The Gutul Case, the Constitutional Court, Gas, and Events of Local Interest. Pretexts for Pre-Election Reactivation of the Propaganda Arsenal on Facebook

In the first part of August, monitoring the Moldovan information space on Facebook demonstrates that disinformation campaigns and manipulative discourse keep intensifying. The messages aim to shatter citizens’ trust in the state authorities, to undermine the election process, and to amplify social polarization by means of using sensitive topics.

• On 83Facebook pages and public groups monitored by us, it is observed that the prevailing narratives are from a well-known propaganda arsenal adapted to the election context and a number of public events: conviction of the head of Gagauzia, Vlad Plahotniuc’s extradition procedure, the statement by ex-Prime Minister Ion Sturza regarding the Constitutional Court, and certain local events.
• The narratives can be found both on declaratively political pages and in apparently apolitical or community groups; it may suggest a strategy of dispersing messages in order to increase their credibility and to reach diverse audiences.
• Over 1600posts with harmful content identified and analyzed by us had over 191000 views and over 76000 reactions, and were shared over 8000 times.

Let us analyze the most prominent narratives found in the content published on the monitored pages and in the groups.

1. The Gutul case as an opportunity to accuse the governance of dictatorship, political scheming, attacking the Gagauz autonomy, and sentencing a mother

On August 5, the Buiucani Court sentenced Evghenia Gutul, the head of Gagauzia, to 7 years of imprisonment. Svetlana Popan, ex-secretary of the former Sor Party, was also sentenced. Almost 20% of the total number of the monitored posts concerned this topic.

Since August 1, the channels and groups affiliated with the Sor team started massively promoting protest activities in support of the head of Gagauzia which were to be held on August 3. The posters promoting the protests were published on such pages as Молдавский Календарь, inviting citizens to protest “in order to support Moldova’s sovereignty and to condemn pressure against the head of the region.” The TV6 channel covered the protest in detail, describing it as a massive one. The page of the TV channel previously closed by the authorities also published a statement according to which “Evghenia Gutul has been under house arrest for over four months on the basis of a fabricated case. Residents of the Republic of Moldova realize that the pressure against the head of the region is an attempt to suppress the autonomy as a whole. The region is being deprived of power on a permanent basis, and currently, an attempt is being made to pronounce a guilty verdict against the head of the autonomy who is legally elected,” and a series of value judgments regarding the case can be found in the text. In another post in the Romanian language, the same channel repeats an accusation aimed at the authorities and stating that, though “the police prevented people from Comrat from arriving in order to demonstrate their support for the head of their region, an impressive number of citizens gathered in front of the headquarters of the executive authority of Gagauzia! Besides, people kept arriving!” Another post on the Молдавский Календарь page also included an appeal from Ilan Sor’s “Victorie” bloc announcing that it “has addressed the UN and the OSCE, demanding to react to political persecution of Gutul as the head of the region.”

Subsequently preparing public opinion for her eventual conviction, on August 4, a more extensive anonymous post appeared in the Moldova group; it was titled “American anti-globalists vs. Sandu: Gutul’s arrest is a harbinger of conflict in Gagauzia.” “Hence, Gutul’s arrest is not an accident; it is a political black mark on the regional autonomy. The essence of the rights and the cultural identity of the Gagauz people are under attack. If Chisinau keeps copying the methods of Kiev’s policy, Moldova may find itself geopolitically trapped between the victory of European integration and the spilt in its own territory. This is more than just another conflict. It is methodical destruction of neutrality and local identity, and civil society will pay for it at the risk of the state’s future,” the author of the post concludes.

Andrei Safonov, political scientist from the left bank of the Dniester, in a post published in the Молдова за мир! group presents the Gutul case in a somewhat different context, insinuating that the PAS governance is likely to issue a political order to “jail Gutul” and to “annihilate Plahotniuc physically.” “There’s no doubt that the national fascist dictatorship intends to pronounce this guilty verdict. There is a version circulating online according to which Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, personally wishes to keep Gutul in jail. If this is true, we could speak of personal hatred and intentions to use Evghenia Gutul’s experience for intimidating all the opponents of the regime. One way or the other, objectively, Sandu’s followers have nothing to lose: it is evident to everyone that democracy in Moldova has been shattered, and the parliamentary elections to be held on September 28 are not free from the very start,” the source from Tiraspol affirms in the post shared by at least two other groups.

