EU Member States will ask Ukraine to surrender to Russia and will gradually side with Moscow, according to a false narrative widely disseminated by the Russian media, which references a text published in Foreign Affairs by the former adviser to the head of European diplomacy. In fact, the words of the Italian expert are taken out of context, and the article where she supports Ukraine is misrepresented as pro-Russian.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is preparing a law that will extend the war with Russia for another 50 years, according to a false narrative appearing in Bucharest. It was published by Sorin Roșca Stănescu, a former collaborator of the communist political police and a criminal convict who has spread lots of disinformation in the public space.
According to a false narrative carried by the Russian state media, Ukraine's crime rate has tripled because of Kiev's decision to arm the population. In reality, against the background of the country's depopulation and traffic restrictions, the crime rate has dropped. Moreover, not the entire population has been armed, only some volunteer units have been set up.
The population of the Republic of Moldova would have been illiterate, forced to serve Romanians, had its territory remained part of Romania, reads a false narrative launched by a pro-Russian publication. The narrative was launched after a settlement in the Republic of Moldova commemorated the Romanian servicemen killed in World War II.
After the Ukrainian authorities fled Kherson, the new military-civilian administration had to take over power to annex the region to Russia and protect the Ukrainian language and culture, the Russian press writes, citing the self-proclaimed leader Kirill Stremousov. In reality, the authorities in Kherson were evacuated following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, which bombards Ukrainian territories daily.
The agreement signed in Istanbul regarding the export of Ukrainian grain means the UN and Turkey recognize Russia’s right to control Ukraine’s maritime ports, according to propaganda narratives disseminated by the Russian media. In fact, the agreements signed in Istanbul do not include any such provisions, and Moscow has violated the agreements by bombing the port of Odessa.
The Republic of Moldova will call on Romania for help in case Russia attacks, and this will lead to Moldova being annexed by Romania, topwar.ru writes. Much like other Russian publications, topwar.ru is misquoting the statements made in Bucharest by president Maia Sandu, and interprets them as the announcement of an anti-Russian alliance.
Ukraine could cause a nuclear disaster if it keeps bombing the Zaporizhzhia power plant as ordered by the US, according to a propaganda narrative released by Russia's Foreign Ministry and distributed by the state media. In reality, Russia is placing weapons and military equipment on the plant’s site, endangering the nuclear security of Europe.
The famine in Bessarabia was not organized by the Soviet regime, it was a consequence of the drought and the local authorities’ lack of action, and Moscow helped Moldavians. The false narrative appears in an online publication close to the Kremlin, and the purpose is to exonerate the totalitarian Soviet regime, which imposed itself through terror.
At least 15 Ukrainian generals were killed following a single tactical airstrike, the Russian government media writes. According to the narrative, the Russian missile allegedly hit the House of Officers in downtown Vinnytsia, just as the Ukrainian generals were holding a briefing on the counter-offensive in Donbas. In fact, the airstrike killed 23 civilians, including children. The House of Officers center, which is not a military objective, was supposed to host a charity concert.
The Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia has established international contacts with at least 15 states, including EU members, writes the Russian state press, citing a separatist leader from Ukraine. In reality, EU states do not recognize Russia's occupation bodies in Ukraine as legitimate bodies of power, and personal sanctions have been introduced against Russian collaborators in Zaporizhzhia.
The Foreign Minister of the separatist region of Transnistria suggested that Moldovan authorities might denounce the 1992 Ceasefire Agreement, which could trigger a new war in the region. Chișinău, however, has never expressed its intention to denounce the Agreement, despite the fact that some of its provisions are not observed.
Romania's strategic partnership with the US has not produced any tangible results or advantages for Romania, it has only turned the country into an importer of American weapons.
The Russian state press has taken out of context a statement by the former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and have disseminated a propaganda narrative, according to which American scholars support Putin's ideas about Ukraine. In reality, McFaul presented several opinion trends from the US and around the world on the history of Ukraine, and not on the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
Romania will receive lots of African and Asians fleeing the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and Romanian authorities keep their nationality secret.
The Russian state media claims, part of a propaganda narrative, that the Ukrainian refugees in Germany will be accommodated in the former Nazi concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. In reality, the former camp is now home to a memorial museum, and the images used to show the accommodation invitations for the Ukrainian refuges are fake.
