From 30 September, a supposed cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo began circulating in the Russian-language segment of Facebook, allegedly related to parliamentary elections in Moldova. However, this cover is fake.

This was reported by the Georgian fact-checking project Myth Detector.

The image depicts caricatured zombies, one of whom is holding the Moldovan flag, while another holds a white banner with the logo of the pro-European PAS party (Action and Solidarity Party). The headline on the caricature reads: “Dead Moldovans have once again elected PAS”.

In reality, issue No. 1732 of Charlie Hebdo was published on 1 September and had nothing to do with elections in Moldova. The genuine cover features a caricature of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Facebook posts are spreading the claim that the caricature supposedly “exposes” vote rigging using the ballots of deceased voters in favor of PAS, the party led by President Maia Sandu. The source of the fake cover is cited as the Telegram channel “Gagauz Republic”, where it was published on 30 September. The following day, the image also appeared on the Telegram channel “Shkvarka 2.0”.

Fake Charlie Hebdo covers are nothing new – such manipulations are regularly used to discredit politicians, especially in pro-European countries. These fabrications are often created and disseminated to misinform the public and escalate political tensions in society.

A video is being actively circulated in the Georgian segment of Facebook in which Moldovan President Maia Sandu allegedly calls Georgia a “Russian colony”. The video is spread mainly through Russian-language accounts, causing outrage and disinformation among users.

Analysts from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security drew attention to this case.

The viral video is a deepfake created on the basis of Maia Sandu’s speech from 29 August 2025. Georgian fact-checkers from the organization Mythdetector analyzed the material and found that it contains more than 90% indicators of artificial manipulation generated using artificial intelligence. In particular, unnatural mouth and eye movements, distorted facial expressions, and even the “disappearance” of teeth in some frames are noticeable.

In the original speech on 29 August 2025, Maia Sandu did not mention Georgia. Her address focused on urging Moldovan citizens to vote consciously in the elections. No official sources, including Maia Sandu’s official pages or Moldovan media, confirm the claim about a “Russian colony”. Analysis of the video confirms that it is a falsification aimed at manipulating public opinion.

On September 28-29, 2025, Georgian- and Russian-language Facebook accounts, as well as Russian propaganda media, spread false information claiming that Moldovan President Maia Sandu had called Georgia a “Russian colony” during one of her speeches in the course of Moldova’s election process. Some posts were accompanied by a video in which Sandu allegedly speaks Romanian, while Russian subtitles attribute to her the words: “We see with our own eyes how Georgia, disregarding European values, has once again become a Russian colony. The Georgian government has deprived the people of a chance for a prosperous future in the European Union”. The fake was debunked by Georgian experts from MythDetector.

However, the circulated video is a deepfake created using artificial intelligence to manipulate Maia Sandu’s speech from August 29, 2025. In the genuine speech, available on her official Facebook page, the president does not mention Georgia and does not refer to it as a “Russian colony”. The original video is 2 minutes and 28 seconds long and contains a call for Moldovans to make the right choice in the elections that will determine the country’s future. Visual elements in the deepfake, such as Sandu’s clothing and the background, match the August 29 speech, confirming that the video was manipulated.

Evidence of manipulation

Georgian fact-checkers from MythDetector analyzed the video using AI detection tools Hive Moderation and InVID. The results showed that the audio contains 91-99% traces of AI manipulation, while the video shows 91.5-98% indicators of deepfake technology. Visual analysis also revealed flaws, including unnatural movements of Sandu’s mouth, head, and eyes, inconsistent facial expressions, and moments when her teeth disappear. The audio also differs from the president’s usual speaking style, with unnatural pauses and tone.

No authoritative sources, including Maia Sandu’s official accounts on X and Facebook or local Moldovan media, confirm that she called Georgia a “Russian colony”. Posts on X that refer to this alleged statement rely solely on the manipulated video and lack any independent verification.

The fake video may be part of a broader campaign aimed at dividing Moldovan society, increasing polarization, or mobilizing pro-Russian voters ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections, which took place on September 28.

Fake images of what is claimed to be a new LEGO construction set featuring military figures under the flags of Ukraine and Moldova are being circulated on Russian social media and pro-Russian Telegram channels.

