Russian Disinformation Targets EU Aspirations in Ukraine and Moldova

The messages circulate on Telegram, Facebook and other platforms, and adapt to local concerns, according to people tracking disinformation. Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, told The Journal in Dublin last February that the narratives target the EU’s credibility among candidate countries, often depicting the bloc as weak or portraying prospective members as unprepared and economically uncompetitive.

Gherasimov said one claim in Moldova holds that land will be expropriated if the country joins the EU, a message she said draws on fears associated with the Soviet period. “Disinformation does not stop after the elections, it continues constantly,” she said, adding that narratives shift to exploit vulnerabilities in each society.

Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Lesyk, of the outlet Rubryka, said Russian sources describe Ukraine’s accession efforts as futile and candidate status as merely formal. The purpose, he said, is to demoralise Ukrainians and suggest that reforms are pointless. Another narrative casts EU membership as a loss of sovereignty, building on claims that Ukraine is controlled by Western governments.

Lesyk also said messaging aimed at audiences in European countries presents Ukraine as poor and corrupt, and its membership as a drain on EU budgets. A related claim depicts Ukrainian grain as harmful to European farmers. The European Policy Centre has cited potential benefits of accession, including access to Ukraine’s energy potential, stronger EU food security and trade in critical minerals.

Ukraine received official EU candidate status in June 2022, and accession negotiations have formally begun. The country completed its screening process last September. The EU has provided billions of euros in financial assistance and reiterated support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Moldova faces claims that its farms will close, utility bills will rise, or EU membership will bring same-sex marriage. Fact-checking organisations have also tracked assertions that the country could lose its statehood, become a migrant destination or be annexed by Romania. A New York Times report last September cited the Washington-based Stimson Center’s description of Moldova as “a testing ground for hybrid warfare operations” that could shape similar efforts elsewhere in Europe. Ahead of Moldova’s parliamentary election, fabricated posts, videos and websites—including some created with AI—spread on social media.

Georgia’s information environment differs, said Salome Khvedelidze of OC Media. While Russian proxies and Russia-backed media drive anti-EU messaging in Ukraine and Moldova, she said, Georgia’s government is not pro-European. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Georgia has suspended EU accession talks and strengthened ties with Moscow. The European Parliament has warned that a move by the ruling Georgian Dream party to ban five main opposition parties puts the country’s EU path at risk.

Disinformation about EU enlargement predates the war. The EU established a task force more than a decade ago to challenge Russian campaigns. An OECD policy paper published months after the 2022 invasion said Russian narratives are often false or obscure facts through half-truths and “whataboutisms.”