Disinfo targets Romanian benefits in Moldova
A coordinated disinformation campaign is spreading false claims that Romania has suspended child allowances and pensions for Moldovans holding Romanian citizenship.
A recent analysis by the fact-checking platform Stopfals.md completely debunked these rumors. According to the platform, no official decree from Romanian authorities exists to support such a measure, and beneficiaries are still receiving their money.
The disinformation campaign
The false narrative gained traction on April 22 when the website Timpul Moldova published an article in both Romanian and Russian. It falsely claimed that Bucharest had stopped renewing social benefits for Moldovans.
The messaging relied heavily on emotional manipulation. The text included politically charged statements, claiming that the Romanian “brothers” were simply abandoning Moldovans.
Other websites quickly amplified the narrative. Moldanalytics.info falsely reported that thousands of citizens were left without social support. Meanwhile, Moldovalibera.info published dramatic claims, asserting that Romania was turning against ordinary Moldovans.
These fabricated stories were subsequently spread across social media platforms, heavily pushed by accounts on Facebook and Odnoklassniki.
Fact-check confirms payments
Stopfals.md verified the situation and found the claims entirely baseless. The platform clarified that Romania has not implemented any general measure to suspend these financial rights.
Furthermore, several parents eligible for child allowances confirmed to fact-checkers that their payments have continued without interruption over the past few months.
The fact-checking analysis notes that child allowances remain active, even if they are not currently indexed. It also clarified that Romanian pensions are strictly tied to a citizen's social contributions, not their country of residence.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
