Since May 2025, we've removed 8,526 accounts tied to state-backed influence activity on Bluesky. 4,907 of those takedowns happened in 2026 alone, roughly double the rate we saw in 2025. 1/4 🧵

Fact Check: FAKE Euronews Video Falsely Claims Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan's Press Secretary Accused Him Of Sexual Assault

Fact Check: FAKE Euronews Video Falsely Claims Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan's Press Secretary Accused Him Of Sexual Assault

Did a real Euronews video report claim that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's press secretary accused him of sexual assault in late May 2026? No, that's not true: The European news channel did not report that Pashinyan's press secretary, Nazeli...

leadstories.com

Russia‘s #propaganda #botnets are going all in with their German Bundeswehr anxiety today. They REALLY don‘t want more of that. All of these are fake of course. The last one (next post) is particularly funny. #matryoshka

🤯 Toys in the form of Shahed strike drones with firecrackers have begun to be sold in Russia, — The Telegraph The advertisement states that they are intended for children aged three and above and are an ideal gift for young patriots.

Der Führer eines Landes hat Großmachtfantasien und plant Angriffe auf andere Länder. Russland meint damit Merz und Deutschland.

Mit ABBA-Fake und Sylt-Video: So bringt Russland Deutschland und Merz in Nazi-Nähe

Der Kreml versucht vermehrt, Deutschland mit NS-Sympathien und Großmacht-Träumen zu verknüpfen. In Fake-Videos gegen Friedrich Merz wird es absurd.

t-online.de

Moldovan police announced on August 13 that they sent official requests to the TikTok platform administration to block 443 channels containing thousands of videos, which they accused of spreading disinformation about war and the upcoming elections. www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2025/08...

У Молдові можуть закрити понад 440 каналів у TikTok за брехню про війну і вибори

Поліція Молдови повідомила 13 серпня, що посилює боротьбу з дезінформацією в інтернеті, зокрема у TikTok.

eurointegration.com.ua

Moldova: The battleground of Russia’s state-of-the-art hybrid influence operation

Moldova: The battleground of Russia’s state-of-the-art hybrid influence operation

In recent months, the Republic of Moldova has once again become a key battleground for ...

eualive.net

Pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor announced from Russia that he will offer “salaries of $3,000 per month” to Moldovan citizens to participate in anti-government protests aimed at undermining Moldova’s pro-European government. False rhetoric, fake protests — this is how Russia fights against democracy.

Fugitive Moldovan tycoon offers $3,000 a month to anti-government protesters

Fugitive pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor has offered Moldovans monthly payments of $3,000 to join anti-government protests, in a bid to undermine Moldova's pro-European government ahead of parliamentary elections next month.

reuters.com

#Moldova Fugitive Moscow-based oligarch Ilan Shor has called for a permanent anti-PAS/Sandu protest as of Saturday and until the elections. He promised participants they will receive a compensation of $3000 although he didn't specify how they will receive the money.

Moldovan authorities say that Russia proposed to use Favnir Trade as an intermediary for payments for Russian gas deliveries to the contested region of Transnistria. Favnir Trade features significantly in our investigation into oligarch Ilan Shor and sanctions busting company A7.

Фирма, связанная с Шором, предложена Москвой в качестве посредника в оплате газа для Тирасполя - ipn.md

Компания FAVNIR LLC-FZ, зарегистрированная в Дубае и связанная с беглым Иланом Шором, была предложена Москвой в качестве посредника для платежей за газ, поставленный в Приднестровский регион в начале ...

ipn.md

Elise Thomas@elisethomas.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW: Do you want to know how a businessman wanted for a billion-dollar fraud in Moldova, accused of enabling Russian political influence and working with a Russian state-owned military bank is linked to a new cryptocurrency in Kyrgyzstan? Then I've got the OSINT investigation for you 1/

⚡️ Moldovan regional head jailed for 7 years over illegal funding of pro-Kremlin party. A Chisinau court ruled that Evghenia Gutul was guilty of systematically bringing funds from Russia to Moldova for the now-banned pro-Russian Shor Party's needs between 2019 and 2022.

Moldovan regional head jailed for 7 years over illegal funding of pro-Kremlin party

A Chisinau court ruled that Evghenia Gutul was guilty of systematically bringing funds from Russia to Moldova for the now-banned pro-Russian Shor Party's needs between 2019 and 2022.

kyivindependent.com

We're proud to announce that Emerging Threats Observatory joined FIMI Defenders for Election Integrity Project ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in #Moldova. #emergingthreats #FIMI

Moldovan Police have reported uncovering a new scheme of illegal financing and election corruption coordinated from Russia through the #TAITO app, which runs on the Telegram platform. newsmaker.md/ru/video-v-m...

(ВИДЕО) В Молдове — новая схема подкупа избирателей через приложение, управляемое из России

В Молдове появилась новая схема незаконного финансирования и подкупа избирателей, которой управляют из России через приложение Taito. Генинспекторат полиции призвал граждан не заходить в это приложени...

newsmaker.md

🇲🇩 Moldovan President Maia Sandu has warned that Russia is preparing an unprecedented interference campaign ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for September.

Moldovan President Warns of Russian Election Interference Ahead of Parliamentary Vote

As Moldova approaches elections, President Sandu alerts citizens to Russian interference threats and the need for cohesive national defense measures.

united24media.com

⚡️Moldova's EU path depends on pro-European party win, Sandu says. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said her country's path toward European Union integration can only continue if her pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secures a parliamentary majority in the upcoming elections.

