VIDEO: The Romanian Ministry of Defence warns of a Fake News with images from Alba Iulia from the military parade of 1 December: Anti-aircraft systems shown moving towards the border with Moldova / The fake news also made it to a Greek publication promoting Russian propaganda

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence warns of false images of alleged movements of Romanian air forces on the border with the Republic of Moldova. Moreover, a series of Twitter posts falsely claim that troops have already entered Moldova in view of tensions in Transnistria.

In fact, the images are from Alba Iulia, during the military parade on 1 December 2022. They are taken in the area of the Cetate stadium, which can be seen in the background on the military withdrawal route.

The Ministry of National Defence issued a public reaction to the footage on Tuesday:

„Romanian air defense systems present in 2022 at the rehearsals for Romania’s National Day Military Ceremony, falsely presented as currently heading towards the border with the Republic of Moldova.

We remind you that you can verify the veracity of such information, of a sensationalist and panicky nature, by consulting official sources,” MApN representatives said.

The images were published in a Greek publication, Pentapostagma.

„It seems that some are looking to „set fire” to the Balkans after Ukraine, targeting Moldova. A video in the media today shows the movement of a Romanian motorized brigade to the border with Moldova after Bucharest assumed the defense of this country.

The situation in brief on the Romanian-Moldovan border, Romanians move military equipment to the border with neighboring Moldova. For the moment we have no more information and are awaiting further developments as the Russians and Ukrainians have targeted Transnistria and Moldova”, writes the publication.

The Greek newspaper also draws some conclusions: „Turkey sees a situation of chaos and is preparing itself. It is well known that Ankara is closely interested in Moldova because there is a Turkish-speaking autonomous region inside the country.

This is Gagauzia, which is historically linked to a Turkic-speaking tribe in Central Asia. The Byzantines reported that the Oguz tribes, in the 11th century and after, settled in Northern Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria.

They converted to Orthodoxy, and the Gagauz, along with the Karaite Jews living mainly in Lithuania, are the only non-Muslim peoples who speak Turkish.

As a result of the Gagauz presence, Turkey-Russia relations could soon face a new crisis, but it is expected that the excellent relations between Erdogan and Putin will prevent maximum damage, regardless of the war scenario in the region. The key issue, however, is that in the neighborhood we also have Bosnia and Kosovo, two regions that are at the center of many problems that could cause great tension in the region in the future.”

According to an article on Russian propaganda in Greece, the online newspaper I Efimerida includes Pentapostagma among websites claiming to have „national sensitivities” and „respect for Orthodoxy” but promoting Russian propaganda themes.

False information has also spread on social media.

„It was confirmed and the images started to appear. The Romanian army has just entered Moldova to protect Moldova from a Russian attack. Putin can now forget about Transnistria. Zelensky easily turns this assistance from NATO member Romania into a target, he has this potential” is one of the messages that went viral.

Fake images of the December 1 parade were also picked up on Telegram.

Translated article