Author: disinfo1

Op-Ed by Victor Pelin Opposition’s reactions to obtaining of EU candidate status by the Republic of Moldova The Communist-Socialist opposition had to react to the confirmation by the European Council of the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova and offering of the EU candidate status to it. The event saddened the Communist-Socialists so much that these revealed their own perspectives for the future of the Republic of Moldova. In the mentioned context, the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) issued a press release in which it: expressed its regret because the Republic of Moldova became hostage of contextual and geopolitical decisions that…

Analysis of Dionis Cenușa  The outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine at the end of February naturally increased the interest of Eastern European states with a pro-European agenda for a qualitative update of the relationship with the European Union (EU). Practically, throughout the Russian aggression (still continuous), Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have channeled their diplomatic efforts towards the objective of obtaining the status of candidates for accession to the EU. The application and completion of the questionnaires, which took place in March-May, is now followed by the announcement of the EU verdict. The European Commission will comment on the…

By Anatol Țăranu Recently, the Speaker of Moldova’s Parliament Igor Grosu, answering the question of the moderator in a national TV program, made a resonant statement, saying that when the war in Ukraine ends, the Moldovan authorities will need to consider whether the Republic of Moldova should remain part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) or not. As it was expected, the statement of the high-ranking politician caused an equivocal reaction in Moldovan society, contributing again to a profound split of Moldovan society as regards the choice of the country’s civilizational development model. The well-known Moldovan secret consists in…

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…