Russia: Latest news, analysis, video interviews, video reports

DISINFORMATION: EU sanctions for Moldovans, reminiscent of Stalinist deportations
DISINFORMATION: EU sanctions for Moldovans, reminiscent of Stalinist deportations

The sanctions the EU imposed against Moldovan citizens are reminiscent of Stalinist deportations, and lawmakers endorsing this decision resemble local collaborators of the NKVD, a pro-Russian news portal writes. The article also tries to promote the idea that Moldova’s EU accession allegedly violates the Constitution since it would be tantamount to promoting a certain ideology.

Veridica
08 Mar 2024
ВОЕННАЯ ПРОПАГАНДА: Посылаемые на смерть, украинские военнослужащие просят гражданских протестовать
ВОЕННАЯ ПРОПАГАНДА: Посылаемые на смерть, украинские военнослужащие просят гражданских протестовать

Kyiv is sending its soldiers to certain death, and they are calling on civilians to stage protests in the country's capital to stop the war, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Marin Gherman
06 Mar 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: The Russian forces received a warm welcome in Avdiivka
WAR PROPAGANDA: The Russian forces received a warm welcome in Avdiivka

Civilians in Avdiivka received the Russian liberators with arms wide open, pro-Kremlin propaganda writes. In fact, the city was destroyed by the Russians and the civilian population fled their advance.

Marin Gherman
04 Mar 2024
Transnistria asks for Moscow's protection to scare Chișinău. Tiraspol’s bluff: the annexation to Russia
Transnistria asks for Moscow's protection to scare Chișinău. Tiraspol’s bluff: the annexation to Russia

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.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Zelenskyi repeats Hitler’s mistakes
WAR PROPAGANDA: Zelenskyi repeats Hitler’s mistakes

The Ukrainians and the West are making the same mistakes on the front as Hitler did and, just like him, will lose the war, writes the pro-Kremlin propaganda, resuming several false narratives promoted in the past.

Marin Gherman
01 Mar 2024
The year of the “Great Reset” ?
The year of the “Great Reset” ?

Why the year 2024 is a test for liberal democracies around the world and disinformation might be fatal to them.

Marian Voicu
01 Mar 2024
Belarus: no more carrots, only a stick
Belarus: no more carrots, only a stick

Elections in Belarus were anything but free, with no opposition candidates or independent observers, and a government disinformation campaign designed to instill fear. The opposition managed, nonetheless, to get its message to at least part of the electorate, and in spite governmental efforts, turnout was lower than expected.

Looking for support at home, Bulgaria’s far right openly reaches out to Russia
Looking for support at home, Bulgaria’s far right openly reaches out to Russia

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.

As Russia’s hostility towards NATO increases, Moscow wants to arrest Estonia’s leader
As Russia’s hostility towards NATO increases, Moscow wants to arrest Estonia’s leader

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.

Is Poland ready to defend itself against a Russian armed attack?
Is Poland ready to defend itself against a Russian armed attack?

Two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many Poles fear their country may be next on Putin’s bucket list.

Ukrainian expert:
Ukrainian expert: "Having Romania close is a great advantage"

Russian propaganda is constantly adapting its narratives in the context of the war in Ukraine, and as overt propaganda loses its effectiveness, it increasingly turns to disinformation and truncating part of the truth.

DISINFORMATION: Euromaidan, a Russophobic and fascist action that triggered the war
DISINFORMATION: Euromaidan, a Russophobic and fascist action that triggered the war

The Euromaidan protest in Ukraine was a coup staged by fascists and Russophobes, in the wake of which Ukraine risks disappearing as a state.

Marin Gherman
23 Feb 2024
Belarus in Putin's orbit: political repression and elections with a predictable outcome
Belarus in Putin's orbit: political repression and elections with a predictable outcome

On February 25, Belarus will hold local and legislative elections, the first since the anti-Lukashenko protests of 2020. Minsk clamped down on the opposition in the run up to the elections, and only pro-Lukashenko candidates are competing. Belarus remains firmly in Russia’s orbit.

DISINFORMATION: Romania is a second-tier EU country and Moldova risks sharing its fate
DISINFORMATION: Romania is a second-tier EU country and Moldova risks sharing its fate

Romania gained nothing from joining the EU, where it is regarded as a second-tier country, and the same awaits the Republic of Moldova when it joins, pro-Russian propaganda writes.

Veridica
21 Feb 2024
Russia’s people in the EU: the Latvian MEP working for the FSB
Russia’s people in the EU: the Latvian MEP working for the FSB

Latvia’s efforts to rein in Russian spying and influence came to spotlight following allegations that a well-known pro-Russian MEP, Tatjana Ždanoka, collaborated with the FSB.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Josep Borrell says Ukraine will lose the war in 3 months
WAR PROPAGANDA: Josep Borrell says Ukraine will lose the war in 3 months

The head of European diplomacy has stated that Russia will defeat Ukraine in three months, writes the Russian state press, taking out of context and "enriching" a statement by Josep Borrell.

Marin Gherman
20 Feb 2024
The Republic of Moldova: separatist agitations against the backdrop of the opening of EU accession negotiations
The Republic of Moldova: separatist agitations against the backdrop of the opening of EU accession negotiations

Both Transnistria and the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia seem to be heating up, against the background of an increasingly fierce hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova.

