Disinformation Narratives on Telegram in the Pre-Election Context: Cases of TV Channels and Websites Closed by the Authorities

Several TV channels and websites blocked by the Information and Security Service in 2023 for promoting war and spreading disinformation have formed a sort of information ecosystem on Telegram, where they post dozens of news items on a daily basis, fueling disinformation narratives aimed against the EU, Ukraine, and the current governance of the Republic of Moldova.

• Seven such channels were monitored during in the first two weeks of July; the results reveal close cooperation among them – each of them produces little original content, sharing what the other channels from the same “club” produce. During this term, they also published some fake news items.
• The monitoring results also demonstrate that the channels tend to specialize in particular “tasks.” Gagauznews, Komsomolskaia pravda v Moldove (KP), Primul in Moldova, and Canal5 have the “mission” to publish materials related to the “Victorie” Bloc, Ilan Sor, and Evghenia Gutul. Enews and Moldavskie Vedomosti specialize in anti-government, anti-European, pro-Russian, and anti-Ukrainian texts. Cenzura.md apparently publishes the materials concerning Victoria Furtuna as well as the news containing “traditional” or recent narratives.
• Among the monitored channels, Komsomolskaia pravda v Moldove has the largest audience (over35000 followers) with an average of 4700 views per post. The other six channels have from 1000 to 13000 followers each, apart from Moldavskie Vedomosti (with 328 followers).

