00:12has ramped up its efforts to spread propaganda in Moldova.
00:16According to a study, it aims to try and discredit its pro-EU government
00:20as parliamentary elections loom.
00:22Newsguards said that the operation promoted false claims
00:25that President Maya Sandhu embezzled $24 million, about €20 million,
00:30and that she's addicted to psychotropic drugs.
00:33It's said that one campaign alone targeted Moldova
00:36with 39 made-up stories in three months since the elections were called in April,
00:40compared to zero the year before.
00:42The Matryoshka campaign is a coordinated pro-Russian operation,
00:46known among fact-checkers for spreading false news reports
00:49in the style of legitimate media outlets.
00:52EuroVerify has previously debunked false videos produced using Euronews' logo and graphics,
00:58which targeted Moldova's handling of sexual health, corruption, and illegal immigration.
01:03A Moscow-based influence network called Pravda has also boosted Matryoshka's exposure,
01:08using its different language services to report on the fake videos.
01:12For example, the Romanian Language Service published an article
01:15about President Maya Sandhu's alleged drug addiction,
01:18using a logo of the American Psychological Association to try and feign legitimacy.
01:23NewsGuard also found that AI chatbot ChatGPT used these Pravda network articles as evidence.
01:29When asked about the false reporting stating that Sandhu rigged her election using absentee votes,
01:35ChatGPT referred to outdated voter lists and fraud risks in absentee voting,
01:40citing a Pravda article that contained a fake BBC video.
01:43As its elections approach, EU candidate country Moldova continues to be a prime target
01:48for pro-Russian disinformation due to its position between Eastern and Western European spheres of influence
01:54and domestic tensions between pro-European and pro-Russian factions.
01:58New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New York City of New
