How TikTok Accounts from and about Gagauzia and Transnistria Disinform the Audience

In the month of August, numerous messages from and about Gagauzia and Transnistria disinforming about a number of events or decisions in these regions and concerning the authorities in Chisinau or the West appeared in TikTok information spaces. Circulation of such messages is not limited to the local level and is not related only to pro-Russian media channels. They are amplified by users from many countries and individual TikTok accounts which increase credibility and impact of such fake news items due to their visibility and interaction.

• Within the Gagauz information ecosystem, the conviction of Evghenia Gutul is the crucial narrative. The criminal case is presented as “attempted destruction of the autonomy” and an “attack” against the Gagauz population in its entirety; Russia is explicitly referred to as validation of the narrative about the “politically motivated conviction,” and support for Gutul is presented as large-scale activity.
• The information ecosystem in the Transnistrian region alternates local and current content with particular narratives; in August, they concerned Vadim Krasnoselski, the war in Ukraine, and, in particular, de-legitimization of the voting. The “insufficient number” of ballot boxes on the left bank of the Dniester for the parliamentary elections to be held in September is “packaged” as a preliminarily planned decision aimed at political sabotage, demonstration of fear from the authorities in Chisinau, and the lack of democracy.

GAGAUZIA

The most important event discussed within the Gagauz information space was the fact that Evghenia Gutul, the head of the autonomy, was sentenced to prison; her case was related to the illegal financing of the former Sor Party. The topic has been covered by various sources in the context of several disinformation narratives.

1. An attempt to destroy Gagauzia’s autonomy

A narrative appealing to emotions and national identity is that the arrest of the head of the region is an attack against Gagauzia’s autonomy. In a news item published by Canal 5 with over 38000 views, shared by @nicolai_balan_, a channel with over 53000 followers, activist Mihail Vlah speaks about the history of Gagauzia, saying that autonomy was obtained due to efforts and sacrifice, it was not “given for granted” from Chisinau. He accuses the central government of breaching the provisions of the Constitution and the special status of the region and of trying to gradually annul the prerogatives of the autonomy.

“We keep trying to explain to the people that the authorities attempt to set the autonomy on fire from within, they’re trying to light this match in order to subsequently use it as a lever for pressure, to take control of Gagauzia in their own hands” (in Russian: „Мы пытаемся объяснить людям, что власть именно пытается поджечь внутри автономию, пытается эту спичку поджечь, чтобы через это включить, знаете, рычаг следующего давления, чтобы сделать так, чтобы взять Гагаузию в ручное управление”).

To continue the narrative regarding the attack against the autonomy of Gagauzia, another video by Canal 5 represents a report which states that the arrest of Evghenia Gutul caused a powerful reaction from the local authorities. An important point emphasized in the interviews included in the video is the idea that the arrest concerns not only the head of the region, but the entire population of Gagauzia and even the Moldovan nation as a whole. These speeches urge people to unite in order to protect their autonomy, remarking that Gagauzia should address the international structures for support and organize acts of civil disobedience against the Moldovan authorities.

2. Moldova has maintained its independence due to the Gagauz nation

Another narrative emphasizes the Gagauz nation’s special merit in maintaining Moldova’s sovereignty; it is opposed to the idea that the arrest of the head of the region will facilitate “selling the country” to the West. In a video with over 230000 views, blogger @mihaistari.ru accuses Maia Sandu of arresting the head of the region, and adds the idea of the Gagauz people’s special merit in preserving the state’s independence. “Due to Gagauzia’s autonomy, Moldova still remains a sovereign country today. This is exactly what Evghenia Gutul is arrested for – she prevents you from selling the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova.” The same blogger, in another video with over 70000 views, emphasizes the idea that the Gagauz nation will revenge for this attack: “You should know the Gagauz people won’t forgive you. And now, Chisinau can expect the worst things imaginable from the Gagauz people.”

A post by @gagauziya.radio.tv confirms the same idea with a video of an episode from a public demonstration in support of the head of the region, where it is mentioned that the current governance keeps destroying the state and the legal system, persecuting political opponents, and breaching the legislation. The speaker uses powerful emotional words to create the image of total destruction. The speech also includes a reference to the threat to the state’s sovereignty and appeals to the feelings of identity and sharing the national values and history, while the previous efforts for obtaining independence are opposed to the alleged actions of the current governance: “This is total destruction of all the things for the sake of which the society of the Republic of Moldova achieved our country’s independence” (in Russian: “Полное уничтожение всего того, ради чего общество в Республике Молдова добивалось независимости нашей страны”).

