On September 7, 2023, a message appeared on social networks that Romania asked Ukraine not to drag itself into a conflict with Russia - allegedly the head of the republic’s Ministry of Defense, Angel Tylvar, suggested that Kyiv move its industrial facilities and barracks away from the common border. We decided to check if this is true.

The statement of the Romanian minister was reported by many Telegram channels, including “Two majors"(138,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Russian format" (59,000), "Transnistrian" (27,000) and "Hammer"(25,000). The quote from the head of the Romanian Ministry of Defense was given unchanged: “We know about Russian aggression, we empathize with the people of Ukraine. And we kindly ask you not to drag neighboring countries that help you into the conflict. I make a proposal and request to move your enterprises and barracks away from our common border, so that situations do not arise in which our territory is exposed to enemy attacks.”

On September 4, Ukrainian authorities reportedthat during a massive Russian attack on the Izmail port area in the Odessa region, Russian attack drones fell and detonated on Romanian territory. The Romanian Ministry of Defense is at first denied, but two days later the head of the department, Angel Tylvar confirmedthat fragments of a Russian drone were discovered near the border with Ukraine. Later, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a statement on this topic, clarifying that the alliance does not consider this a deliberate attack on Romania. September 9 on the territory of the republic found the wreckage of another drone.

After September 4, the Romanian Ministry of Defense provided daily comments on the situation as Russian attacks on the border areas of Ukraine continued. But not at all website department, neither in the Romanian nor in the world media could the minister’s address to Kyiv be found.

September 8 Ministry of Defense published a refutation messages circulated. “So-called queries similar to those invented by the authors of this disinformation did not exist and never will. The absurdity and logical twists in the formulations of Russian propaganda are obvious. “They are undoubtedly using the context that has arisen as a result of repeated attacks by Russian troops on Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube,” the department said in a statement. At the end, it is emphasized that the danger for Romania is not Ukrainian enterprises and barracks, but “the actions of the Russian armed forces in the illegal war of conquest that they are waging in Ukraine.”

The earliest post that allegedly quoted the Romanian Minister of Defense was an entry in the Telegram channel “The Empire is very evil"(54,000 views), which was posted on September 7 at 13:31 Moscow time. This is a satirical channel, the description of which indicated: “Caution, possible fake and harsh satire. What is written is a work of fiction, all coincidences are accidental.” That is, initially it was satirical news, but it was spread on blogs without any irony.

This is not the first such case. Satirical posts from this Telegram channel had previously been spread several times in blogs and the media under the guise of real news - for example, a message about stealing a watch from Alla Pugacheva at the funeral of fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin or statement by Maria Shukshina that the American HIMARS system is hitting the coordinates of Russians vaccinated against coronavirus.

Cover photo: Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs