decided by negotiations between the great powers.

DISINFORMATION: Putin is a good Christian, a victim of the Russophobic discourse, and has nothing to do with Communism, imposed on Russia by the West
DISINFORMATION: Putin is a good Christian, a victim of the Russophobic discourse, and has nothing to do with Communism, imposed on Russia by the West

Vladimir Putin is a good Christian, but his image has suffered because of Russophobia. These false narratives are based on statements made by the Archbishop of Thomis, Theodosius, and amplified by Sputnik. At the same time, the idea that Putin and Russia have nothing to do with Communism, which was imposed by the West, is also promoted.

DISINFORMATION: Romania buys American weapons, without any benefit, instead of investing in education
DISINFORMATION: Romania buys American weapons, without any benefit, instead of investing in education

Romania buys weapons from the Americans instead of putting money into education and has become a major investor in the United States without receiving anything in return, according to narratives promoted by the Kremlin mouthpiece, Sputnik. The narratives start from a text by journalist Patrick André de Hillerin.

DISINFORMATION: The British special forces will escalate the situation in Donbass without Kiev’s endorsement
DISINFORMATION: The British special forces will escalate the situation in Donbass without Kiev’s endorsement

British special troops have been deployed to Ukraine to organize diversions and escalate the situation in Donbass, according to the pro-Kremlin media, which resumed a string of narratives about a Western attack on the Russian-speakers in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Marin Gherman
08 Feb 2022
FAKE NEWS: Romania has replaced its unionist ambassador in Chișinău with a NATO expert
FAKE NEWS: Romania has replaced its unionist ambassador in Chișinău with a NATO expert

Romania has appointed Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, a NATO expert, as its designated ambassador in Chișinău. Țurcanu will replace Daniel Ioniță, a vehement supporter of unionism. The narrative is launched in the context of a broader regional crisis, Russia having ramped up its disinformation over an alleged NATO threat to ex-Soviet space.

FAKE NEWS: The US pushes Ukraine into a war with Russia, and NATO expands aggressively to the east
FAKE NEWS: The US pushes Ukraine into a war with Russia, and NATO expands aggressively to the east

NATO enlargement is a threat to Russia, and the United States is arming and preparing Ukraine for war, says the Kremlin's main propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov in a nearly two-hour show that reflects the Kremlin's views on international politics.

DISINFORMATION: Romania will be partitioned in case of a Russian invasion in Ukraine
DISINFORMATION: Romania will be partitioned in case of a Russian invasion in Ukraine

Romania will be partitioned by its neighbors if it decides to fight alongside NATO in a war against Russia. This false narrative was launched on the Romanian media market with a view to eroding public confidence in NATO, and to demonstrate that Russia is not the aggressor in the current crisis in Ukraine.

DISINFORMATION: Ukraine is a Russian territory under foreign occupation that might launch a war against Russia
DISINFORMATION: Ukraine is a Russian territory under foreign occupation that might launch a war against Russia

“Russia is the last country in the world that would want a war with Ukraine”, the Kremlin-affiliated media writes, accusing Kiev of seeking to trigger a conflict. This false narrative is at odds with the situation on the ground, where Russia (a country that already attacked Ukraine in 2014) has amassed a sizable force.

Marin Gherman
01 Feb 2022
FAKE NEWS: Chișinău is fueling the conflict in Transnistria so that the West should maintain an interest in Moldova
FAKE NEWS: Chișinău is fueling the conflict in Transnistria so that the West should maintain an interest in Moldova

The Government in Chișinău wants to fuel the Transnistrian conflict in order to make the country more appealing to the West and thus obtain a larger financial support, according to a recent false narrative. In fact, the conflict in Transnistria is one of the major obstacles in the way of Moldova’s future European integration.

