In the space of 90 days, the fugitive oligarchs Ilan Shor and Veaceslav Platon spent about 136,000 euros on sponsored Facebook content in a bid to “sow panic in society, disparage the European integration effort of Moldova, and whitewash Russia’s reputation”, analysts at WatchDog.MD found.

Ilan Shor was counted to have sponsored at least 104 ads across 11 Facebook accounts. Meanwhile, Veaceslav Platon promoted around 82 posts on his personal Facebook account and that of Natalia Morari.

The analysis says that among the main manipulative narratives promoted in the posts sponsored by Platon and Shor is the fact that the referendum is useless, manipulating the statements of officials to suggest that the results will have no impact on the EU accession process. Another narrative is that the government is exerting pressure on Gagauzia. The idea is promoted that the central government imposes unjustified sanctions on the Gagauzia region, thus undermining local stability.

Another manipulative idea, according to WatchDog.MD experts, is that the government exaggerates military risks for political gains, while downplaying “the real threats” to national security.

WatchDog.MD experts note that Russia is actively preparing for destabilization during the presidential election campaign and the referendum on European integration. “Unfortunately, the authorities do not have effective mechanisms to fight such disinformation. The only solution to combat these fakes remains the active informing of society about how these messages circulate in the public space (what? who? why?) and the post-factum reporting of promoted fakes. Neither META nor Google is taking any serious action to block this manipulative content”, the analysis said.

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