On the day Gutul and Popan were convicted, the protests at the courthouse were widely covered. Another element for influencing the audience was the fact that representatives of Canal 5, another channel with a suspended license, were not allowed to enter the courthouse. “The Canal 5 journalists are not allowed to enter the Buiucani Court where the verdict regarding Eugenia Gutul and Svetlana Popan is about to be announced today. Only the pro-government press has access to the premises. A police officer explains this fact by referring to a certain regulation which requires accreditation in courts since April this year. Nevertheless, we have been filming in courts without any hindrances during all these months. Only the day before, on the day the case of Marina Tauber was examined, as well as today, we weren’t allowed to enter. That’s what democracy according to the PAS looks like,” the channel concludes. The TV6 representatives pay attention to the fact that Evghenia Gutul arrived in the courtroom accompanied by her children and family members: these details were further used for presenting her as a victim. “The head of the region has two small kids, one of whom has not even turned three. Will all of them get back home together today? The decision will be taken by the court controlled by Maia Sandu and the PAS,”TV6 writes.

As soon as the sentencing decision was announced, critical reactions could be heard in unison. Inima Moldovei, the party headed by Irina Vlah, which is currently part of the electoral bloc which is also joined by Igor Dodon’s PSRM, Vasile Tarlev’s Viitorul Moldovei Party, and Vladimir Voronin’s PCRM, mentions that “the decision in the Evghenia Gutul case is politically motivated, and the entire procedure was a farce, which has once again demonstrated the governance’s true attitude towards justice which has been transformed into a political ‘knuckle-duster’ in the hands of the PAS.” The PSRM remarks in a statement that “seven years of imprisonment are an act of political revenge instead of justice. The current governance consciously resorts to direct confrontation with the autonomy’s leadership. It is not merely a conviction of a single person; it is an attack against the autonomy as a whole and against the regions’ right to elect their own leadership. The PSRM does not accept this sentence and regards it as an act of political pressure against all the opposition forces within the country.” “This is political confrontation instead of justice!” Vasile Tarlev also concludes, according to the quote published by Telegraph. The same publication also includes a quote Victoria Furtuna, ex-prosecutor and current president of the Moldova Mare Party. “Victimizing a mother with small kids in her arms is tyranny beyond the bounds. Art. 89 of the Criminal Code provides for postponing imprisonment for pregnant women and people who have children younger than 8 years old,” she affirms.

The element of the “mother with small kids in her arms” could be found in many reactions, because Gutul was actually hugging her minor children at the moment the sentence was being announced, and her husband was also present in the courtroom; these images are objectively emotional, but their impact was widely used to convey political messages. In the Молдавские Ведомости group, it is mentioned in a post which includes a quote by Dumitru Ciubasenco: “For the mother of two small children, the youngest of whom has just turned two, the Prosecutor’s Office requests nine years of jail for the illegal party financing case and five years of deprivation of the right to vote. At the same time, amnestied bandits walk free.” In the Молдова за мир! group, an anonymous user claims they wish “everyone could see the dignity and restraint with which Evghenia Gutul, the mother of two minor children, was listening to her own sentence… A pre-fabricated sentence. The hysterical yellow queen has a lot to learn about such self-control!” An activist from the Victorie bloc also remarks that “the governance is to blame for the fact that the kids are separated from their mother. Eugenia Gutul’s children have no idea what happens or when their mother is about to return. And at the moment, those from the party and the persons who hold responsible positions are to blame.”