This was reported by Ukrinform.

The posts are accompanied by claims that the set was allegedly created by Ukrainian designer Maksym Mitiakin, the author of a LEGO model of Kyiv’s “Motherland Monument”. According to the propagandists’ narrative, the project was supposedly intended to “honor the Moldovan army”, which they claim is fighting against Russia on Ukraine’s side.

In reality, no such project exists. Maksym Mitiakin has no connection whatsoever to the circulated images and did not create any such set – either independently or in cooperation with LEGO or the United24 platform. No reputable Ukrainian media have reported on such an initiative, and there is no information about it on LEGO’s official website.

Moreover, the circulated claims about the Moldovan army’s participation in combat operations in Ukraine are also false. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are fighting Russia independently. Foreign citizens may serve only within the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This is not the only fake construction set being promoted by Russian channels. Images of an invented line of so-called “mourning bricks” in a LEGO-like style have also appeared online. They depict a scene with figurines of a mother and child who have supposedly come to the grave of a fallen soldier-father. With this fake, Russian propaganda seeks to create the impression that Ukrainian society has already come to terms with large-scale losses and is even “preparing” children for them.

This set is also fictional. No such trademark exists, and no information about it can be found in any open sources. The source of the fake was a Facebook post by former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who fled to Russia after the Revolution of Dignity and supports Kremlin disinformation.

Such narratives have a clear goal: to undermine trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and spread fear in society. At the same time, ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28, such fakes are being used to intimidate voters and strengthen pro-Russian political forces in the country.

In early September 2025, claims that Moldovan President Maia Sandu was allegedly suffering from schizophrenia were widely circulated on Georgian- and Russian-language Facebook accounts. According to these posts, information about the president’s mental health supposedly became known based on documents that allegedly “leaked” from the Moldovan parliament in October 2024. The documents purportedly confirm that Sandu is being treated at the Döbling Clinic in Austria and has been prescribed the drug aripiprazole. Most of the posts refer to an article on the website Head-Post.com, and some include photos of a document bearing the name of the clinic, the medication, and Sandu’s signature. The fake was debunked by experts from the Georgian fact-checking portal MythDetector.

In reality, these documents are forged and do not originate from the Döbling Clinic. They contain linguistic and factual errors. In June 2023, when Sandu was allegedly undergoing treatment in Austria, she was in fact holding official public meetings in Moldova. Such disinformation claims about the president’s mental health, spread during the pre-election period, are aimed at discrediting her.

The spread of disinformation about Maia Sandu’s mental health

The main source of the fake is an article published on the website Head-Post.com on August 27, 2025. It contains German-language documents that allegedly indicate that Sandu underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at the private Austrian Döbling Clinic in June 2023. The article claims that this method is considered safe for treating mental disorders and is used when other treatments are ineffective. The documents also allegedly point to aripiprazole being prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Lithuanian outlet Delfi, which specializes in debunking fakes, notes that in June 2023 Maia Sandu had a series of official meetings in Moldova, as confirmed by photographs and official statements. This contradicts claims that she was staying at the clinic.

In addition, the documents contain linguistic errors that indicate forgery. For example, they use the incorrect term “Elektrokonvulsieve therapie”, whereas the correct German terms are “Elektrokonvulsionstherapie” or “Elektrokrampftherapie”. The abbreviation in the document is given as ETC, although EKT or ECT is used in international and German practice. Such distortions further raise doubts about the documents’ authenticity.

This is not the first time a fake claim about Maia Sandu having schizophrenia has circulated. A similar false story, alleging that the president was treated at the same Austrian clinic in 2021, was spread by Kremlin-linked media and on social networks in 2024. At the time, the information was checked by Ukrainian fact-checkers from Gwara Media, who found grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the documents.

Reasons for discrediting Maia Sandu

In the Facebook posts analyzed by Georgian fact-checkers, it is claimed that Sandu can no longer perform her presidential duties, and references are made to a constitutional mechanism for removing a president from office due to health issues. In addition, the fakes suggest that her alleged health problems are being used to “control her from the outside”.