DISINFORMATION: Russia is demonized so that the West can control the ex-Soviet space
DISINFORMATION: Russia is demonized so that the West can control the ex-Soviet space

“Atlantic networks” are demonizing Russia in order to maintain their supremacy in ex-communist space, particularly in Romania, according to a false narrative launched by the controversial politician Iurie Roșca. Such narratives are designed to associate the West with an external threat and to subvert Moldova’s European integration efforts.

DISINFORMATION: Simona Halep was eliminated from the Australian Open because she took the Covid vaccine
DISINFORMATION: Simona Halep was eliminated from the Australian Open because she took the Covid vaccine

Simona Halep experienced health problems at the Australian Open and was knocked out due to the anti-COVID vaccine she took. The narrative is promoted by activenews, a website with a predominantly anti-vaxx and coronasceptic editorial policy.

FAKE NEWS: NATO is sending troops to Eastern Europe, although no member state is under threat
FAKE NEWS: NATO is sending troops to Eastern Europe, although no member state is under threat

NATO is threatening Russia and is rallying a sizable force close to its borders, the Kremlin-linked media claims. In fact, NATO is merely consolidating its eastern flank, in response to Russia’s threats, whereas the troops the Alliance has mobilized represent a fraction of the over 100 thousand troops Moscow has massed.

FAKE NEWS: The weapons provided to Ukraine are obsolete and/or out of commission.
FAKE NEWS: The weapons provided to Ukraine are obsolete and/or out of commission.

The military equipment Ukraine got from the United Kingdom is obsolete and/or out of commission, according to a piece of fake news carried by the Russian media. The United Kingdom is one of the NATO countries that, in the context of an impending Russian invasion, has provided Ukraine with deadly equipment in order to defend itself.

Marin Gherman
25 Jan 2022
FAKE NEWS: Moldova renounces its neutrality and is handing NATO control over its armed forces
FAKE NEWS: Moldova renounces its neutrality and is handing NATO control over its armed forces

The Republic of Moldova is preparing to relinquish its neutrality status and hand over control over its armed forces to NATO, according to a false narrative carried by the Russian media. In fact, Moldova has merely renewed its Action Plan with NATO, a periodic process that has nothing to do with neutrality or NATO accession.

DISINFORMATION: Romania threatens the Republic of Moldova, although it won’t be able to do anything once NATO abandons it
DISINFORMATION: Romania threatens the Republic of Moldova, although it won’t be able to do anything once NATO abandons it

Romania threatens the existence of the Republic of Moldova, although it is a weak state that will lose all its influence when NATO, caving in to Russia’s pressure, will shut down its bases on Romanian territory. The narratives are launched in the context of growing regional tensions and Russia’s requests that NATO should pull back to the West.

DISINFORMATION: By means of the QR code from the green pass, social credit is being established and the population is enslaved
DISINFORMATION: By means of the QR code from the green pass, social credit is being established and the population is enslaved

The QR code on the green pass helps impose the so-called “social credit” system, whereby Romanians (and the rest of mankind) will be enslaved by the global cabal. The false narrative is promoted by anti-vaxx and Eurosceptic media and is linked to older conspiracy theories regarding documents with biometric data.

DISINFORMATION: At the end of the Cold War, the US wanted to dismember Romania and then offered it to Russia
DISINFORMATION: At the end of the Cold War, the US wanted to dismember Romania and then offered it to Russia

The United States proposed the dismantling of Romania and wanted to offer it to Russia at the end of the Cold War, according to a piece of disinformation published in Bucharest. The offer was allegedly made based on theses from “The Clash of Civilizations”, a book that was published a few years later.

DISINFORMATION: Ukraine is preparing a massacre in Donbas
DISINFORMATION: Ukraine is preparing a massacre in Donbas

Ukraine is planning on massacring the civilian population in Donbas, according to the separatist and Russian state media. This false narrative comes in response to Ukraine’s decision to mobilize its territorial defense forces in the face of a high risk of Russia invading the region.