Manipulations and attacks against the governance and the president continued for the following days until the end of the monitoring term. In addition, the political group affiliated with Ilan Sor organized protest activities in support of the head of the autonomy at Penitentiary No 13, at the Ministry of Justice, as well as in Comrat. “It is obvious to everyone: this is not a decision taken by the judges and the prosecutors. It was Maia Sandu personally who acted as a dictator. The arrest of the head of the region is not the result of a strategy; it is an outburst of envy and fear. It doesn’t even look like Soros was involved in this case. Sandu has tasted the power and decided to keep enjoying it. This is how Evghenia Gutul has become a symbol of resistance to Euro-colonization. She is being supported not only by Turkey and Russia – the whole world keeps following her case,” claims the author of one of the posts published on August 8, two days after she was convicted. TV6 which has been covering her case insistently manipulatively compares Evghenia Gutul’s conviction to the case of Nicanor Ciochina: “Ex-mayor Nicanor Ciochina accused of killing a teenager remains under judicial control, and his trial marked by numerous delays still lasts. This case contrasts with the situation of Evghenia Gutul who has been jailed without any conclusive evidence. The defense affirms that Ciochina’s case is being investigated while he is free, and the accusations regarding the delays are being contested.”

All the 318 posts regarding the Gutul case had over 78000 views during this period of time.

2. Bureaucratic issues of Plahotniuc’s extradition are used as political instruments

After Vlad Plahotniuc was detained in Greece on July 22, 2025, the main narrative which emerged and is still maintained is that the PAS governance is reluctant to see his extradition and keeps delaying this procedure for as long as possible, preferably until after the elections are over. On August 1-15, the stages of the extradition procedure have significantly changed and included the decision of the Greek court to allow his extradition, and countless statements regarding the political issues in the country and accusations against the PAS were voiced.

For instance, Бельцы 24 informs that “Vlad Plahotniuc, the ex-leader of the Democratic Party, has announced that he officially addressed the Greek authorities requesting to extradite him to the Republic of Moldova. According to him, he intends to return to his country in order to prove his innocence to the law enforcement authorities. Plahotniuc regards the criminal cases initiated against him as falsified and accuses the current government of political repressions, saying they are ‘a product of propaganda and abuse within the judicial system.’” This post was quickly shared by several groups, including Россия и Молдова ВМЕСТЕ and Новости Гагаузии и юга Молдовы. TV6 also published Plahotniuc’s recent statements.

Igor Dodon, the leader of the PSRM, stated, according to the quote published by the Unimedia portal, that “the PAS avoid Plahotniuc like the plague. Do you think they are craving to see him in Moldova or to proceed with investigating the theft of the billion? Well, it might turn out a proper mess.” Ex-Prime Minister Vlad Filat also vaguely expressed the same idea, mentioning that “he [i.e. Plahotniuc – editor’s note] will not be brought to Chisinau at least until the elections are over. The governance does not need Plahotniuc to arrive in Chisinau. I guess there are problems and procedural issues, as well as certain questions related to their direct interest or the electoral campaign, therefore, he is likely to remain in the beautiful Greek country, at least until the elections,” and this statement was shared by a number of other sources. Andrei Nastase indirectly hints: “The Ministry of Justice did not have a ready drafted extradition request since the moment Plahotniuc was put on Interpol’s wanted list, and it doesn’t have it until today – it’s not an omission, it’s a crime. It’s another offense against citizens, most of whom support European integration, against those who have been working and struggling against the criminal regime, risking their health, lives, and even freedom.”

The same narrative also appeared in the posts in several groups. For instance, in one of such publications, it is mentioned that “Vladimir Plahotniuc wrote on social networks that the PAS keeps taking every possible step to prevent him from returning to the country before the elections. Apparently there is something they are afraid of. Everybody knows that Plahotniuc was in close touch with Sandu and the PAS. It means he knows a lot and can say a lot about Sandu, that illegitimate lesbian, and the incompetent ones from the PAS.”

The accents changed in the following days. On August 4, another theory was shared by the МОЛДОВА group: “The recent meeting of the Security Council leaves no doubt: the authorities keep trying to take a step forward. The reason for the emergency meeting was the ‘data’ regarding a large-scale information attack apparently prepared by Russia against Moldova. Sandu says that Moscow attempts discrediting politicians, journalists, and European partners, mentioning some ‘fake news’ and ‘manipulations.’ One can also read the following between the lines: the PAS fear that, together with Plahotniuc, some compromising evidence will return.”