3. Evghenia Gutul has many supporters at the local and the international level

An enormous wave of support the head of the region has locally and internationally is a frequently mentioned narrative. A news item with over 85000 views published by the @gagauzia24 channel describes the sentencing of the head of Gagauzia, presenting only the opinions of those who support her, without providing any context about the facts or the sentencing itself. The news item mentions the “attorneys” who regard the decision as “shameful for Moldova and for the justice system in general.” The images following this statement demonstrate a group of protesters supporting Evghenia Gutul. The same news item also mentions that the head of the autonomy is also supported from abroad, and a picture of Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is shown as a hint.

In another post published by the Transnistrian channel titled @vestnikpmr, Russia’s support is emphasized by publishing the Russian authorities’ official reaction to the news about Evghenia Gutul’s conviction. It also contains the image of Peskov and his statements: he believes the decision is politically motivated and regards it is an attempt to exert illegal pressure on political opponents during the election campaign. In addition, it is mentioned that opposition faces every possible restriction in Moldova, people are deprived of the opportunity to vote for the candidates they prefer, and the rules and standards of democracy are being breached in many ways.

TikTokers and anonymous pages defending the head of the region

The narratives in question were taken over and amplified by active TikTok users from both the Republic of Moldova and the other countries.

Ion Ripa also known as King Kong is a well-known TikToker from the Republic of Moldova with over 160000 followers and almost 4 million likes. He gained his popularity due to his “motivational” posts in which he promoted toxic masculinity, and since June 2025, he started producing political content on a regular basis, actively sharing Ilan Sor’s narratives, along with the other less famous bloggers.

During the analyzed period of time, Ion Ripa dedicated four videos to Evghenia Gutul presenting her in a positive way and describing her conviction as the governance’s attack against the entire Gagauz nation.

The TikToker affirms, for instance, that the politicians from Chisinau consciously put pressure on the autonomy: “Sometimes, they don’t have any voting ballots in Russian, sometimes, economic entities are faced with certain problems, and sometimes, they just don’t like the head of the region.” Quoting a propaganda article, Ripa says that “one day, the residents of Gagauzia will start a rebellion,” and also mentions that “we definitely don’t need any more conflicts with Gagauzia.” In another video dated July 14 with over 160000 views, the TikToker says that “Gagauzians are revolting,” and that Evghenia Gutul will be defended by the European lawyers, which is “quite a drama for the yellow ones.”

Mihai Stari is another TikToker relevant to the monitoring. He is not a citizen of the Republic of Moldova, but he has mentioned that his father was born in our country; in his videos, he also affirms that he used to be Maia Sandu’s neighbor, and that the head of the state banned him from entering the country because she did not like the fact that he “organized charity concerts for supporting women suffering from cancer.” In his posts which he started publishing since April 2025, Stari often refers to conspiracy theories, vehemently supports the Russian Federation, and promotes such politicians as George Simion, Calin Georgescu, Natalia Morari, and Victoria Furtuna, mentioning he intends to vote for the latter during the elections on September 28.

The TikToker dedicated five videos to Evghenia Gutul’s arrest. In one of them (which has almost 230000 views), he claims that “Maia Sandu can’t sell Moldova thanks to the Gagauz autonomy,” and that Gutul was arrested because “she prevents the president from selling the country’s sovereignty.”

In another video, Mihai Stari describes the conviction of the ex-secretary of the former Sor Party as an attack against the Gagauz nation as a whole, mentioning that “they won’t forgive” Maia Sandu, and nowadays, she should expect “the worst things for Chisinau from the Gagauz nation.” In his post dated August 14, the TikToker affirms that Evghenia Gutul will be defended by the international lawyers in the court of the last resort, and the Republic of Moldova will have to pay compensation of 1 billion Euros “from the citizens’ pockets.”

Kristina Grăiește is another TikToker who promotes basically the same narratives about Evghenia Gutul. Also on August 14, she published a post saying that the case of the head of the autonomy could finally reach the ECtHR and the UN after the foreign lawyers intervene, and this fact is likely to result in “harsh restrictions against the Moldovan justice system.”

In one of her videos with almost 170000 views, the TikToker affirms that “mothers with two kids become political prisoners while real criminals are released from jail pursuant to the Law on Amnesty signed by Maia Sandu.” This manipulative association technique is also used by Ion Ripa, who mentions the case of Nicanor Ciochina, Bolduresti mayor, who caused a fatal accident involving a child.

Kristina Grăiește also tries to present the decision to convict Evghenia Gutul as an attack aimed against the entire region, mentioning that Gagauzia was “decapitated” in this way, and Chisinau is supposedly “experimenting” with the autonomy, which may take the country to “the verge of conflict.”

Another propagandist who supports the Russian Federation regularly covers the topics related to international politics; according to our monitoring data, she is mostly followed by users from Ukraine, the USA, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Germany. Her account is titled @tak_y_zhivu and is managed from Spain.

The TikToker “informs” her audience that the protests in the Republic of Moldova do not cease after Evghenia Gutul was sentenced on an “entirely falsified” case. According to her, Maia Sandu does not care about the citizens’ security because she is a Romanian citizen, and “several people died” as a result of the confrontations between Evghenia Gutul’s supporters and the Police, which is a gross fake intended for foreign followers.

In the same video, the propagandist also affirms that Transnistria and the ATU of Gagauzia are “Russian lands,” and both of them were annexed to Moldova pursuant to the provisions which stipulate their autonomy; after that, she asks a rhetorical question, “Why should Russia give up its own pieces of land?”

Dina Carpinschi is another pro-Russian propagandist with over 55000 followers on TikTok. After Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine broke out, she has been repeatedly attacking Kiev in her videos. Currently, Carpinschi mentions that she plans to be a candidate for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova.

In a video viewed by over 50000 users, Carpinschi calls the protest organized in the ATU of Gagauzia in support of Evgenia Gutul a scene of “provocations caused by the police.” She accuses the police staff of snatching protesters’ bags while “wearing civilian clothes,” hinting that the authorities had intentionally generated the situation by means of manipulations. The TikToker later directly threatens the police, fueling her audience’s distrust of the state’s security institutions and trying to shatter their legitimacy.

In another video, Dina Carpinschi describes Evghenia Gutul as a victim, speaking about her child to emotionally manipulate the audience. She tells the residents of Gagauzia that the sentence is a “slap in everyone’s face,” and that “Maia Sandu signed her own sentence by signing this order.”

Fake accounts and AI “condemn” Gutul’s arrest

We also detected several fake accounts which repeat the above narratives. For instance, an account titled @nasha_moldavasha got 45000 views discussing the international lawyers who will supposedly help release Evghenia Gutul.

The same narrative was shared by an account titled @igor.ok7908. The other posts on the same page mention that the UN regards the conviction of Evghenia Gutul as politically motivated, and some of its posts in favor of the head of the autonomy and criticizing Maia Sandu are AI-generated.

Another fake account titled @palundr affirms that there are no witnesses who could confirm Evghenia Gutul’s guilt, thus suggesting that her conviction is presumably political.

An account titled @moldovaglore published an AI-generated video in which a person says that they will join the protests because the head of the region was convicted for “truth and love for her nation,” while @hukspravka says that the illegal financing Evghenia Gutul is convicted for was calculated incorrectly, because the figures were rounded and added using an Excel spreadsheet, “sketched on the back of an envelope.”

Another fake account titled @starzanka4 started publishing manipulative information even before the 2024 presidential elections. To present Evghenia Gutul as a victim, its authors posted the reactions of a number of citizens who believe the head of the autonomy was convicted unfairly.

THE TRANSNISTRIAN REGION

TikTok channels dedicated to the Transnistrian information space mainly cover everyday issues of social interest, such as prices, local events such as introducing electronic payment in public transport, or other local decisions. Nevertheless, several channels share local police videos which demonstrate persons who are being questioned for having committed certain crimes. For instance, the @_pridnestrovie channel with over 14000 followers, which names itself a “Transnistrian daily newspaper,” frequently posts such videos with the comments by the moderator. This content demonstrates the local practice of publicly divulging information regarding crimes and individuals involved in them, and this method is used by the authorities to demonstrate their competence.

