After being frequently in Moldova during a year, Ukrainian journalist Marianna Prysiazhniuk considers the people here do not perceive Transnistria as a security threat.  After things in Ukraine return to normality, the Moldovan authorities should identify a solution to this issue, Marianna Prysiazhniuk, special correspondent of the Ukrainian News Agency Glavcom in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.

The journalist believes a big information risk is threatening the Republic of Moldova. She made reference to the experience she accumulated as part of the “Stop-Fake” Project, which shows that the Moldovan virtual space is flooded with false messages about Ukraine, primarily about the refugees. “The narrative launched by particular sources is aimed at discrediting the refugees and also the authorities of Moldova. In fact, I prefer to speak about propaganda as fake news form part of propaganda”.

Marianna Prysiazhniuk said that during the eight-year military confrontation between Ukraine and Russia, she convinced herself that propaganda forms part of the essence of the war – information warfare that forms part of the physical invasion of Ukraine. “It is narrative aimed at discrediting Ukraine as a state, the civic Ukrainian element, the army. The Russians need this strategy to justify themselves before the internal audience. In Moldova, they have very strong positions – in the media, in the community of activists.” The journalist suggested that the Russian propaganda in Moldova does not meet with an efficient riposte.

She noted that the Russian speakers are not constrained in Ukraine and this is false information, but the fact that large cities where the Russian speakers prevail have been bombarded the first is a reality. In this connection, Marianna Prysiazhniuk called on the journalistic community in Moldova and Ukraine to combat false messages.

Speaking about the challenges generated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the journalist said that when the war is over, Moldova should look for a solution to the Transnistrian conflict. She referred to the Ukrainian army’s reports that the invaders intend to use locals with Russian nationality in their armed attack on Ukraine.

The public debate titled “Refugees: Ukrainian exam for Moldovan society’s resilience” was the 227th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is implemented with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.