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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
The military equipment Ukraine got from the United Kingdom is obsolete and/or out of commission, according to a piece of fake news carried by the Russian media.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Covid pandemic and the sovereigntist and identitarian themes dominated the false narratives promoted in Romania in 2021.
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.
Russia has a right over the territories lost as a result of the dissolution of the USSR, according to a false narrative promoted by the Kremlin’s loudspeaker, Sputnik. The narrative was published while Russia was amassing troops and equipment at the border with Ukraine, which caused concern in the international community.
Romanian police abusively detained a journalist because she went to report on a protest
Romania has been dragged into a trap by its NATO allies to send military equipment, troops and instructors to Ukraine, but when Russia will start the war against this country, Bucharest will be left to stand alone, according to a false narrative published by Evenimentul Zilei.
The UK allegedly called on NATO to admit it stands accountable for the crisis in Ukraine and to recognize the West’s destabilizing actions, the Russian state media writes. This false narrative echoes an obscure British publication with no connection to government sources.
The civil society in the Republic of Moldova has taken over the reins of power, exerting it in the interest of its external financiers, cenzura.md writes. The commentary draws on an article disseminating similar narratives, published by the Armenian news portal verelq.am, which in turn cites Dalma News, a media outlet from the Caucasus.
The Eastern Partnership is doomed to fail because Ukraine wants war and Moldova wants money to get out of the energy crisis it provoked. The narratives were launched on the eve of the Eastern Partnership Summit with the aim of undermining the joint efforts of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia to join the European Union.
The United States wants to destroy the Olympic Games through unjustified boycotts, though it has nothing to gain from it. They did it in 1980 and they are doing it again in 2022, according to a false narrative promoted by Sputnik.
Romania has become a dumpster for the military equipment discarded by other NATO member states, which is illustrative of its servitude towards the Allies. This false narrative was prompted by AUR leaders and amplified by Sputnik.
Kiev is accused of persecuting the people of Donbass and Crimea because it wants to legalize dual citizenship without including among the beneficiaries of the law the Ukrainians from the occupied regions, who were forced to take Russian citizenship.
