Decentralization is a time bomb and could lead to the disintegration of Ukraine, according to Russian media. This false narrative is used to attach one of Kiev's most important reforms, the administrative one, which also benefits from advice provided by the EU. At the same time, this alleged failure of decentralization is presented in contrast with the success of a centralized administration like the one in Russia.Decentralization is a time bomb and could lead to the disintegration of Ukraine, according to Russian media. This false narrative is used to attach one of Kiev's most important reforms, the administrative one, which also benefits from advice provided by the EU. At the same time, this alleged failure of decentralization is presented in contrast with the success of a centralized administration like the one in Russia.
The World Health Organization has modified the definitions of the pandemic and herd immunity, first to be able to declare a state of pandemic, and subsequently in order to impose vaccination on a large scale. The narrative is amplified by the Russian channel Sputnik, quoting TV producer Răzvan Dumitrescu, who in turn has picked it up from American sources.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to blame for the huge bank fraud of 2014 in the Republic of Moldova, says Socialist deputy Nicolae Pascaru, known for advocating theories over the involvement of the Republic of Moldova in geopolitical struggle between the United States, Russia and China. The Moldovan MP doesn’t explain how the IMF could plunder or order the plundering of banks in the Republic of Moldova.
A news story about the rise in oil prices, taken over by the PSRM affiliated press, is falsely associated with the coming into office of the new President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. This is part of a string of narratives about price hikes, pandemic restrictions and Maia Sandu blocking the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, aimed at undermining her image, but also at destabilizing the situation in the Republic of Moldova.
Mass media in Russia writes that Ukraine wants to trigger a reescalation of the conflict in Donbass, so that Russia should be handed harsher sanctions. This fake news is based on the statements of certain Ukrainian officials, taken out of context.
The Romanian Parliament is preparing, out of obedience to the United States, an anti-Russian law designed for a corrupt lawyer. This false narrative appears in a post on the Facebook page of the Russian embassy in Bucharest, criticizing the so-called Magnitsky law, which is in the Chamber of Deputies now after it was endorsed by the Senate. The law provides, in fact, for the imposition of sanctions on foreign nationals who are guilty of serious human rights violations.
The controversial Flavia Groșan, the doctor who claims to have discovered an extremely effective anti-Covid treatment scheme, has stated that the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are ineffective and also cited an alleged British example of herd immunity. The statements have been widely taken over and underlined by publications that are skeptical about the vaccine.
The former president, Igor Dodon, was one step away from settling the conflict in Transnistria and this is demonstrated by the fact that the people in the region were able to vote in the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. This is disinformation, given that the people on the left bank of the Dniester have always had the opportunity to vote, and the negotiations on the Transnistrian issue did not made any significant progress during Dodon's term.
American ambassador to, Derek Hogan, is coordinating Maia Sandu, with a view to bringing the Republic of Moldova under Western control. This Western conspiracy narrative targeting Moldova has been reactivated in the context of the political and epidemiological crisis facing the country and against the backdrop of Socialists’ efforts to cling to power despite the defeat sustained in the election.
Ukraine is preparing to invade Crimea, writes the Russian press, presenting an alternative reality in which Ukraine is an aggressor, not an aggressed state, and the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, seized and annexed by Russia, would be part of its internationally recognized territory.
The name and the curriculum of “the History of Romanians” discriminate against the majority “Moldovan” population, according to an NGO who’s lodged a complaint with the Anti-discrimination Council. The NGO picks up the USSR’s narratives regarding the existence of the Moldovan language and people.
Controversial political figure Iurie Roșca is suggesting an authoritarian leader would be best-suited for the Republic of Moldova. The narrative is promoted by the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, Sputnik, and is used to anchor Moldova in eastern space, where authoritarian regimes are commonplace.
Ukraine is the target of an LGBT propaganda campaign, designed to undermine the moral fiber of the population, strengthen the influence of external forces in this country and subvert the army. Promoted by a pro-Russian politician, the narrative picks up on anti-LGBT rhetoric embedded in Russia’s anti-EU campaign.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is selling his country to American multinational corporations, Ukraine is being turned into a colony of the West, and Russia will be wrongfully driven out of its traditional sphere of historic influence. The Russian media has been promoting these narratives, starting from an interview Yulia Svyrydenko, the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, gave to the “Atlantic Council”. Her statements are taken out of context.
Romania purchasing High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) is presented by the Kremlin’s channel Sputnik as a move by means of which the US is trying to bring into the region equipment that will be used in a future attack on Russia.
The North-Atlantic Treaty Alliance needs “the Russian threat” to keep going, as this is its only reason of existence. This fake narrative has been promoted by Sputnik, Russia’s public mouthpiece, quoting the statements of a Russian senator.