The spread of this disinformation is linked to Moldova’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September 28, 2025. Claims that Sandu is unable to fulfill her duties due to health reasons are used to discredit her ahead of the vote.

This fake is part of a broader disinformation campaign aimed at undermining trust in Moldova’s pro-European leader.

Russian sources claim that in the Ukrainian parliament, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was allegedly called a ‘terrorist’ over the energy crisis in Transnistria. These words are attributed to MP Artem Dmytruk.

However, the StopFake project reports that Dmytruk, who indeed referred to Zelenskyi as a ‘terrorist’, is only nominally a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Therefore, his words do not represent the position of the Ukrainian parliament.

In August 2024, he illegally left Ukraine via Moldova just before his possible arrest. Besides scandals involving fights, including the beating of a soldier, Dmytruk is known for appearing in a propaganda film by Anatolii Sharii about the events in Odesa in 2014 and being a subdeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. In November 2021, he was expelled from the Servant of the People faction. Today, Dmytruk regularly serves as a primary source for spreading fake news about the situation in Ukraine. For example, in November 2024, he gave an interview to RT (formerly Russia Today).

There are two main reasons for the suspension of gas supplies to Transnistria. First, it is the cessation of transit through Ukrainian territory - the agreement between Russia and Ukraine regarding gas transit expired on December 31, 2024, and Ukraine refused to renew it due to the ongoing war with Russia. Second, there are debt obligations - Gazprom announced the cessation of gas supplies to Moldova, including Transnistria, citing Moldovagaz's debt of $709 million.

President Zelenskyi stated that Ukraine had offered assistance in resolving the energy crisis in Transnistria, but this offer was ignored there. Moldova's offer of help received the same response in Transnistria. The presidents of both countries have stated that the crisis in Transnistria is a result of deliberate actions by Russia.

Russian agitprop is conducting an information campaign against Ukraine and Moldova, highlighting the situation in Transnistria.

Earlier, we analyzed the words of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who, reacting to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, said that President Zelenskyi was engaging in “blackmail and begging”.

In the run-up to the second round of the presidential elections in Moldova, local pro-Russian Telegram channels distributed a video by Oleksii Arestovych, in which he says that if Moldovan citizens do not vote for Maia Sandu, “the Ukrainian army will come to Moldova with war”. Local propaganda Telegram channels interpreted this video in such a way that Kyiv is allegedly threatening Moldovan citizens and, accordingly, interfering in the elections.

In fact, the words of Oleksii Arestovych do not reflect the official position of the Ukrainian government, because today he is not its representative . On January 17, 2023, he was dismissed from the post of adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine. This was preceded by a statement by MP Tetiana Tsyba with an appeal to the head of the OPU Andrii Yermak with a request to dismiss Arestovych after his statements that the tragedy of January 14, 2023 in Dnipro allegedly occurred due to the shooting down of a Russian missile by the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, at the same time, the MPs collectively appealed to the SBU, accusing Arestovych of treason.

After all, Ukraine respects international law and the territorial integrity of Moldova, and both countries have the status of candidates for membership in the European Union, so Arestovych’s statement about the Ukrainian army’s invasion of this neighboring country is also unfounded.

Propagandists are spreading the message in the media that the US allegedly still cannot choose a platform for confrontation with Russia between Moldova and Georgia, using dubious claims. They describe pro-European leaders, such as the presidents of both countries, Salome Zurabishvili and Maia Sandu, as allegedly connected with the West with the aim of “splitting” the region. They also create an image of a threat of intervention by foreign troops, in particular Ukrainian ones, to destabilize the situation in order to cause fear and mistrust in democracy. The goal of this message is to promote pro-Russian narratives and reduce support for European integration processes.

Claims of “no evidence” of Russian interference in the politics of these countries are intended to discredit pro-European leaders. First, the rhetoric about the “link” of pro-European politicians to the US and EU, portrayed as a threat to “national interests”,  is intended to encourage the perception of any support for international partners as foreign interference. Claims of “voter-buying plots” without evidence in Moldova and Georgia, used in this message in the context of recent elections in both countries, are intended to undermine confidence in the democratic electoral processes promoted by pro-European parties.

