Monitoring of the “Novosti Pridnestrovia” portal and the “Pervii Pridnestrovskii” and “TSV” television channels indicates a coordinated campaign to discredit the reintegration process, announce the experts of the non-governmental organization Promo-LEX. According to a report published, in April and May, the messages focused on the alleged “economic blockade”, “double taxation” and the Convergence Fund, presented as a mechanism of “robbing the Transnistrian people”.
In June, the anti-reintegration propaganda speech became much more aggressive, the process being associated with “extermination”, “genocide”, “occupation” and “forced romanization”. These narratives exploit economic difficulties and the fears of the population, reintegration being presented as an existential threat.
In parallel, the propaganda promotes the myth of the existence of the “Transnistrian people”, who would have an identity and a history distinct from those of the Republic of Moldova. These narratives are disseminated through television, cinemas, and educational institutions, to legitimize the alleged “Transnistrian statehood” and to present reintegration as impossible, assert the representatives of Promo-LEX.
Concurrently, the alleged security minister of the region has intensified messages about alleged terrorist attacks and the “hybrid war” waged by Chisinau. The separatist authority also published a list of 19 publications considered undesirable by the leaders on the left bank of the Dniester and asked locals to report if journalists approach them, but also not to interact with them.
In this context, it is suggested that the constitutional authorities develop bridges of connection and direct dialogue with the population of the region, as well as to communicate proactively and constantly about the reintegration process.