During this period of time, the monitored channels frequently discussed the rumors about the disappearance of Vadim Krasnoselski, the self-proclaimed leader of the region, from the public view, presumably for the reason that he was supposed to be replaced by Vitali Ignatiev. The @listpmr channel with over 76000 followers repeatedly covered this message in several videos. Another regional channel titled @vestnikpmr, which is less popular (over 6000 followers) but more active in terms of publishing its posts on a daily basis, published a refutation of these rumors, quoting a statement by Krasnoselski. According to the post, the so-called head of the state is allowed to take a vacation, and that the republic is about to face troubled times: “Every day, the president and his team decide how to maintain stability, to ensure security, and to prevent the PMR from getting involved in other people’s conflicts. This task does not require any resonant statements; instead, it takes scrupulous, quiet, but extremely important work,” the post says.

The same @vestnikpmr publishes a weekly newscast divided into three categories: news from the region, news from Moldova, and international news. From its local sections, the audience usually learns positive news about the Transnistrian region or the news which confirm the idea of the so-called Transnistrian identity. One can find out from this newscast that the arrival of tourists in the region increased in 2025, in particular, in July, when their number doubled compared to 2022. One more local news items tells us about a thesis defended at the university and highly assessed by the Transnistrian and Russian experts, which refers to preserving the population in the PMR. Another newscast informs us about the law which prohibits the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, gender reassignment, and refusal to have children, which implies the risk of fines. In the international section, the news items are focused on Russia and Ukraine. While the news items about Russia cover various domestic social and political events, those about Ukraine emphasize “demoralization” of the Ukrainian nation during the war. One news item from this newscast reports that every fifth Ukrainian residing in Poland applies for Polish citizenship, and that “businessmen and students seem to feel comfortable in a foreign country,” while another material in this newscast affirms that, in Ukraine, support for the war keeps decreasing across all the regions and among all the age groups.

In its posts, @vestnikpmr insistently focuses on the number of polling stations in the Transnistrian region in the context of discussions about reducing their number. A cartoon depicts the population of the region deprived of the right to vote by the Republic of Moldova. The comment accompanying the image says that the authorities are reluctant to grant the right to vote to Moldovan citizens residing in Transnistria because they are afraid of losing the elections.

The same narrative was promoted by a number of bloggers from Chisinau, as well as by some fake accounts which support Ilan Sor.

The “insufficient number” of ballot boxes in Transnistria was also mentioned by Ion Ripa (King Kong), who rhetorically asks, “Where is democracy?” and names the authorities in Chisinau “a bunch of cowards.” The same topic was discussed by Kristina Grăiește, who describes the situation as “electoral sabotage” and “double standards,” affirming that Maia Sandu “is afraid of the votes of the citizens from Transnistria.” In the description to the video, she adds that “any attempts to stop voting in an entire region only make distrust and polarization of society even worse.”

In addition, a number of fake accounts which previously posted messages supporting Ilan Sor published their videos about the polling stations on the left bank of the Dniester. Their list includes @starzanka4 and @nasha_moldavasha. The latter also shared a video in which the energy crisis in the Transnistrian region caused by the actions of the Russian Federation is presented as “Chisinau’s fault” resulting from our country’s energy independence.

The same narrative is shared by Dumitru Buimistru, a blogger affiliated with Ilan Șor, who states in a satirical video inspired by the “Harry Potter” movie that Igor Grosu allegedly named the citizens from the left bank of the Dniester “dirty Transnistrians” and used magic to block their access to voting.

It should be mentioned that some of the analyzed videos were identified by the hashtags popular in Transnistria and the ATU of Gagauzia. The same hashtags also appear in other propaganda materials not related to these regions, which may imply an eventual deliberate strategy of spreading false narratives in these areas.

The monitoring was carried out within the project “Resilient Media, Informed Voters: Safeguarding Moldova’s Elections from Disinformation”, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Moldova. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the donor.

Access to the TikTok monitoring tool was provided as part of the project “ProElect – Promote accountability in Electoral processes in EaP through increased participation and capacity of civic actors” implemented by the Center for Research and Advocacy in European Affairs with the financial support of the European Union and Equal Rights & Independent Media (ERIM).