The press affiliated with the Socialists in Chisinau resumes narratives regarding an alleged plan by means of which civil society – shown in a bad light – would seek to seize power in the Republic of Moldova.
Chisinau authorities put citizens’ lives at risk by refusing the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, writes kp.md, adding that the decision was in fact a geopolitical one and was made out of hostility towards Russia. In this way, the citizens of the Republic of Moldova would be engaged, against their will, in a new Cold War with Russia.
Timișoara’s mayor, Dominic Fritz, is working for German intelligence, according to a so-called investigation distributed by Sputnik. The story bears all the hallmarks of fake news promoting the Russian narrative (which is similar to that of the Romanian national Communism) of the West as a hostile force.
EU countries are tolerating the oppression of Russian-speaking communities because they want to erase the memory of the Soviet victory against the Nazi, the Russian media writes, quoting a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, a member of the Party of Regions led by fugitive Ukrainian ex-president Viktor Yanukovych. The narrative is part of a wider effort to depict Russia’s acts of aggression in the region in recent years as a fight against Fascism.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticised statements made by the head of the EU Delegation to Chișinău on political negotiations and the inefficiency of some institutions. It is not for the first time that Moscow, which openly backed Igor Dodon in the 2020 election race, accuses the West for allegedly meddling in the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova.
Sputnik writes that the United States would validate the idea that Transylvania doesn’t belong to Romania, because the embassy didn’t delete a certain commentary posted by a Romanian on Facebook. In fact, Sputnik is trying to link the status of Crimea, occupied and annexed by Russia, to that of Transylvania.
30 years since the collapse of the Soviet empire and the declaration of the Republic of Moldova’s independence, many Moldovan citizens still keep celebrating the Soviet Army Day on February 23. The narrative, just like “May 9 – Victory Day” recalls the USSR’s glory of yore in order to keep Moldova anchored into the Soviet past. In reality, the Soviet Army’s attitude was that of an occupation, repressive regime.
As a Dutch Court is handling the case of the civilian airline passenger Boeing MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, the narratives concerning the incident are resurfacing. This time it is claimed that the aircraft was mistaken for the Russian President’s plane. The Russian media is also highlighting a turn of events that may be soon witnessed as the reports filed by a Russian company were admitted.
The Republic of Moldova would suffer in the event of a war between NATO / the United States and Russia or China, and the North Atlantic Alliance would not protect it. It's fake news promoted by Sputnik, quoting Konstantin Sivkov, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences. The Russian portal resumes older narratives, meant to undermine the trust of the NATO member and partner countries in this organization.
The EU and Ukraine reconfirmed their readiness to continue cooperation under the Association Agreement, which was an opportunity for a new disinformation campaign launched by the Russian press against Ukraine and the EU. "A catastrophe that’s been lasting for five years now, in every sphere of life", "a wrong foreign policy choice made by Ukraine" – are some of the reactions in the Russian press. Elements of typical narratives are present, such as: "fake state", "coup d'etat", "Russophobia", "poverty", etc.
The aging population is the target of a far-reaching extermination effort by cutting it off from the rest of the population, exposing it to the risk of COVID infection and injecting it with “killer vaccines”. Published in Romania, this fake news is a carry-over of older narratives, including some disseminated in Russia and China, and builds on a more recent conspiracy theory: the Great Reset.
The media in the Republic of Moldova and Russia have published an apocalyptic economic growth forecast made public by Mariana Durleșteanu, a former economy Minister nominated for the office of Prime Minister by the Party of Socialists in the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). Durleșteanu presents no data to support her claims, which have been disputed so far by economic analysts and the estimates of both the Government and international organizations.
A number of PSRM-affiliated publications have written that Spain wants to leave the European Union. This reinforces the metanarrative on the imminent collapse of the EU, designed to distort European realities and fuel distrust in the community bloc and its institutions.
Moldovan citizens require a special invitation or a recommendation from the Embassy in order to enter the Russian Federation, former president Igor Dodon has been quoted as saying by a number of publications. This false narrative is meant to justify the fact that the Russian Embassy in Chișinău has booked Dodon a seat on the flight to Moscow.
Sergei Lavrov claims that European and American sanctions had no ground or effect, and the deterioration of the Brussels-Moscow relations occurred as a result of the EU's direct support for the coup in Ukraine. In fact, Ukraine, the EU and the US have criticized Russia for its proven support for the Donbass mercenaries and denounced the illegal, internationally unrecognized and unprecedented in post-War Europe annexation of Crimea.
American tanks couldn’t invade Russia and would be facing the same difficulties German armored divisions did during the Second World War. This fake news underscores narratives about the attack plans of NATO and the USA, while also referring to metanarratives linked to the Second World War.