The weapons delivered to Ukraine might be transiting the territory of the Republic of Moldova, says the pro-Russian politician Igor Dodon, in an interview given under house arrest. His statements were also taken over by the official press of the Russian Federation and aim to disinform and accuse the pro-European government in Chisinau of wanting to involve the country in the war.
The Russian state media, quoted by some publications in Romania, has disseminated a propaganda narrative, launched by the Foreign Intelligence Service in Russia, according to which Poland will work more actively with Hungary and Romania in order to take over Western Ukraine. In fact, Poland is one of the staunch supporters of Ukraine’s efforts to fend off the Russian invasion.
The leadership of the Kharkiv Oblast will support the inhabitants who have called in rather large numbers for the unification with the Russian Federation, the Russian government media writes. In fact, over 85% of the inhabitants of Eastern Ukraine have condemned the Russian aggression, and the people cited by Moscow media do not represent the legitimate authorities of Ukraine.
Romania will help Ukraine recapture Kherson by using the Ukrainian fighter jets on its territory, the Russian state media writes. In fact, Romania does not host any Ukrainian military aircraft, and Bucharest has shown no signs of considering getting involved in the war.
The president of the Republic of Moldova is closing down universities and schools with teaching in Russian language, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes, picking up on an older narrative targeting Maia Sandu. Just like the others, this too is a false narrative: although some schools do actually close down, it is in fact a measure linked to reforming and streamlining the education system, having nothing to do with the teaching language.
Whistleblowers are “snitches”, much like the former informers of the Securitate in the communist period, according to a false narrative promoted in Bucharest by an actual ex-informer, Sorin Roșca Stănescu. The narrative has been circulated in the context of the adoption of a whistleblower law by the Chamber of Deputies, robbing the former of whatever protection they were offered under EU law.
The international community will have to declare the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a war criminal, according to a false narrative circulated by the Russian state media. In reality, the war crimes blamed on the Ukrainian president are either made up or were committed by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory.
The Republic of Moldova will enter a profound crisis if it joins the European Union and anti-Russian sanctions, the Russian official news agency and the Moldovan fugitive oligarch, Ilan Shor, claim. The issue of anti-Russian sanctions exploited by Russian propaganda and Russia’s agents of influence is one of the recurrent threats Kremlin uses to pressure Chișinău.
Ukraine has tried to forcibly deport the inhabitants of the Luhansk region, and Russian-speakers in Lysychansk protested before the Ukrainian army, according to a new false narrative carried by the Russian media. The narrative was published against the background of Russia being accused of deporting Ukrainians and forcing millions of people to flee, while advancing its troops and bombing of civilian targets.
The United States will test small modular reactors (SMR) in Romania, which could cause environmental problems and pose a major risk of nuclear accident, according to a narrative published in the Bucharest press.
The EU will deport to Ukraine refugee men so they can be enrolled in the Ukrainian army, the Kremlin-affiliated media writes. In fact, deporting refugees to their country of origin is forbidden under international law, which means Ukrainian citizens who fled the war and came to the EU cannot be sent back.
According to narratives launched by pro-Russian politicians in Chisinau and officials in Moscow, the European Union offers the status of accession candidate using Russophobia as a criterion and, together with NATO, is building a war coalition against Russia. Such narratives have appeared in the context in which the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine received the status of candidate countries for EU accession.
The nationalist leader Stepan Bandera has been canonized, according to the Russian press, which is disseminating this propaganda narrative to prove that Ukrainian society is a Nazi one and must be further denazified by the Russian army. In reality, Bandera has not been canonized and there is no initiative in this regard.
By banning certain categories of programs from Russian television stations, censorship is introduced in the Republic of Moldova, an article published on Politnavigator.net. suggests. In fact, the purpose of the law is to limit fake news and disinformation.
Volodymyr Zelensky pays for Western weapons with Ukrainian museum exhibits, according to a new false narrative promoted by the Russian press and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. In reality, museum exhibits have been evacuated from the east and south of the country to the western regions or taken from exhibition halls to shelters so as not to be destroyed by Russian bombing.
Romanians' data on health, birth and mortality could reach the World Health Organization (WHO), which will use them for obscure purposes, according to a false narrative promoted in Romania by the controversial Josefina Pascal. The narrative takes elements from the conspiracy theory of the “Great Reset”.