Alexei Navalny’s death: reactions of Romanian conspiracy mongers
Alexei Navalny’s death: reactions of Romanian conspiracy mongers

Navalny was killed by the West, which betrayed itself by publicly announcing his death before it was ever medically attested, according to false narratives circulated in Romania.

Cezar Manu
17 Feb 2024
Pro-Russians in EU-candidate Georgia want to vindicate Stalin
Pro-Russians in EU-candidate Georgia want to vindicate Stalin

A scandal regarding an icon depicting Stalin in Tbilis’s main cathedral brought into spotlight efforts by pro-Russians and Russian propaganda to revive the cult of the former dictator. Following protests against the icon, the ruling Georgian Dream, which claims to be committed to Euro-Atlantic integration, unveiled Russian-inspired plans to criminalize religious insults. 

Diana Shanava
16 Feb 2024
WAR PROPAGANDA: The USA will sustain a strategic defeat in Ukraine
WAR PROPAGANDA: The USA will sustain a strategic defeat in Ukraine

The USA will sustain a strategic defeat in Ukraine, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims, despite the fact that the United States are not involved in the war

Marin Gherman
16 Feb 2024
Is Putin afraid of women who demand the return of Russian servicemen from the front?
Is Putin afraid of women who demand the return of Russian servicemen from the front?

Putin has so far avoided a confrontation with the women who demand the return of servicemen from the front in Ukraine. History shows that Russian women are capable of causing trouble for authoritarian regimes.

Cosmin Popa
14 Feb 2024
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine has launched a missile attack on the Republic of Moldova
FAKE NEWS: Ukraine has launched a missile attack on the Republic of Moldova

Ukraine launched missile strikes on Moldova, Russian propaganda claims, turning Ukraine’s use of anti-air defenses into an act of war against Moldova. The article also ignores the fact that Russia was the one that violated Moldova’s sovereignty and its airspace.

Veridica
14 Feb 2024
“Romanian will replace Russian”: Russians misquote Veridica in order to produce fake news
“Romanian will replace Russian”: Russians misquote Veridica in order to produce fake news

"The Romanian language will replace the Russian language in Ukraine" writes the Russian press, basing its false claim on a Veridica article about a debate regarding the celebration of the Romanian language.

Marin Gherman
13 Feb 2024
FAKE NEWS: Economic partnerships with the USA lead to bankruptcy
FAKE NEWS: Economic partnerships with the USA lead to bankruptcy

Trading with the USA can harm national economies, whereas standing agreements with Russia bring prosperity, says blogger Dan Diaconu, a known promoter of conspiracy theories.

Cezar Manu
13 Feb 2024
Azerbaijan, a regional power following the Karabakh war. What does that mean for the EU and Romania?
Azerbaijan, a regional power following the Karabakh war. What does that mean for the EU and Romania?

Azerbaijan's authoritarian leader, Ilham Aliyev, was re-elected president after winning the Nagorno-Karabakh war and can turn his country into an energy and trade hub halfway between Asia and Europe.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia would win the war if it were as brutal as Israel
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia would win the war if it were as brutal as Israel

Russia has not won the war so far because, unlike Israel, which is killing civilians in Gaza, is only bombing military targets in Ukraine, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.

Marin Gherman
12 Feb 2024
Vladimir Putin's lies in the interview to Tucker Carlson
Vladimir Putin's lies in the interview to Tucker Carlson

Vladimir Putin recycled a number of Russian propaganda narratives to justify the invasion of Ukraine and portray Russia as a victim of Western aggression. The false narratives were also doubled by blatant lies, such as the one that Russia did not threaten to use its nuclear weapons, or the promotion of revisionist theses, according to which Romania, Poland, Hungary (and Russia) have the right to take back territories from Ukraine.

Marin Gherman
10 Feb 2024
Viktor Orban is losing the fight  with the West and there’s nothing Putin can do to help him
Viktor Orban is losing the fight with the West and there’s nothing Putin can do to help him

Recent decisions show that Hungary's EU and NATO partners are fed up with Budapest’s boycott of common policies, anti-democratic drifts and its content playing into Russia’s hands. Although he claims that Russia is a viable alternative to the West, Vladimir Putin has few options to help his friend, Viktor Orban.

WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia defends its historical province, Novorossiya, against the threat of Nazism
WAR PROPAGANDA: Russia defends its historical province, Novorossiya, against the threat of Nazism

Russia is protecting the inhabitants of Novorossiya, a Russian historical territory occupied by Ukraine, against neo-Nazism, according to propaganda theses that are again reiterated into public space while Putin is preparing for his reelection.

Marin Gherman
07 Feb 2024
Hackers attack Romania with methods typical of criminals and authoritarian states
Hackers attack Romania with methods typical of criminals and authoritarian states

Hackers stole data from the Romanian Parliament, demanding money for ransom. Such ransomware attacks are launched by both criminals and state actors.

Cezar Manu
07 Feb 2024
Is Russia really going to attack NATO?
Is Russia really going to attack NATO?

Warnings about a possible Russian attack against NATO have increased lately. Is the threat imminent, or is it just being used to increase readiness?