In addition, there are hints of military threat generation, such as the “arrival of Ukrainian snipers” for provocation, used to justify potential intervention and justify Russia’s actions, especially for audiences receptive to such claims. Such disinformation is aimed at undermining Western trust and increasing Georgia and Moldova’s dependence on Russian support in a time of political uncertainty.

Thus, the propagandists want to create the appearance of external influence, allegedly imposing an “alien” political position in order to support democratic choice. This approach is intended to distract from the real problems in the regions where there are risks of pro-Russian intervention, such as economic and political pressure on Moldova and Georgia.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels are spreading information that from September 1, Moldovan schools will allegedly hold Russophobia lessons, where schoolchildren will be taught hatred of Russia under the guise of solidarity with Ukraine. The propagandists claim that this is part of a manual developed by the Council of Europe, which the Moldovan Ministry of Education allegedly rewrote and made mandatory for all schools. However, this is manipulation.

In fact, the lesson “Together for Peace” aims to educate solidarity, compassion and peaceful coexistence, not to incite hatred. It will be held only once – on September 1 – as the first lesson of the school year. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Moldova noted in its document about the lesson that the topic was chosen on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Council of Europe, as well as the beginning of the process of Moldova’s accession to the EU. Propagandists also call any education of young people in the spirit of European values and support for Ukraine “brainwashing”, although in fact, the same document of the Ministry notes that teachers can adapt and change the educational objectives of the lesson and its activities in accordance with the needs and pace of learning of students, and should also encourage students to draw their own conclusions, not impose their views on them. Propagandists present this lesson as an attempt to set children against Russia, whereas the purpose of the lesson is to educate peace and solidarity among young people. There is no evidence that the lessons are about preparing for war or teaching hatred.

Propagandists are trying to turn Moldovan society against European values and institutions such as the Council of Europe, portraying their initiatives as aggressive and hostile. They are also trying to sow fear among the Moldovan population that their children are being taught to hate Russia, which could lead to increased social tensions and a loss of trust in their own government. The propagandists’ message also claims that Ukraine and its allies are using educational programs for military training of children, which is an absurd and completely baseless claim. This is aimed at discrediting support for Ukraine in the international community.

The Russian information field is disseminating information that Moldova seems to be ready to cooperate with Ukraine on the issue of “surrendering evaders”. Thus, propagandists refer to the “statement” of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Mihai Popsoi: “We have carried out all stages of negotiations with Ukraine and will begin to extradite wanted Ukrainians. Since August, our Ministry of Internal Affairs has begun to closely interact with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine”.

Screenshot MAExplică

In fact, this information has already been denied by the Moldavian Foreign Ministry. In particular, they noted: “Mihai Popsoi never made this statement public. When Minister Mihai Popsoi makes a public statement, it is transparently broadcast every time on the communication platforms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the minister. The erroneous reference to fictitious statements is part of a deliberate disinformation campaign targeting the Republic of Moldova”.

The department added that the purpose of this fake is to split Moldovan society or simply misinform it.

Previously, we analyzed such fakes and manipulations. For example, they recorded lies that Ukrainian refugees would allegedly be “squeezed out” from the EU and sent to war.

Propagandists are spreading messages on anonymous telegram channels that the man, whose body was found on the territory of Moldova opposite the Sokyriany department of the Chernivtsi border detachment, a few hundred meters from the state border of Ukraine, was allegedly killed by Ukrainian border guards. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council drew attention to it. They found out from the State Border Service of Ukraine that this information was not true. There were no signs of violent death found on the body of the deceased. In addition, a border representative meeting took place between the Moldovan and Ukrainian sides, at which it was established that the man is a citizen of Ukraine. Representatives of the Republic of Moldova assured that they would inform the Ukrainian side about the causes of the man’s death after examinations.

This fake was spread with the aim of discrediting representatives of the State Border Service of Ukraine and destabilizing the situation in the country. Propagandists seek to undermine trust in Ukrainian border guards by creating a negative image of their actions among the public. Such disinformation campaigns are aimed at increasing tension and mistrust among the population. This is part of a broader information warfare strategy aimed at weakening Ukraine.

