Disinformation Telegram Channels Do Not Slow Down: A Wave of Fake News Items in Late August

The “parade” of fake news items on Telegram, which started in the first days of August, had its continuation. In the second half of the month, a new fake news item was launched every 2-3 days, appearing on several channels which had a mission of spreading it.

• Publishing videos with images and texts in English was a practice used more frequently than before: it was intended to suggest to our audience that foreign journalists were also writing about Moldova. In fact, either nothing was written on a particular topic or an article appeared, but its content differed from what was announced in the post.
• A new tendency is multiplying a topic on the same channel. Some channels published the same post 3-4times, changing only its opening phrase.
• The topic range did not change much: it also included the threats that, after the elections, NATO soldiers could interfere, that Moldova planned to send men to the war in Ukraine, and that Europeans were not very eager to welcome Moldova into the EU and to allocate more money for the projects to be implemented in the country.
• Some publications were also absurd: an incident that occurred in Italy between two men, in which the victim is a Moldovan citizen, is covered by Moldovan Telegram channels and is appropriately “processed” by the imagination of the disinformation channels’ owners: according to them, a Moldovan was stabbed by some Ukrainian citizen for criticizing Maia Sandu.
• On August16-31, we analyzed the content of 61 Telegram channels with the largest audiences in the Moldovan information space on this platform.
• 28of these channels belong to media sources/influencers: com (47690 followers), Ungureanu 112 (42421 followers), KP Moldova (35864), Gagauzia24 (14833), Gagauznews (13.235), Noi.md (11683), TV6 Moldova (11276), etc.
• The other 33channels are owned by unknown persons: Moldova News (45353 followers), Молдова сейчас (37044), Треш Киш (33550), Молдавский Крот (31944), Гагаузская Республика (30973), Молдавский телескоп (30806), etc.

RHYTHMICITY OF PUBLISHING FAKE NEWS ITEMS

1. Germans no longer intend to finance Moldova

The most frequently viewed fake news item during the monitored period of time emerged on August 17. It is based on a few seconds of a video sequence in which three young people speak in German, mentioning that they disagree with increasing expenses; it is not clear what these expenses are exactly intended for or what question they were asked, it is merely announced that Germans no longer want to pay “for Maia Sandu’s political project,” that they are no longer eager to see their country support Moldova, and that, in general, they are against accepting Moldova into the EU. It is also claimed that it is a fragment of some representative survey, though no data or figures are provided. It cannot be definitely said whether this video was taken out of context.

However, even if we assume that the video correctly reflects the opinions of these three persons, the post conveys a fake message. It includes generalization due to which a statement that does not correspond to reality is obtained: “The entire strategy of the governing party in Moldova is based on a single illusion: Europe will be providing money endlessly. This is what Maia Sandu’s electoral rhetoric is based upon: ‘We are in the EU, we will be supported, and we will be financed.’ However, the latest signals from Germany demonstrate a completely different state of things. In 2025, Berlin granted 70 million Euros to Chisinau to overcome the energy crisis. At that point, the Germans themselves said: “That’s enough!’”, Молдова Сейчас, which published two posts on this topic, writes; Без цензуры: Молдова dedicated 4 posts to this topic; Политика Молдова published 3 similar posts; Новости Молдовы published 3 posts; Флуераш published two posts; Подслушано в Молдове also published two posts.

On August  28, this fake news item was resumed by WTF Moldova?!, Gagauznews, and Первый в Молдове, which published two posts each.

2. In Italy, a 32-year-old Moldovan was stabbed for criticizing Maia Sandu

On August 18 and 19, an incident that occurred in Italy and was covered by some  portals in Italy and in the Republic of Moldova was falsely presented as a politically motivated attack. Telegram posts announced that a Moldovan was stabbed by a Ukrainian for having allegedly criticized Maia Sandu. It should be mentioned that none of the original news items mention the aggressor’s nationality or the cause of the dispute.

“The human rights situation in the Republic of Moldova becomes increasingly worrying, especially in the context of the recent events involving violent attacks against dissidents. According to the Italian press, a 32-year-old man from Moldova was seriously injured after criticizing President Maia Sandu. The attack occurred after a Ukrainian man armed with a knife attacked him during an argument when they discussed their political disagreements. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at an intensive care unit, and the attacker will face trial. The incident highlights the fact that dissent is risky even abroad, and that the Moldovan authorities who do not accept criticism are able to indirectly influence their opponents abroad,” write such channels as Без цензуры: Молдова, Политика Молдова, Подслушано в Молдове, Молдова сейчас, Новости Молдовы, and Флуераш.

3. A NATO military exercise will be taking place in Moldova during the elections, and its army personnel may interfere after the elections

This fake news item intensively spread on August 14 was also repeated in the second half of the month, in spite of the fact that the Ministry of Defense denied it. It was published on August 21 with the following texts: “NATO military exercises and parliamentary elections: coincidence or political scheming? From September 25 to October 2, Moldova will be hosting joint military exercises with NATO. What does Sandu actually intend to demonstrate??? That she will not abandon her power and will be ready to send 800 NATO soldiers in Moldovan uniforms against the citizens of our own country?”

It was published by Флуераш, Enewsmd.online, Insider Moldova, Новости Молдовы, and Gagauznews in two posts each.

4. According to a new “leak,” Dorin Recean will soon leave Moldova to start working at a university in Switzerland

“From a leaked message obtained by the American journalists, it became known that Prime Minister Dorin Recean is preparing to leave the country and to head for Switzerland. He has received an invitation from Newport University where Recean previously studied at the Belgian branch. Judging by the content of the document, it was him who sent a relevant request to the institution. This fact shows that the politician doubts that the PAS party could win the September parliamentary elections and is searching for a ‘safety net’ for evacuation,” Gagauznews writes on August 24; this post is shared by Евразийская Молдова, Молдавская Политика, Новости Молдовы, and Канал5.

5. A leak from the “PAS correspondence”: the Government plans to send 700 Moldovans to fight in Ukraine

On August 28, immediately after the Independence Day, the country needed a new thing to be afraid of – such as the rumors that the governance intends to send men to Ukraine to fight. Of course, though some “documents” are mentioned, no specific proofs are provided. The only argument which could be regarded as credible is that some information appeared in a publication in Turkey: “Recently, the Turkish publication dikGAZETE published an article which could change the perspective on the political situation in the Republic of Moldova. Following the leak of information from the parliamentary documents for 2025, it was revealed that, if the PAS party maintains its power, the country might face the events similar to the Ukrainian scenario. These materials mention the government’s plan to send 700 Moldovan volunteers to Ukraine. Currently, at least 15 Moldovan citizens are already on the frontline, and the new figures emphasize the republic’s real involvement the in military activities.”

This fake news item was published by such channels as Политика Молдова, Подслушано в Молдове, Без Цензуры: Молдова in two posts, Мамалыга и Токана, Флуераш in two posts, Новости Молдовы in two posts, Молдова Сейчас in two posts, Insider Moldova, and Gagauznews.

Conclusions

The strategy adopted by the channels which make part of a disinformation network (the monitoring conducted by us reveals the existence of a network) is publishing content on a non-stop basis, practically every several minutes, regardless of whether it is fake or contains at least a small portion of truth. It is important that several keywords appear in such posts in a negative context, and “Maia Sandu” is the first one on this list. This intensification of the frequency of publishing fake news items can be explained by the increasing electoral interest, and it is intended for the audience which shares anti-European views and also for those who have not taken any decision yet.