Moldova's EU path depends on pro-European party win, Sandu says

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said her country's path toward European Union integration can only continue if her pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) secures a parliamentary majority in the upc...

kyivindependent.com

Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of planning an “unprecedented” campaign to interfere in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, warning of large-scale illegal financing, cyberattacks and disinformation.

Moldova’s president warns of ‘unprecedented’ Russian election meddling

“The Russian Federation wants to control the Republic of Moldova from autumn onwards,” pro-EU leader Maia Sandu says.

ow.ly

After the Telegram founder interfered in the Romanian election to help the far right, the platform is now being used to undermine pro-EU forces in Moldova's upcoming legislative election (Sep. 28). MD President Maia Sandu said Telegram is used for vote-buying and pro-Russian ...

More emails about Moldova and Maia Sandu from Russia's Matryoshka disinformation campaign this morning. A lot relates to the upcoming election, and I'm starting to think they want a repeat of what happened with the Romanian election.

#FactsMatter. And in order to keep having access to accurate facts, we need access to both old and new data. Without it, evidence can be questioned, and we will have as much missing information as misinformation. ✍️ Blog by Full Fact trustee Claire Wardle.

Mis(sing)information: The impact of disappearing archives and data sources – Full Fact

In an age of digital and big data, archives are extremely precarious. This is why they need to be protected...

fullfact.org

Romanian extremist party, AUR, is also carrying out attacks against pro-EU president Maia Sandu, through a network of "ghost" websites, tools aimed at spreading propaganda and disinformation in Moldova. 1/2

Anca B.@b-anca.bsky.social · last yr.

Russian propaganda alert in Moldova. The most toxic narratives are: “EU integration takes away 🇲🇩 sovereignty”; “The judiciary is politically controlled”; “Moldova is being militarized”; “The economy is collapsing and Moldova is isolated”; “The West is attacking the Church and traditional values.”😠

1/2 I had a valuable exchange in Chișinău, Moldova 🇲🇩 today with President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Minister Doina Nistor on digital innovation, creativity, cybersecurity, and protecting democracy. @dorinrecean.bsky.social

On my way back from Brussels, where I participated in the final Central Europe Plus workshop on the Enlargement-Security-Nexus, hosted by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 🇪🇺

This week Moldova has officially started the electoral season. We look at the final results of the 11th Parliament, and at a new investigation that shows the violent preparations by Ilan Shor’s paramilitary camps from last year. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...

So there’s a Russian Andrew Tate?

Meduza in English@meduza.io · last yr.

Dozens of women in Moscow have reported being groped and propositioned for sex by strangers — incidents now linked to a “body training” course run by a self-styled “seduction coach” involved in the Deripaska scandal. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

🧵 THREAD: Why the Cato Institute’s new paper on “misinformation panic” is dangerously wrong, and why it completely misunderstands the real crisis we face. www.cato.org/policy-analy...

The Misleading Panic over Misinformation

People can’t agree on how to define misinformation and its related terms, making regulation nearly impossible. Instead, free expression serves as a better tool for discovering truth.

cato.org

Membrii „Șor” foloseau o aplicație mobilă pentru a influența scrutinul din 28 septembrie / Două persoane, reținute în Republica Moldova sub acuzația de coruperea electorală

Membrii „Șor” foloseau o aplicație mobilă pentru a influența scrutinul din 28 septembrie / Două persoane, reținute în Republica Moldova sub acuzația de coruperea electorală

…

g4media.ro

Operation Overload: An AI fuelled escalation of the Kremlin-linked propaganda effort

Operation Overload: An AI fuelled escalation of the Kremlin-linked propaganda effort - CheckFirst

The Russian propaganda operation targeted at media organisations and fact-checkers is still going strong. Operation Overload, which we first documented in June 2024 is now leveraging AI generated content, impersonation techniques and is expanding to more platforms such as TikTok and BlueSky. Telegram and direct emails to newsrooms remain a daily dissemination technique used to attempt to create a sense of urgency amongst their targets. Since we last published an update about the operation last September, some legitimate outlets regularly fall in the trap.

checkfirst.network

OP OVERLOAD: "At the heart of the campaign lies a focused effort to interfere in elections and the wider political landscape in Ukraine, France, Germany, and most recently Poland and Moldova." Ny rapport fra Check First. @tjekdet.dk har tidligere skrevet om Moldova: www.tjekdet.dk/indsigt/rusl...

EUwatch 🇪🇺@euwatch.live · last yr.

Operation Overload: An AI fuelled escalation of the Kremlin-linked propaganda effort

A new cryptocurrency token designed to allow cross-border payments in spite of western sanctions on Russia, launched by a fugitive Moldovan oligarch and a Russian defence sector bank, has moved some $9.3bn on a dedicated crypto exchange in just four months since it was launched, the FT has found.

Crypto coin for Russian shadow payments moves $9bn

The A7A5 token aims to facilitate financial flows disrupted after Ukraine war

ft.com

The Iran-Israel conflict marks the first time in a war where AI-generated videos and images have been widely shared by supporters of both sides as an effective tool to fight the information war. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Israel-Iran conflict unleashes wave of AI disinformation

Fake AI videos relating to the conflict have gained over 100 million views online, BBC Verify finds.

bbc.co.uk