Propagandists are distributing on anonymous telegram channels a photo of an allegedly official letter from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which requests the use of Moldova’s airspace. To discuss this issue, a meeting of representatives of the general staffs of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania was held from February 12 to 16, 2024. However, this is fake.

Specialists from the VoxCheck project drew attention to this. They found out that this information comes exclusively from Russian and pro-Russian sources. No other media or officials have confirmed such a meeting. Additionally, information about the deployment of F-16 military aircraft on the territory of Moldova and the use of its airspace was denied by the Ministry of Defense of this country. Even the “letter” that propagandists distribute shows signs of editing.

The Moldovan media NewsMaker contacted the Ministry of Defense with a request to clarify information about the use of airspace for Ukrainian aircraft, and received an answer that this information was erroneous and was being disseminated with the aim of scaring society. Moreover, there is no mention anywhere of a meeting between representatives of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine in Chisinau from February 12 to 16, 2024. Analyzing the “writing” using the Forensically tool and ELA analysis, signs of editing are noticeable.

Previously, the same pro-Russian sources disseminated information that F-16 aircraft transferred to Ukraine would be stationed at the Moldovan Marculesti airport near the border with Ukraine. However, Moldovan Defense Minister Anatolii Nosatyi denied these statements, calling them an attempt to destabilize the situation in the country.

Pro-Kremlin telegram channels write that Western F-16 fighters will be stationed at one of the airports in Moldova before being transferred to Ukraine. In asserting this, propagandists refer to the Minister of Defense of Moldova Anatolii Nosatyi, who allegedly made a corresponding statement.

In fact, this information is not true. This was reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security. Anatolii Nosatyi himself has already denied such news in a comment to Newsmaker: “They are aimed only at misinformation of citizens and discrediting the defense department. I would like to point out that all these messages are misinformation. I condemn and refute these fakes”.

The Minister of Moldova also said that in addition to Telegram channels, lies were spread by politicians who “want to destabilize the situation in the country”. Previously, we denied information that the Russian military had already destroyed several F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.

In response to statements by Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who expressed that Chisinau has no common topics for discussion with Moscow, Russian officials point to the allegedly disastrous results of the municipal elections in Moldova for the ruling party. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from The Insider project drew attention to it. They emphasize that the “victory of the opposition” does not look very convincing. Moldova's pro-European Action and Solidarity party won 19 of 32 districts in regional elections, eight times better than in the previous elections in 2019. Also, the pro-Russian Party of Socialists lost five districts after these elections. They also note that the victory of the pro-Russian party is also not significant, since it was unable to gain success in the elections of mayors of the largest cities.

Ion Ceban, a former adviser to Moldovan President Ihor Dodon, left the Party of Socialists and created the National Alternative Movement, a center-left, also pro-European opposition political force. Ceban advocates European integration of Moldova and condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine. Despite the fact that there is an allegation about Cheban’s ties with Russia, his victory in the elections took place under slogans for European integration and condemnation of Russian aggression.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists make their desire reality. They say that Moldova will never be able to become a full-fledged European state. However, Detector Media  using the example of material about the “Moldavian language”, explained how else Russians can use the internal political context of Moldova for their propaganda.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that Moldovan President Maia Sandu, during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyi on June 1, allegedly confirmed her readiness to provide her territory for the military operations of the Ukrainian army, namely to “deal with” the so-called Transnistria. The authors add that this allegedly is how the president of Moldova expresses her “disposition” towards Ukraine and the troops. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the StopFake project drew attention to the case and determined that Maia Sandu did not say this. The propagandists simply made up her words about the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Actually, the presidential office denied this information and called it fake. And in a meeting with the press, Maia Sandu said that Ukraine ensures the security of Moldova and that their country respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its internationally recognized borders.

Of course, Ukraine can respond and help other countries if there is such a request. And there was no request from Moldova, so we are not even talking about any dispatch of troops. At the same time, during the same meeting on June 1, Zelenskyi said that Ukraine does not claim the territory of Transnistria.

