Disinfo: Moldova – “hostage” of the US military presence in Romania

Summary

Moldova, as well as other countries in the neighborhood, is a “hostage” of the Pentagon and NATO.

Positioning the American missile defense system in the Romanian town of Deveselu represents a direct threat to Russia, with foreseeable negative consequences for the security of Romania and its neighbors, including Moldova.

Disproof

This is a recurring conspiracy narrative about NATO's presence in Romania and its alleged negative impact on Moldova. It is also consistent with pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the West's encirclement of Russia and an imperialistic US presence in Europe.

Regarding the positioning of the missile defense system, the US previously affirmed that it is in compliance with the INF Treaty (which has now been annulled due to Russia's repeat violations). Read more about Romania-NATO cooperation here.

Cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and NATO is based on respect for Moldova’s constitutional neutrality. The main focus of this cooperation is to support the country’s efforts to reform and modernise its defence and security structures and institutions.

NATO is not a threat to Russia. NATO's official policy towards Russia was most recently articulated by the heads of state and government of the Alliance at the Warsaw Summit in July 2016. They stated that "the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. But we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which our Alliance and security in Europe and North America rest".

NATO is not encircling Russia. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometres), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members.

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Reported in: Issue 161
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24/08/2019
Language/target audience: Moldavian, Romanian
Country: Romania, Moldova
Keywords: Military, Missile defence system, US presence in Europe, NATO, Europe
Outlet: Sputnik Moldova

The EU plans to to take over Russia and to ruin Belarus just as it did to Ukraine

The EU has not yet come to the point when it begins to crumble, but its expansionist policy has reached its limits. To overcome this deadlock, the EU hopes to take over the Russian market. The US and UK have clearly placed their bets on a Russian Maidan. The EU also favours this idea but acts more cautiously. Hence, the EU and its ruling elites, the German financial elite in particular, are Russia’s enemies.

In order to keep going, the EU has to expand to the East and to conquer new territories. This is why it has fought fiercely to keep Ukraine in its orbit. By taking over Russian partner states (Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, etc.) the EU intends to demonstrate to its own citizens that it is a developing machine. Expansionism and takeover of the new living space aim at looting wild Eastern lands. According to EU logic, Belarus should be ruined just as Ukraine was.

August 26, 2019

Disproof

This is a conspiracy consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives on Western belligerence towards Russia and its allies including Belarus, Western policies to stage colour revolutions in Russia and its neighbourhood, the EU's imminent collapse, and the EU's aggressive policies towards Ukraine and its economy

The EU has never staged nor does it intend to stage a stage a colour revolution in Russia or any other country.

Zelenskyy is contradicting Ukrainian nationalistic propaganda

A part of Zelensky’s speech on the creation of the UN openly condradicts the official Ukrainian nationalistic propaganda. The Soviet Union was one of the founders of the United Nations. Three Soviet republics – the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic – became UN members representing the USSR in the organization. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly claimed that the modern Ukraine has no historical and ideological links with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

August 26, 2019

Disproof

A recurring Kremlin-backed narrative questioning the sovereignty of Ukraine. The Soviet Union plus the Soviet Republics of Belarus and Ukraine were represented in the United Nations since its beginning. This makes Ukraine one the first countries to sign the United Nations Charter: becoming a founding member of the United Nations. When Ukraine's independence was restored in 1991, the Republic of Ukraine inherited Soviet Ukraine's seat in the UN. No Ukrainian leader has questioned sovereign Ukraine's rights and obligations in the UN. Ukraine's official position of the continuity between Soviet Ukraine's seat in the UN and sovereign Ukraine's can be found here

Unlike the claim in the article, the Russian Soviet republic was never a member of the United Nation. The Russian Federation of today is the legal continuator of USSR in United Nations, thus retaining the USSR's position in the security council.

The President of Ukraine lacks genetic link to the Ukrainian nation

The current state of the Ukrainian state has been the laughingstock of the entire Europe and the tragedy for people living in this territory. Recently, the Kiev government has released a new batch of nationalistic fairy tales. “The desire for independence is embedded in our [Ukrainian] genetic code,” the Ukrainian President noted.

It would be interesting to know what kind of ‘genetic links’ to the Ukrainian nation does the ethnically Jewish president have?

August 26, 2019

Disproof

This is an ad-hominem and anti-semitic attack on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Anti-Semitism is a recurring theme in pro-Kremlin disinformation efforts. More cases illustrating this use are available here and here. For similar cases attacking and seeking to discredit Zelenskyy, see here.

Furthermore, the article also contains a recurring Kremlin-backed narrative questioning Ukraine's sovereignty and its standing in the system of international relations. It attempts to portray Ukraine as a failed state, which is a popular trope in pro-Kremlin disinformation, without providing any evidence to support its claims.