Author: disinfo1
Analysis by Denios Cenușa Although stability in the region remains precarious, security prospects appear to be balanced in favor of Ukraine and its Western allies in the face of Russian aggression. Military assistance to Ukraine is increasing, racking up billions of euros from the EU and others, and Ukrainian military forces are mobilizing to regain control of territories in the Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk regions. The prolongation of Russia’s war against Ukraine makes the socio-economic costs difficult for Western decision makers to manage and fully bear. Under pressure from the unknown, Brussels is facing difficulties in imposing a sixth sanctions package…
Analysis by Dionis Cenușa Sanctions against Russia, albeit belated, are Ukraine’s vital tool in fighting the Russian invasion after receiving foreign military aid. The first Western sanctions with a significant economic impact were triggered immediately after Russia’s recognition of the independence of the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donbas (February 23). The others quickly followed after the start of the war on February 24. Even after more than three weeks of war, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterates that the West is behind on sanctions. In his opinion, these could be introduced as a preventive measure to deter Moscow (Interfax, March…
Analysis of Dionis Cenușa The Russian military mobilization on the border with Ukraine, combined with the Russian-Belarusian military exercises and hundreds of violations of the ceasefire by the administrations of the Ukrainian separatist territories (OSCE, February 2022), keep Kiev on high alert. Ukraine’s concerns are valid even after Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed documents recognizing the two breakaway Ukrainian regions in Lugansk and Donetsk (RBC, February 2022). On the political, diplomatic, military and financial front, the West is on Ukraine’s side. At the same time, efforts are under way to bring Russia to the negotiating table to avoid a conventional…
This week the disinformation narratives published by the pro-Kremlin media targeted mostly Belarus. Disinformation cases collected this week consider, among others, Belarus. They include rather uneasy narratives such as hybrid war facing the country; West planning to tear Belarus away from Russia; and the evil West engaging in information warfare. In addition, the “hostilities and provocations from Ukraine” are being countered by the Belarussian regime by buying weapons en masse, despite the fact that Ukraine has no plans to destabilize its neighbor. In other words, the cases above claim that Belarus is under malign external threat. Distort facts The AMITT framework lists ten different techniques to spread…
Analysis by Dionis Cenușa In addition to interconnection, the three associated countries want a massive EU presence in the Eastern Partnership to counteract the Russian factor, which still maintains its channels of influence over the region, especially in the field of territorial conflict management… Almost two months after the launch of the “Trio Association” (Kiyv, May 17, 2021) with the European Union (EU), the representatives of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine signed the first declaration of the “Trio” at the level of the heads of state, during the Batumi International Conference (July 19, 2021). The document, approved by Presidents Salome Zurabishvili,…
By Dumitru Minzarari A precarious political standoff continues unabated in the Republic of Moldova, where the Russia-funded Party of Socialists (PSRM) desperately clings to power while trying to obstruct the conduct of snap parliamentary elections. The most recent development in this saga was the apparent stalling by the acting prime minister, Aureliu Ciocoi, of preparations for elections. Ciocoi justified the move by claiming the government does not have enough money for this exercise (TRM, May 7). His words were mirrored by former president and PSRM leader Igor Dodon, who misleadingly claimed that the head of state—a position now occupied by…
”Oligarchs continue to be active political actors in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Although their real influence can not be accurately measured, it cannot be underestimated, as it affects the quality of democratic processes and undermines national security in favor of Russian interests…” Recent signs of improvement in political competition in Eastern European states dictate a change in the behavior of financially leveraged actors, also known as oligarchs, who have become indispensable forces in local political systems. They seek to review their strategies, the purpose of which varies from restoring and consolidating their powers to maintaining channels of intervention in the…
Russia has delivered its latest weapons batch to the mineral-rich and violence-racked Central African Republic, Moscow’s ambassador in Bangui told state media Monday. The shipment of 5,000 pieces of small arms is the third delivery in as many years. Moscow donated hundreds of weapons in 2019 and airlifted 10 BRDM-2 armored personnel vehicles as a gift last year. “Russia has supplied the CAR with a third batch of weapons free of charge,” the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s Ambassador in the CAR Vladimir Titorenko as saying. “These are assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, RPGs, hand grenades and ammunition,”…
By Victor Pelin “Before forming the front of the left, the PSRM and PCRM should clarify their relations concerning the committed acts of betrayal and violation of the constitutional provisions on neutrality. It would be good if the given clarification is transparent so that public opinion could see that the future coalition of the Communists and the Socialists is solid and is based on principles and values…” Reanimation after hibernation Before the snap parliamentary elections, some of the political forces revive after a kind of clinical death. It is also the case of the Party of Communists of the Republic of…
Although Ukrainian public opinion does not surpass that of Georgia in terms of Euro-optimism, Ukraine is showing a stronger and more stable devotion to the European vector than its western neighbor – Moldova… The increased presence of the European Union (EU) in the Eastern Neighborhood is determining a successful placement at the top of societal preferences. Expectations towards the EU are determined by the content and dynamics of the relations between European actors and the local political class in the region. Even the most positive political intentions of the EU, expressed in relation to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, cannot compensate…