By spreading such a message, propagandists seek to show that the Armed Forces of Ukraine want the war to escalate, to continue it outside of Ukraine, or, for example, to resolve other conflicts. Allegedly, Ukraine is ready to dispose of the territories of neighboring countries as it pleases, especially when the military “gets permission”. Thus, Russian propaganda exposes the Ukrainian military as aggressors who allegedly claim other territories outside Ukraine.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that Ukraine has dug a ditch on the border with Moldova, which should “stop the mass escape of men from mobilization”, the Border guard service of Ukraine itself told Moldovan colleagues. It is not true.

The case was noticed by the experts of the StopFake project, who investigated that the Border guard service did not make such statements. At the same time, they explain the construction of fortifications on the border with Moldova as the need to increase attention to this area due to the situation in Transnistria and the possibility of provocations there. The Moldovan border guards also commented on the situation and stated that, among other things, this would aggravate the fight against an attempt to introduce smuggling from Ukraine to Moldova. Analysts stressed that there was no talk of stopping the “mass flight of men from mobilization” as the reason for the appearance of the structures.

This thesis is broadcast by Russian propaganda in the media and telegram channels. The bill on replacing the Moldovan language with Romanian in official office work was adopted in the first reading by the ruling party of Moldova “Action and Solidarity”. The reports also claim that the team of Moldovan President Maia Sandu is trying to divert public attention from pressing problems. That is why she raises the “historically difficult” question of language.

The case attracted the attention of analysts from the EU vs Disinfo project, who are convinced that this message is intended to nourish the Kremlin propaganda narrative about “the loss of sovereignty by Moldova” and “the installation of external control by Western curators”.

In fact, in the declaration of independence of Moldova, adopted in 1991, the official language of the country is Romanian. In December 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova recognized that this document has a higher legal force than the constitution, so the state language should be called “Romanian”. It is considered native by 82.2% of Moldovan citizens. In addition, the International organization for standardization has officially recognized the Romanian language of Moldova.

As for the history of the “Moldavian” language, in 1940 the USSR annexed Bessarabia, introducing not only a new political regime, but also a new language and Cyrillic alphabet. The local population of Moldova was declared as a “Moldovan people”, allegedly different from the Romanian. Subsequently, the Soviet authorities made attempts to justify the existence of a separate “Moldovan language and nation”, resorting even to pseudo-scientific interpretations of their Slavic origin.

Now Russia is using such manipulations to create the appearance that Moldova is a puppet of the so-called collective West. Propagandists are trying to show that the President of Moldova makes all decisions only under the dictation of Western curators. The Russian propaganda machine is spreading similar messages in relation to other sovereign states. Particularly in Georgia. A similar narrative regarding Ukraine has also been circulating in the information space over the past nine years.

Journalists from a group of international publications exposed the Russian strategy of political and economic takeover of Moldova. They are talking about the document “Strategic goals of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova”. According to Dossier journalists, it was developed by the presidential administration for cross-border cooperation of the Presidential administration and coordinated with the Russian special services.

The authors divided the goals in the document into several groups: military-political, trade-economic and humanitarian. However, it is precisely the realistic goals for the next ten years that the authors of the strategy consider:

• opposition to the influence of NATO and the EU in Moldova;

• forcing Moldova to participate in the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan), the Eurasian Economic Union and other Russian international projects;

• settlement of the Transnistrian conflict on the basis of the special status of Transnistria (of course, with the participation of Russia);

• building up pro-Russian sentiment in society through propaganda and educational programs.

The journalists add that, according to the exposed document, by 2022 the Russian Presidential administration planned to prevent the Moldovan authorities from excluding Russia from the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and wanted to maintain the Russian military presence in the unrecognized territory. It is reported that the tasks of the Presidential administration also included the support of Moldovan pro-Russian politicians.

The document also refers to Russia's plans to exploit Moldova's dependence on Russian imports in order to neutralize the republic's policy, which is contrary to the interests of the Kremlin.

Earlier, Dossier journalists published a similar document on Belarus. It is known that both “strategies” were developed in the same department.

A group of publications worked on exposing the document: Dossier (Russia), RISE (Moldova), Delfi (Estonia), Kyiv Independent (Ukraine), Belarusian Investigative Center (Belarus), Yahoo News (USA), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), West Rundfunk (Germany), Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany), Expressen (Sweden), Frontstory (Poland) and VSquare (Visegrad Group (V4)).

