The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popsoi, stated on Tuesday that the public space is now flooded daily with fake news, yet citizens have developed a certain 'immunity' due to years of exposure to such interference.
'Unfortunately, these interferences are a daily reality. We are in a situation where we are inundated every day with various fake news, including the use of modern technologies - AI, deepfake - which are increasingly difficult to combat and to distinguish between truth and propaganda. But our citizens have also developed a certain immunity, having been exposed for years to such interference. At the same time, Moldovan state institutions have strengthened their capacities to respond promptly and proactively to counter these falsehoods spreading in public space,' he told a press conference held in Bucharest.
Minister Popsoi highlighted the complexity of the interference, noting that it occurs on multiple levels, not only in the informational space. There are attempts to destabilize the socio-political situation through 'paid' protests, he said.
'Those organizing them hardly hide; they openly declare from Moscow, inviting citizens, for large sums of money - in the thousands of dollars - to participate in paid, destabilizing protests, believing they enjoy a certain impunity. However, the international sanctions regime imposed on these fugitive oligarchs and other Kremlin influence agents and proxies operating in the Republic Moldova will not allow them to enjoy impunity indefinitely. The international sanctions imposed by the EU and the U.S. reduce this false perception of impunity,' he explained.
The Moldovan official added that state institutions and society are 'much more resilient' and will work to reduce malign influence. He also expressed confidence that 'the Kremlin's mechanisms to undermine the statehood and sovereignty' of the Republic of Moldova will not succeed.
'Unfortunately, the Kremlin has a very extensive toolkit and spokespeople everywhere, in several European states. But the Republic of Moldova's media space is now safer. Moldovan society is more resilient today, and we hope it has the capacity to distinguish, to separate the wheat from the chaff. Any attempt by the Kremlin to exploit its agents of influence from anywhere in the world to undermine the Republic of Moldovass stability will fail, because those who wish the best for the Republic of Moldova are incomparably more numerous - not only in Romania, but in all EU capitals,' Mihai Popsoi stated.
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