Marin Gherman
18 Jan 2022
DISINFORMATION: Moldova risks unleashing an uprising similar to that in Kazakhstan after the pro-European administration hiked up gas prices
DISINFORMATION: Moldova risks unleashing an uprising similar to that in Kazakhstan after the pro-European administration hiked up gas prices

The pro-European government in Chișinău is responsible for the gas price hikes, and has lost control of the situation. The country could therefore see a wave of social unrest similar to that in Kazakhstan. These narratives are aimed at feeding people’s discontentment against the backdrop of soaring prices for natural gas and products overall.

FAKE NEWS: Djokovic puts an end to the sanitary dictatorship and Serbia teaches a lesson in dignity
FAKE NEWS: Djokovic puts an end to the sanitary dictatorship and Serbia teaches a lesson in dignity

The Djokovic vs. Australia scandal has turned the player into a symbol of the anti-vaxxer movement and led to the emergence or resurrection of many false narratives about the pandemic or Serbia.

FAKE NEWS: The EU is turning Romania into a market for low-grade products
FAKE NEWS: The EU is turning Romania into a market for low-grade products

Romania is being turned into a market for products of inferior quality compared to those sold in other EU countries, although traded under the same brand, according to a piece of fake news published in Bucharest. The false narrative is based on a draft law with the specific goal of protecting consumers.

FAKE NEWS: Ukraine is a Nazi state, a danger to Russia’s existence
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine is a Nazi state, a danger to Russia’s existence

According to the Russian media, Ukraine has turned into a Nazi state with the direct support of the West and is a danger to Russia's security. The narrative is constructed with the help of false arguments about the rising level of crime following the Donbass war.

Marin Gherman
11 Jan 2022
DISINFORMATION: Igor Dodon took a bribe to give money to the poor
DISINFORMATION: Igor Dodon took a bribe to give money to the poor

Igor Dodon has taken a bribe to give money to the people, while the pro-European government is raising salaries at their expense. The narrative was launched in Chisinau to downplay corruption and undermine the pro-European government, whose priorities include the fight against corruption and the reform of the judiciary.

DISINFORMATION: UE is strongarming Romania to renounce its Constitution and sovereignty
DISINFORMATION: UE is strongarming Romania to renounce its Constitution and sovereignty

Romania will have to renounce its Constitution and sovereignty, according to a new disinformation amplified by Senator Diana Șoșoacă and Sputnik. The source headlines a statement falsely attributed to the head of the European Commission’s Office in Romania.

DISINFORMATION: Romania is Russophobic by order of the West, but Romanians share Russia’s values
DISINFORMATION: Romania is Russophobic by order of the West, but Romanians share Russia’s values

Romania is a Russophobic state by order of the West, despite its historical closeness and friendship with Russia. Unlike politicians, however, Romanians appreciate Russia and share the values it defends, according to disinformation published by the Kremlin's mouthpiece, Sputnik.

DISINFORMATION: NATO has a military base in Odessa, on Russia’s historical territory
DISINFORMATION: NATO has a military base in Odessa, on Russia’s historical territory

Odessa, a port-city in southern Ukraine, has been turned into a NATO military base, according to a new narrative published by the Russian media, which also condemns NATO military exercises in the Black Sea and labels Odessa and southern Ukraine Russian territories under foreign occupation.

Marin Gherman
04 Jan 2022
The Republic of Moldova in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica
The Republic of Moldova in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica

Most fake news and disinformation in 2021 revolved around the early parliamentary election of July, won by the pro-European Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and lost by the Party of Socialists in the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), a pro-Russian party.

Romania in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica
Romania in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica

The Covid pandemic and the sovereigntist and identitarian themes dominated the false narratives promoted in Romania in 2021.

Ukraine in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica
Ukraine in 2021: Top FAKE NEWS & DISINFORMATION debunked by Veridica

The fake narratives about Ukraine targeted pro-European reforms and Kiev’s plans to join the EU and NATO, the situation of the Russian-speaking population in Eastern Ukraine, the country’s economic problems, etc.

Marin Gherman
28 Dec 2021
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