Russian media spread information that Ukraine is allegedly ready to help Moldova stop destabilization in the country by military means. Like, in Ukraine “they do not exclude the invasion of Ukrainian troops in Transnistria”. Oleksii Danilov, a secretary of the National security and defense council of Ukraine, said this in his recent interview. This is manipulation.

Oleksii Danilov did not say that Ukraine is ready to provide military support to Moldova. It was not even about the fact that Ukraine is preparing an invasion of the temporarily occupied Transnistria. As the StopFake fact-checkers explain, they are talking about an interview given by the secretary of the National security and defense council on March 3, 2023. Oleksii Danilov answered the question whether Ukraine is ready, including by military means, to help Moldova if a corresponding request is received from President Maia Sandu. He said that such an appeal could be considered taking into account all ongoing processes and circumstances. The propagandists took these words out of context and gave them a different meaning.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to destabilize the situation in Moldova and discredit the cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova. Recently, the Russians circulated a document that supposedly confirms that Ukraine is preparing to attack Transnistria and claimed that Ukraine is dragging Moldova into the war.

Propagandists are spreading a photo that allegedly depicts an order to prepare Ukraine for an attack on Transnistria. According to it, before February 27, the personnel of the engineer-sapper battalion of the 28th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is part of  the Operational Command “South”, was to advance to the village of Kuchurрan, bordering Transnistria. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the fake. They found out that the document is a forgery. Several factual errors point to this, in particular:

there is no name of the document in the photo (it is not clear if this is an order, decree or report), while in the messages where this fake appeared for the first time, it is called an order;

the order number is indicated on the right side of the document;

in the upper left corner it should contain information about this order;

the abbreviation SESB (separate engineer-sapper battalion) must be written in capital letters;

settlements are usually indicated without the abbreviation “n.p.” (name of the settlement point);

in the main text of the document they mention 534 SESB, but there is no mention of it in open sources.

Moreover, the document in the photo does not talk about Ukraine's offensive against Transnistria. It only notes the supply of ammunition, which, according to VoxCheck analysts, does not necessarily mean preparations for offensive operations.

Thus, propagandists are trying to destabilize the situation in Europe and shift the responsibility for their possible provocations in Transnistria to the West and Ukraine. Allegedly, Ukraine wanted to attack Russia, and now wants to start a war against Moldova. Recently, there have been more fakes about the situation in Moldova in Russian propaganda. Detector Media has already written about their examples and their true goals.

Reports are circulating on pro-Russian telegram channels that Ukrainians are building defensive structures on the border with Russian-occupied Transnistria. They say that Ukraine is justifying itself by strengthening its own security, but ‘in fact” it is preparing provocations to draw Moldova into the war.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads messages that Ukraine is going to draw neighboring states into the war, including Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary or Belarus. The propagandists also wrote that in one way or another Ukraine was involving the USA, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia, etc. into the war. Propaganda claimed that military personnel of NATO countries or representatives of the OSCE are fighting in Ukraine. Thus, Russia uses the tactics of substitution of concepts in order to present itself as a victim of global aggression, and not as an aggressor state.

Russia launched a new wave of disinformation messages about drawing Moldova into the war after Russian missiles violated Moldovan airspace. Thus, Russia is trying to be proactive and absolve itself of responsibility for war crimes. Like, Ukraine provokes other states and draws them into the war, not Russia. The Russians recently shared a “document” allegedly confirming that Ukraine was preparing to attack Transnistria.

Propagandists spread information that Romania is accumulating troops and equipment on the border with Moldova and is preparing to attack it at any moment. Such messages were especially active on Twitter. It's fake.

Radio Svoboda (Liberty) writes about it. The publication received a comment from the speaker of the Romanian Ministry of Defense Constantin Spânu on this matter. A senior official said that “there were no changes in the deployment of Romanian forces and air defense systems”. This is an important detail, since in a number of messages the propagandists also mentioned the alleged deployment of Romanian air defense systems. Spânu added that the Romanian military has been following the wave of fakes since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine using its own Inforadar platform.