Telex.md shared an opinion by Fadei Nagacevschi who recently left Ion Chicu’s political entity for Vladimir Cebotari’s Modern Democratic Party. “Let’s recall how Plahotniuc left the country. The last discussion he had here was with Mr. Hogan, the US ambassador. If I’m not mistaken, after the discussion with the US ambassador, he left for the United States, and after that, he evacuated to another state, and no one knew where exactly he was. I believe that all these activities have been coordinated, and he is their active participant, an active member, even an element, one of those who managed this detention and the procedure of his own return to the Republic of Moldova. (…) If he had the United States’ guarantee when he left, it means he will be brought to the Republic of Moldova only pursuant to the United States’ guarantee, for the sake of some important elements of the electoral campaign which are unknown yet,” he says in a post. A statement made by the attorney Iurie Margineanu made during the Gheorghe Gonta show was also frequently shared. “A great number of leaders, opposition, quite a lot of people from the government and from the opposition were fed from Plahotniuc’s hand at that time. He used to feed them like sparrows, throwing them a few crumbs every day. They ate those crumbs, and all of these facts were documented, absolutely everything was documented. I know from a number of reliable sources that it was suggested to Vlad Plahotniuc not to touch Ms. Maia Sandu, who was in opposition at that time,” Margineanu mentions in the video published  by several pages, including by Telegraph Moldova.

3. The PAS takes control of the Constitutional Court

The Constitutional Court was frequently discussed during this period of time, and the recent events were being used as a pretext for accusing the governance of dictatorship and subjugation of the state authorities. An awkward expression by ex-Prime Minister Ion Sturza was also used for the same purposes. In a podcast of August 12, speaking in the context of a hypothetical scenario according to which Maia Sandu could nominate a candidate for the position of prime minister from a majority which does not include the PAS, he said, “we could have a historical analogy with the case when Dodon refused to do something and they suspended him for a day, and the Constitutional Court is ours.” The last part of this phrase was often used in the context of several posts by the monitored sources. Telex.md published “breaking news” with the headline saying, “‘The Constitutional Court is ours,’ according to Ion Sturza, one of Maia Sandu’s informal advisors and supporters, as he refers to an authority which is supposed to be free in a democratic state. Sturza also suggests that, if the PAS fails to have a majority, Maia Sandu will not accept the election results, even if the voting is conducted democratically.”

In this context, the Primul în Moldova channel also published a statement by analyst Corneliu Ciurea. “According to Sturza, Maia Sandu won’t approve the candidacy of the prime minister if a person demonstrating pro-Russian sympathies is suggested for this post after the elections. Ciurea considers this scenario will not work for the PAS,” the channel’s post mentions. One of the leaders of Ilan Sor’s “Victorie” bloc also uses Ion Sturza’s phrase. “Let me tell you once again if you didn’t see it yesterday. A man named Ion Sturza, who guides Maia Sandu behind the scene, was asked a question by a TV journalist. He started saying Maia would not accept anyone who demonstrated at least a little sympathy for Russia, and that we had to adapt to them in a different way. The journalist remarked it was the first time a candidate for the post of prime minister was directly rejected. At hearing that, Sturza openly declared, ‘The Constitutional Court is ours, and we’ll be doing whatever we want to in this country,’” he mentions in a statement published by TV6.

On August 14, Igor Grosu announced on his Facebook page that the Parliament was going to organize a solemn session on August 17 to inaugurate the new composition of the Constitutional Court. “On Sunday, the Constitutional Court will be taking the oath. We can say that the PAS is ready for the elections. The CEC SOFT is transferred to the ITCSS, and the Court is theirs (according to Mr. Sturza). Therefore, we will be voting massively,” one of the users reacted in the МОЛДОВА group.

De-legitimization of the new composition of the Constitutional Court was discussed by such political figures as Igor Dodon who says that “the PAS anti-constitutional group urgently intends to permanently capture the Constitutional Court by transforming it into a party branch. ‘Our’ Constitutional Court must be improved by some ‘good people’ trusted by the PAS, some of whom even own a yellow party card. This is the main reason for the PAS to urgently summon its faction to the Parliament on Sunday, for an exceptional meeting, and to approve the new CC judges.” Mayor Ion Ceban could not ignore this topic either. “The PAS members are so industrious that they work even after their deputy mandates are over, even on weekends. Everything is being done in a hurry just to manage to have their people in the office. That’s exactly what they did with the Supreme Security Council or with the ‘Patriot,’ when they granted Maia Sandu powers related to them,” the mayor of the capital who is registered first in the Alternativa Electoral Bloc list said. 