Let us analyze the most prominent narratives found in the content published by the seven channels.1. European integration is a mere myth; the EU uses the Republic of Moldova as an instrument in a future war against RussiaThis narrative amplified by the July 4 events, i.e. the EU-Moldova summit in Chisinau, started with a text written by analyst Victor Josu and posted on the Traditia.md website. From this source, Komsomolskaia pravda v Moldove, Moldavskie Vedomosti, and Canal 5 reposted it under different titles. The same idea can also be found in another post on the Moldavskie Vedomosti channel and the material published by Cenzura.md. They quote Victor Josu saying that, at the July 4 summit, the Republic of Moldova’s candidacy for EU membership was basically rejected. Instead, according to him, one could clearly see “Brussels’ policy of involving Moldova into a future war with Russia disguised by such a phrase as ‘improving security.’” “Even NATO – after the Trump administration demonstrated that the US were no longer interested in Europe – ceased being the basic factor in this regard; NATO’s position is currently occupied by the EU.” Dmitri Ciubasenco is also quoted: according to him, the summit had another tendency which “neither Chisinau nor Brussels is eager to display clearly: to closely connect Moldova with the EU military machine for their common struggle against Russia.”The narrative mentioned in the posts cited above and stating that the EU keeps gradually transforming into a military bloc, actually refers to an opinion expressed by Maria Zakharova a few days earlier and quoted by another channel which is part of the same ecosystem, i.e. Gagauznews.md. Zakharova is quoted as saying that the EU is “getting militarized.”2. Moldova is losing its population due to its governanceThis is one of the narratives permanently circulating in the media sphere and intensifying during the pre-election period. In the beginning of the monitoring period (July 1), several channels published an analytical text by politician Vlad Filat. Moldavskie Vedomosti, Enewsmd, and Primul in Moldova announce that 75 villages have been “erased from the map” and that “the governance of Maia Sandu and the PAS writes the history of destruction of the Republic of Moldova.” On July 3, Enewsmd includes this narrative into a post by quoting civic activist Igor Tuleantev who says young people leave the countryside due to a “profound systemic crisis amplified by the authorities’ policy.”On July 5, Moldavskie Vedomosti publishes a statement by Irina Vlah, according to whom, during four years of the PAS government, Moldova has lost over 245000 people. On July 8, the channels abounded with the politicians’ statements regarding depopulation as a result of the current governance: Enewsmd mentions that the population of Moldova has decreased by 42000 people compared to the previous year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, adding, “The PAS regime obviously acts according to the principle that ‘less is more.’” On the same day, the same channel quotes Vlad Batrancea, a Socialist deputy, who says that “more and more citizens keep leaving the country due to the lack of stability and prospects caused by the current governance.” Cenzura.md quotes Bogdan Tirdea, another Socialist, who considers that, “by its policy, the government makes the difficult demographic situation even worse. (…) The Republic of Moldova is transforming into a geopolitical wasteland living in anticipation of a war or a catastrophe,” and Primul in Moldova publishes Alexei Lungu’s ideas on this topic: “Is this exactly the ‘European integration’ we have been hearing about from the screens for many years?”3. The elections are likely to be falsifiedThis is a well-known narrative which also circulated during the previous election campaigns; it can also be encountered in the other states and is aimed at de-legitimizing the elections if they are won by some “undesirable” entities. On July 3, historian Boris Sapovalov discussed the falsification issues, according to Cenzura.md: “As a matter of fact, the Moldovan authorities are officially preparing to falsify the upcoming parliamentary elections by using their administrative resources in order to subsequently control the voting process.” On the same day, Enewsmd publishes a demand by the “Inima Moldovei” Party for a tougher punishment for election fraud, adding that “the protest participants are concerned that the PAS could resort to fraud during the elections to be held on September 28,” and the results of an opinion poll according to which, “only a quarter of the residents of Moldova believe that the autumn elections will be held in a honest way.” On July 8, the same narrative can be seen on Primul in Moldova in the statement made by politician Marina Tauber: “What we expect is massive election fraud and non-admission of several parties to the elections.”4. Pro-Europeans are nothing more than “grant-eaters”This narrative which is actually a label applied to non-governmental organizations and individuals who are part of them can be found in various news items regardless of the topic. On July 4, Moldavskie Vedomosti comments, “If we assume that the PAS and the ‘Impreuna’ Bloc are a bunch of more or less successful grant-eaters instead of true pro-European forces, things start looking logical and clear.” On July 7, the same channel criticizes a grant contest held by the Soros Foundation Moldova: “Let us reiterate: 3.8 million Euros are given not to help caregivers, but to maintain NGOs; therefore, it is up to the grant-eaters to decide how the caregivers should live. Why should one become an engineer, a doctor, or a farmer if the grant-eaters earn much more money?” КР applies this label virtually every time it mentions independent journalists (the examples can be seen here and here), accusing them of being government-favored. The same narrative is indirectly present in the Enewsmd news item announcing that Irina Vlah addressed the CEC asking to monitor the activity of the NGOs involved in the electoral process.CONCLUSIONSThe four narratives we have identified and the way they are presented in the media content on Telegram illustrate the way influence strategies are applied.In the first case, the manner of presenting the facts can be described as “re-informing” or “post-truth” in specialized studies, or simply replacing facts with opinions. The authors do not start by publishing a neutral news item providing the facts about a particular topic, or add the analysis and the analysts’ considerations after that, which would be logical. Instead, the part related to the facts is omitted. Someone’s opinion/interpretation of the facts is presented directly. Such an approach deprives the audience of the opportunity to find out what has actually happened. When applied systematically, this strategy conveys the idea that the facts no longer matter; it is their interpretation that matters most.In the second case, one can talk about influencing by means of the lack of context. The fact that the population in the Republic of Moldova is decreasing (due to migration and lower birth rates) was established by the United Nations Population Fund in the early 2000s and has persisted ever since; according to the specialists, it is a result of complex social factors, therefore, it cannot be attributed to the activity of any specific governance.In the third case, the idea that the elections will be falsified which is promoted without any confirming arguments may be based on the intentions which are not limited to the informational environment: it may prepare public opinion for eventual post-election protests. However, this narrative may have a certain impact by discrediting the democratic electoral procedure.The label narrative stating that pro-Europeans are mere “grant-eaters” functions like any label or ridicule: it devalues individuals or entities by permanently highlighting an aspect which is regarded as disqualifying. Repeating the label results in “canceling” the value and credibility of the subject.Fakes, hate speech, and deepfakesIn addition to the above narratives, some of the channels monitored, such as Komsomolskaia pravda and Cenzura.md, have published fake news items about several Moldovan service members who were allegedly trained in the Ukraine and killed in Kherson without subsequently  disproving it. Another channel, Moldavskie Vedomosti, demonstrates a special concern for the anti-LGBTQ+ agenda, publishing fake news stating, “This is Europe: guys have a new technicality. All you have to do to avoid being drafted into the Ukrainian army is become gay” and some materials about the sexual orientation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (here and here). An AI-generated video depicting Maia Sandu and mocking sexual minorities was published during the same period of time by Gaguznews.