Thus, propagandists are trying to destabilize the situation in Europe. Like, Moldova should be more prudent and loyal towards Russia, otherwise it will be like in Ukraine. In particular, such messages are part of a large-scale information campaign of Russian propaganda against Moldova. Detector Media wrote about the tactics of intimidation that are actively used within its framework.

Such a document was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The document says that the Ukrainian leadership sends fighters to the cities of Ukraine bordering Moldova. Before the publication of the so-called document, the authors add that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “intend to carry out an armed provocation in Transnistria”. 

Analysts from the Center for strategic communications and information security investigated this case and found that the document was fake. As analysts explain, the “document” includes a number of inaccuracies, in particular:

The fake document does not conform to the standard format used by the Ukrainian military command;The wording used in the “document” is not typical of official business language;

The authors of the “document” made grammatical and spelling errors.

Transnistria is a self-proclaimed unrecognized state located between Ukraine and Moldova. According to the legislation of Moldova, Transnistria has the status of an Autonomous Territorial Unit with a special legal status. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognizes the territory of Transnistria as occupied by Russia. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that Russia plans to carry out a coup d'état in the country. At the same time, against this background, Russian propaganda was spreading messages that it was Ukraine who wanted to make provocations on the territory of Moldova.

Russian media are spreading the message that Ukrainian President Zelenskyi and Moldovan President Sandu have conspired to escalate the situation in Transnistria. Propagandists claim that it is they who are trying to provoke Tiraspol to aggression, and it is for this that Maia Sandu wants Moldova to join NATO. In addition, the Russian media are convinced that the ex-Prime Minister of Moldova was replaced precisely at the direction of the US State Department and Zelenskyi.

Analysts of the EUvsDisInfo project drew attention to the message. They note that the pro-Kremlin media continue to perceive Moldova as part of the sphere of Russian influence. With this in mind, they are spreading narratives that criticize the current pro-Western government of Moldova. In particular, Russia accuses the Moldovan government of ending the dialogue with Russia on the discount on gas supplies, as well as supporting Ukraine. Last July, President Sanda announced her intentions to strengthen Moldova's combat capability while maintaining neutrality.

Thus, the Russian propaganda wants to destabilize the situation in Moldova in order to use it to escalate the situation in Transnistria. Also, because of such messages, propagandists want to convince Ukrainians that even the closest allies have turned their backs on Ukraine, but reality proves the opposite.

Messages are being spread on telegram channels that allegedly the Prime Minister of Moldova, Nataliia Havrylytsia, admitted that weapons and donor organs are smuggled into Moldova from Ukraine. Like, Moldova has become a real black market for selling the organs of wounded soldiers. Reports claim that on October 20, 2022 a law was passed allowing organ transplants in private clinics in Moldova. After that, the number of wounded Ukrainian soldiers allegedly increased, who are allegedly taken to Moldova for treatment, and instead are used as donors. This is manipulation.

Propagandists have been manipulating themes of organ trafficking and arms smuggling since the start of the full-scale invasion. However, not once did they provide evidence of these crimes. The Prime Minister of Moldova did not say that donor organs of the Ukrainian military get from Ukraine to Moldova. Nataliia Havrylytsia noted that the country needs additional support from the EU to combat the increase in cases of human and arms trafficking from Ukraine. In particular, in July 2022, the EU created the Support Center for Internal Security and Border Control in Moldova. It deals with combating the trade in firearms and people. Forced transplantation, which propagandists talk about, is only one of the components of the concept of “human trafficking”, as well as recruitment, transportation, sale, involvement in criminal activities, forced labor, etc. So the problem is much broader.

According to VoxCheck, the Ukrainian military is sent for rehabilitation to the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Romania, the USA and Israel. There is no official information about treatment in Moldova. Reports of “black transplantology” in the Ukrainian army have also been repeatedly refuted.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit international support for Ukraine and worsen partnerships between Ukraine and other states. Earlier, propagandists spread messages that in Poland a refugee from Ukraine was sold for organs, and in Donbas, wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals with pro-Russian views became victims of black transplants.