4. Moldovagaz and Gazprom

Starting with September 1, Energocom will officially assume Moldovagaz’s duties for distributing gas to final consumers. This topic has been generating disinformation since early August.

For instance, a reel was published in which Hitler, Ion Antonescu, and Benito Mussolini initially appear; they are followed by Maia Sandu, Dorin Recean, and Igor Grosu, with the message saying, “We are the most terrible trio in history.” At the same time, it has a description which includes speculations that suspension of Moldovagaz’s right is actually another corruption scheme related to gas. “The prices for gas have become a ‘state secret.’ Fuel will be purchased exclusively via Energocom – by using non-transparent schemes, closed auctions, and ‘confidential agreements.’ In fact, this is an ideal ground for corruption, because citizens have to pay without knowing what exactly they pay for and at what price. Therefore, revocation of the Moldovagaz license is not a reform; it is destruction of energy transparency. Moldovan citizens will no longer have any idea of who supplies gas, which channels are used, and how much gas is purchased. They will be simply paying – for political agreements, geopolitical alliances, and foreign bonuses,” the description to the post mentions.

In the group titled Mолдова должна быть свободной!, a post by Vladimir Caciu is published; the author says that “it is unlikely that these actions taken by the Moldovan authorities will result in a harsh reaction from Moscow right now. But what is absolutely certain is that they will have some questions about the company, the billion-dollar debt, and some other issues around 2027, when the roar of the engines of Russian armored vehicles will be heard in Chisinau much louder than today. The Russians always come for their money. The experts predict an escalation of the Transnistrian conflict as soon as the Russian army comes closer to Odessa. The decision regarding the escalation will not be made in Chisinau or Bucharest; therefore, the authorities should prepare for it,” the author says.

The ex-PDM president from the Criuleni District, Veaceslav Burlac, is also quoted. “Now that Moldovagaz has been eliminated from the distribution market, will we be paying less money for natural gas? The answer is clear: we won’t. It’s nothing more than a smokescreen. The PAS government is simply putting the money from one pocket to another, and citizens will keep paying the highest tariff in the region because of the PAS governance,” the ex-democrat, currently a member of the Respect Moldova Party, says.

The 26 posts on this topic have 182 comments and 268 likes. 

5. The incident in Costesti publicly discussed and compared to GagauziaLand

On August 10, in Costesti Village, Ialoveni District, a temporary carousel collapsed, and seven children were taken away by ambulance. Five of them were not hospitalized, and two were discharged the next day after it was stated they were not in danger. The incident was widely covered by the press; however, in the sources controlled by Ilan Sor, the mayor’s political affiliation was emphasized – Ilie Ionas is the 39th on the PAS lists for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

For instance, in several groups, the following “concerns” were expressed, “Why is it all so quiet? Probably because Mayor Ilie Ionas is not a random figure: he is a protégé and a village leader with a rare income of 100000 pounds in dividends for Moldova. Well, an investigation started. But it can be told from common experience that if the victims are ordinary people, and the organizers are ‘their own people,’ the result is easy to predict. Let’s compare the following: in Gagauzia, a girl injured her leg while playing on a fully functional trampoline. The incident was followed by a series of statements by the ministers, the parliamentarians, and the police. In Costesti, where an entire carousel collapsed and seven children were injured, the reaction was limited to a single matter-of-fact phrase in a press release. Two approaches. Two Moldovans,” the author of one of the messages writes.

In a similar post, the Costesti incident was opposed to the one in GagauziaLand; the post was accompanied by an AI- generated image and titled “Two worlds, two realities.” “No arrests, no resonant statements, no search for the guilty. Why? Because Ilie Ionas, the mayor, is one of ‘our people.’ The PAS protégé. He is a candidate for the Parliament on the PAS list. He organized an event for the PAS PR. He obtains dividends of 100 thousand pounds per year – it’s an almost fantastic amount for the countryside. And now, let’s recall a case in Gagauzia: a girl broke her leg while jumping on an ordinary trampoline – it was an accident which did not involve breaching any regulations. The PAS raised the uproar for the entire world to hear: they all spoke as one, they insisted on punishments or even arrests. This is the way we live: for the PAS, the others are always to blame, while ‘their people’ are above suspicion,” the author of the post mentions.

