Spilnota Detector Media
Русскій фейк, іді на***!

Fake In Moldova, protesters are blocking NATO military equipment moving to Ukraine's border

Pro-Russian social media groups share a video in which dozens of people are blocking the movement of a convoy of military equipment.

The video description states that a protest is allegedly taking place in Moldova, where people are protesting the placement of NATO equipment in the country. Another "version" is about protesters allegedly preventing NATO troops from reaching the border with Ukraine. It isn't true.

The video has nothing to do with current events, including the international security crisis caused by Russia's war against Ukraine. Using the visual source verification tool InVID-WeVerify and reverse image searches on Google, StopFake fact-checkers discovered the news story used for the video. It is a report from May 5, 2016, of the Russian TV channel RTVI about the "Dragoon Pioneer" joint exercises with the United States, which took place in Moldova. It was also possible to find another video from which the footage was used, entitled "Moldova: Anti-NATO protesters block US tanks," published on May 4, 2016, on the YouTube channel of the Venezuelan TV channel TeleSUR.

The video of the "protest" was shot on the Romanian-Moldovan border, not on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. You can see a sign with the settlement's name in the video. It is the village of Skulen, located on the border between Moldova and Romania. The "anti-Nativ" protest was led by a pro-Russian politician, the former president of Moldova - Ihor Dodon (2016-2020). Moreover, he can be seen in the video, and the post's text about this promotion can be read on his personal Facebook page.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes about NATO's participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Earlier, propaganda wrote that NATO wanted to enter the war in Ukraine and to prepare to attack Russia or that NATO troops had entered Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region.

NGO “Detector Media” has been working for our readers for over 20 years. In times of elections, revolutions, pandemics and war, we continue to fight for quality journalism. Our experts develop media literacy of the audience, advocate for the rights of journalists, and refute Russian disinformation.

“Detector Media” resumes the work of our Community and invites those who believe that the media should be better: more professional, truthful and transparent.

Join