Kharkiv has been a target for the Russian army ever since the war broke out. Its inhabitants refuse to leave their homes and carry on with their lives, trying to preserve some sense of normalcy despite the constant shelling.
Beyond Ukraine, Moscow is working on three fronts: strengthening the regime by "shaking up" its own elite, establishing governments-in-exile in former Soviet satellites, and promoting a pro-Russian discourse in the West.
Videos of opposition activists confessing trumped up crimes and praising Aleksandr Lukashenko have been increasingly used in Belarus.
From hardliner Dmitri Medvedev’s wine to raw materials for the arms industry, Russian imports are transiting Latvia in spite of the latter’s hawkish stance towards Moscow.
Political parties in Estonia are trying to deprive Russian speakers of the right to vote and to kick out of the country the Russian Orthodox Church, seen as a Kremlin mouthpiece.
Chiar sub privirea UE și după ani de potențiale reforme, democrația Bulgariei devine tot mai mult una de fațadă, dominată de partidul lui Boiko Borissov și de „sistem”.
The proposed amendments to Romania's National Defense Law gave rise to disinformation narratives fostered by Russian propaganda and pro-Russians in the Republic of Moldova.
The administration of the autonomous territorial unit of Găgăuzia in the south of the Republic of Moldova seems to be the latest instrument Russia will use to hinder the European accession of the Republic of Moldova.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will start EU accession negotiations 30 years after the end of the civil war. The country has made little progress since, and the Serbs – backed by the Russians – are threatening secession.
Georgia could restrict the rights of the LGBT community. The move would hinder the country’s European integration.
The decision to postpone the elections is used by Russian propaganda to question the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky and divide Ukrainian society from within.
A 100-billion-euro fund for Ukraine means a precise, long-term commitment with more offensive connotations than the support offered so far by the West.
One of the most recently developed conspiracy theories is the one about the “Great Reset”, whereby the “World Government” is purportedly seeking to establish a totalitarian regime on a global scale.
Russian propaganda, alongside politicians, publicists and clerics from the Republic of Moldova, has been promoting for years narratives regarding the threats to the identity and even the existence of Moldova and Moldovans.
Russia is fighting a “holy war” against the evil embodied by a coalition of Nazis, Islamists, Westerners and the LGBT community, according to a narrative promoted, among others, by the Moscow Patriarchate. The thesis regarding a “fight between Good and Evil”, which includes this narrative as well, transpires also in disinformation narratives, fake news and conspiracy theories promoted by Russia in the West and in Romania.
Fewer and fewer Romanians are getting vaccinated, a trend that gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic. The phenomenon is related to conspiracy theories regarding the population being made sick intentionally.
---copie-image.webp)
The Ukrainian borderlands close to the Russian border resemble a no man’s land, scarred by war, where death comes from above.
Isolated from Russia and marked by an economic crisis, Transnistria is forced to accept measures from Chisinau that it would have otherwise ignored. Tiraspol clings to an aggressive rhetoric, but doesn't really have many options at hand.
The relocation of Wagner forces to Belarus following Prigozhin’s aborted rebellion proved to be a propaganda move. Within a year, Lukashenko’s Wagner army, brandished as a threat to neighboring NATO countries, virtually melted away. It also failed to help Lukashenko achieve his objective of foraying into the lucrative mercenary business in Africa.
An exhibition in Narva, dedicated to the Soviet bombing of this Estonian city in 1944 and comparing it to Russian bombardments of Ukraine, has outraged some local residents and politicians. The reactions are at least partly influenced by overexposure to Soviet and Russian propaganda.
Ukraine has been accused of being responsible for the terrorist attack in Moscow. Originally published on Telegram, the thesis was developed by Vladimir Putin and his close siloviki, the current and former head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov and Nikolai Patrushev, both ex-KGB, like Putin. The narrative rids the Russian authorities of all responsibility, plays well into the rhetoric about the Ukrainian-Western aggression and can be used to escalate the war. Arguments in its defense include falsehoods and an older conspiracy theory.
The fear of war with Russia is taking a psychological toll on Latvians. Authorities are trying to reassure them, pointing that Moscow lacks the capacity to wage war against NATO.
The candidacy of Klaus Iohannis for head of NATO can benefit Romania. Iohannis's chance lies in the differences of opinion between East and West regarding the strategy of the Alliance.
Românii au încercat timp de mai bine de o sută de ani să rezolve diferendul privind Tezaurul aflat la Moscova în diferite formate. Nu au reușit. Restituirile din 1935 (arhive) și 1956 (patrimoniul artistic) s-au datorat „bunăvoinței” și „mărinimiei” Moscovei, după cum arătau oamenii politici ai vremii, nu solicitărilor Bucureștiului. Acesta a încercat de câteva ori să internaționalizeze litigiul, reușind o singură dată, la Conferința de la Genova din 1922, dar fără urmări. Rezoluția Parlamentului European din 14 martie 2024 este al doilea act internațional de după 1917 care cere Rusiei să restituie României Tezaurul confiscat.
Realitatea TV, RTV and journalists known for spreading false narratives have presented and AI-generated story as a media investigation, claiming Ukraine is funded with capital raised from selling “Putin” teddy-bears.
A scandal about the sexual harassment of dozens of students in journalism has brought this phenomenon, still widespread in Romania, including in education institutions, back into focus. However, the issue seems to be of little concern to Romanian society or the authorities that should prevent and sanction it. Psychologists say harassment is linked to power relations in a conservative, male-dominated society.
With elections looming this year, Georgia’s éminence grise, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, returned to politics. Shortly after that, a new, pro-Russian premier was appointed.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has slightly distanced himself from Russia for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, but he has moved closer to the sovereigntists. This "dance" has very much to do with the interest in a post of European Commissioner.
The alarmist predictions that Transnistria will call for the annexation to Russia or that Putin will announce the move in his speech before the Russian State Duma turned out to be unfounded. Separatists called on Moscow to protect them “through diplomatic measures”, but it seems to be an attempt to obtain concessions from Chișinău sooner than a step towards joining the Russian Federation.
Bulgaria’s pro-Russian far-right has been increasingly vocal and provocative, as it tries to take advantage of tensions within the pro-European, pro-Ukraine ruling coalition.
Russia is upping the stakes in its long game against NATO, as it put Estonia’s prime minister on a wanted list and unveiled plans to increase the number of troops deployed at the border. Experts think that, within 3 to 10 years after the end of the war in Ukraine, Moscow would be able to attack a NATO country.
Two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many Poles fear their country may be next on Putin’s bucket list.
Donations
Veridica.md
