Author: disinfo1

By Yevhen Mahda Speculations on the historical memory are becoming Russia’s primary weapon in the hybrid confrontation with European countries. They are directed at EU members as well as the Eastern Partnership countries. Kremlin’s New Historical Policy In December 2019, the President of Russia fired a hybrid doublet. Vladimir Putin’s words about ‘the indigenously Russian lands given to Ukraine’ and ‘Count Potocki, who invented the Ukrainians’ were the first shot. Unfortunately, no official from Kyiv shot back. Putin’s second ‘shot` had a different target: Poland’s historical memory. Polish people were accused of anti-Semitism and cooperation between the Second Polish Republic…

Analysis by Dionis Cenușa Russia’s war against Ukraine that began in February 2022 has had a number of negative effects on critical transport and energy infrastructure regionally. In the almost 11 months of war before the end of 2022, decision makers in Ukraine, the EU and Member States, Russia and its allies (Belarus, Iran, etc.) have revised their views on the old way of operating the regional infrastructure. The economic losses registered by the state actors affected by the Russian war are due in large part to the “freezing”, cancellation or destruction of infrastructure elements in charge of transport and…

Op-Ed by Anatol Țăranu The national security strategy of any state in the standard formula represents an official view on the strategic priorities, on the internal and foreign policy objectives and measures that determine the state of national security for a particular period of time and on the methods of sustainable development of the state in the long run. Owing to the swiftly changing living conditions, the documents that define the national security strategy of the state are periodically rethought and adjusted to the new challenges. Consequently, the life expectancy of such strategies usually does not exceed several years and…

Analysis by Dionis Cenușa The energy crisis in Moldova continues, but the difficulties seem to be more manageable for the Moldovan government. The return to the contract with the Transnistrian region (Cuciurgan Power Plant – MGRES) regarding the supply of electricity allows some financial relaxation for the government led by the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), consumers and the business community alike. It also reduces the probability of negative scenarios related to a possible worsening of the humanitarian crisis affecting the citizens of the Transnistrian region. At the same time, by directing all the volume of Russian gas to Transnistria,…

Op-ed by Leo Litra The implications of the Russian war against Ukraine already went beyond the war theater. Every day, tens of countries are affected by the disruptions caused by the Russian aggression – be it the food supply from Ukraine, energy exports, high prices or the waves of refugees fleeing the war and seeking protection outside of Ukraine. However, in recent weeks, the spillover effect of the war went way further. Russian missiles fell on the territory of Moldova and Poland, giving a bitter understanding of how the daily life of millions of Ukrainians looks like. Moreover, Moldova, a…

Op-Ed by Anatol Țăranu In Chisinau, the center of the capital city for weeks during weekends has been in the custody of protesters animated and directed by the parliamentary Shor Party that was recently joined by several parties that are minuscule on the Moldovan political arena. The protest organizers permanently invoke a number of tens of thousands of participants in these street protests, while the police with the same immutability set the number of protesters at not more than 10,000. This competition of figures seems delightful only at first sight. In reality, the fight is given for the public perception…

Analysis of Dionis Cenușa Regional stability and energy security remain in a complicated state, with unpredictable developments that will depend on the severity of the winter and the gravity of the effects produced by Moscow’s weaponization of its energy leverage. Russia’s actions to politicize gas exports in response to EU sanctions and solidarity with Ukraine have led to a drastic reduction in Russian natural gas consumption in Europe. According to forecasts for 2030, Russia is at risk of losing half of its current share of global gas exports, from 30% in 2021 to 15% in 2030 (IAE, October 2022). Against…

Analysis of Dionis Cenusa The holding of pseudo-referendums in the Russian-occupied regions of southeastern Ukraine, followed by the start of annexation procedures (September 30), indicates that Moscow is rapidly losing ground. Otherwise, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, would not have started the partial mobilization and would not have speculated about the possibility of using nuclear weapons. The renewal of Russian military capabilities is struggling, military troops are physically exhausted and severely demoralized, and the military leadership is making a cascade of mistakes because it refuses to operate with real information from the ground. The main culprit for the new military…

Op-Ed by Anatol Țăranu Last week, it became known that the European Union intends to strip Hungary of over 70% of the European funds to which it is entitled until 2027, on the pretext that the Hungarian government violates the rule of law norms. In the opinion of a series of experts, this decision was mainly influenced by Budapest’s stance on Russia, which is waging a war on Ukraine.  In particular, Hungary agreed a preferential natural gas price with Moscow, undermining this way the EU’s solidarity position on the economic sanctions imposed on Russia due to the military aggression of…

Op-Ed by Anatol Țăranu The Second World War that was triggered by the totalitarian regimes of Hitler and Stalin was the most difficult test for human civilization in the 20th century. In that war, fascism was defeated, while Soviet communism survived and, being among the winners of the war, even strengthened its positions. History often chooses a paradoxical development path when an apparent success actually becomes “Pirus victory”. This historical effect fully manifested itself with regard to Germany and Russia, which, after a political-military marriage, ultimately confronted each other in the greatest war of civilization. Germany found inner power, while…