President Maia Sandu put forward a legislative proposal to create a national information defense and propaganda combating center named “Patriot”, whose duty will be to coordinate and implement the state policy on information security and to ensure strategic communication for identifying, preventing and countering disinformation at national level, IPN reports.

“The institution will have two main responsibilities: 1) to transmit true information to the general public and ensure a constant dialogue with the citizens and to also cooperate with all the state institutions so as to promote the national interests and to build our society’s resistance to disinformation, and 2) to identify, assess and fight disinformation so as to eliminate the risks generated by hybrid threats and disinformation to nationals security,” the official stated in a press briefing.

Maia Sandu said that since the Republic of Moldova obtained Independence, it has been constantly threatened. “During 30 years, our country has been subject to blackmail, stealing, money laundering schemes, hybrid threats for the purpose of blocking its development and hampering the growth of citizens’ wellbeing. Most of the times, the attacks came from outside the country, but each time traitors were found here, inside the country. They tried to split us, to set us against each other so as to make us weaker before the threats,” said the official.

“Since Russia launched its brutal war against Ukraine, which kills peaceful people and bombards homes, hospitals, kindergartens, whole towns, the attacks against the Republic of Moldova have intensified. They constantly try to attract our country to an orbit of the past, to a dark zone without development prospects. Only owing to the resistance and courage of the Ukrainians, Russia cannot militarily attack our county, but attacks it constantly at informational level, by lies, propaganda, disinformation. Day by day, the Kremlin and the criminal groups launch hybrid attacks, using the weapon of propaganda to disseminate hatred, to weaken our confidence in each other and in our state.”

Maia Sandu also said that the lies spread through TV and the Internet became the most dangerous weapons. The propaganda is a direct threat to the county’s security and endangers the free, democratic and prosperous future of Moldova. Concrete, coherent measures and a well-thought-out plan are necessary to respond to these threats against the citizens. “Ensuring objective, correct informing, guaranteeing the accuracy of data and developing critical thinking are best antidote to information warfare,” said the official.

The initiative to create the institution that will fight propaganda will be submitted to Parliament for consideration.