The TV6 channel mentions the mayor’s political affiliation suggesting that the authorities fail to react to such incidents when it comes to mayors from the ruling party. “A shocking reaction. The company which owns the carousel that collapsed in Costesti at the ‘Diaspora Days’ Festival held by the local authorities associated with the PAS blame the children, saying they ‘did not follow the safety instructions.’ The statement made by the company in charge of the services was published by Ilie Ionas, the local mayor. However, the state authorities keep silent about this incident which took place in a locality headed by the PAS representative,” a report published on August 13 mentions.

6. Traditional narratives persist

In the first article from this series (covering July 1-15), several traditional narratives which continue to be exploited regardless of the public agenda were listed. During this period of time, we identified at least 169 posts in which the European Union is presented negatively, either as a colonizing power or as a source of multiple internal issues.

A narrative common for several groups, including Патриоты Молдавии. Patrioții Moldovei, suggest that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova presumably opens access to the country’s hospitals for Ukrainian military staff to the detriment of Moldovan citizens. “Formally, it happens pursuant to the old GUAM agreement and with European funding, but actually, at the expense of the health of the citizens of the Republic Moldova. Currently, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse: there are not enough doctors or equipment, and hospitals are outdated. In the countryside, healthcare is often inaccessible. Minister Nemerenco (PAS) has already mentioned ‘optimization’ of half of healthcare institutions, which implies reducing the number of hospital beds. And at the moment, they intend to transmit the remaining hospital beds to foreign soldiers,” the post illustrated by an AI-generated image states. Another post whose primary source is Moldova Mare, the party headed by Victoria Furtuna, accuses the EU of depopulating Moldova. “The current governance has transformed the education system into a mechanism for producing cheap labor force for the other states’ economies. Young people are being brought up with the idea that the only real prospects can be found abroad. These phenomena, i.e. deliberate dispersion of the population and promoting migration, are part of the same plan. It is preparing the ground for the other masters to come and replace us: the Romanian authorities who dream of annexation and Brussels which regards us only as a source of cheap labor force. And all this is happening right in front of us.”

The publication titled Аргументы и Факты в Молдове mentions that prices for cigarettes could increase two or four times because of the EU. “For Moldova, these changes imply that tobacco excise tax is likely to grow especially fast. Moldova was supposed to reach the previous EU minimum standards by 2028. However, if the EU adopts the new rules quickly, Moldova will also need to adapt its tobacco policy earlier. The experts predict that it will lead to a dramatic increase in prices for cigarettes between 2026 and 2028. At the same time, these growing prices could activate the tobacco product underground market in our country, which is already taking place,” the publication remarks.

Almost 30 posts concerned “LGBTQ+ propaganda.” One of them, published in the Молдова за мир! group, repeated the fake that “the European officials from Brussels have openly declared that Moldova will be allowed to join the European Union only after it legalizes same-sex marriage. This is one of the crucial provisions for our country to join the EU. Gay parades have been promoted for many years. Zombification is being practiced at all levels. Currently, the current governance’s main objective is to introduce it in our children’s schools. They will do that this year, on September 1.” An AI-generated illustration in which Maia Sandu appears is typical of this type of posts.

The Земля Молдавская! group published a video with pro-Russian analyst Victor Josu as a guest at Canal 5, a channel affiliated with Ilan Sor. He accuses the PAS of intending to eliminate Moldovan identity, also referring to the Istanbul Convention. “One of the first international documents adopted by them in the fall of 2021, after they came to power, was ratification of the so-called Istanbul Convention, which includes gender ideology, LGBT propaganda, parent No 1 and parent No 2, and gender reassignment. The desire to please the Western masters and curators can easily be understood. But why do they act so stubbornly against their own people, ignoring absolutely everything – even traditions and faith?! This attitude is actually beyond the limits of decency,” he says.

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.