This article was originally published in Romanian by Public Record
Dozens of websites coordinated from Russia and Telegram channels supported Călin Georgescu’s candidacy in the presidential elections in Romania. They disseminate anti-EU messages, portray Georgescu as a sovereigntist, and, more recently, condemn the annulment of the elections.
The operation, named “Portal Kombat,” was identified earlier this year by a French state agency in five European countries.
It later expanded and reached Romania, evolving into a sophisticated propaganda tool coordinated from Russia, now active in 19 countries.
Călin Georgescu also used Telegram to coordinate with supporters in each county and the diaspora.
| WHY IT MATTERS: Such networks distort the public sphere and systematically spread anti-EU and sovereigntist narratives that can undermine trust in democratic institutions. Using Telegram channels, coordinated websites, and pro-Kremlin messages, this network creates “echo chambers” where disinformation is amplified. |
PRAVDA KOMBAT
“Kalin Giorgescu: I want to state clearly and unequivocally: the war in Ukraine must be stopped urgently. For me, this is a strategy for peace, not a strategy for war,” wrote the Romanian version of the Pravda website.
The Constitutional Court of Romania allegedly annulled the presidential elections because Georgescu wanted to stop the war in Ukraine, according to Pravda.
The so-called article references the “Пул N3” (Group N3) Telegram group, which has over 342,000 followers, and about which we will provide more details later.
“According to Romania’s independent candidate, Călin Georgescu, the country’s judicial system has lost its independence and is subject to political orders,” writes the website in another article that includes a video from Realitatea and references the Telegram group “Насправдi,” which has over 42,000 followers.
Another Telegram channel the website references when writing about Georgescu is “Царьград ТВ.” It has over 316,000 followers, and its messages are in his favor.
“Apparently, the globalists believe that the Romanian people are very narrow-minded. But we understand everything,” reads one of the Russian-language posts in the group.
I have found out that the Romanian-language Pravda website is part of a coordinated group created to spread pro-Russian propaganda in Europe and other regions.
The network was initially discovered in February 2024 by Viginum, a French state agency operating under the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security, which identifies and analyzes external digital interferences influencing the public sphere.
Apart from the domain names being similar, Viginum discovered that the versions launched in June 2023 (German, French, English, Spanish, and Polish) share identical technical characteristics: a common IP address hosted on a server in Russia, the same HTML architecture, identical graphics and sections, as well as the same external links.
The French agency noted that last year, in less than three months, the five websites published over 150,000 articles.
Named “Portal Kombat“, the network sources content from Russian state-controlled media, pro-Russian Telegram channels, and, rarely, legitimate sources. It publishes automatically translated articles to influence public discourse.
This year, it has rapidly expanded to 19 EU countries and other regions such as Norway, Moldova, Japan, and the Central African Republic, as shown by the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO).
In addition to Romania, I found articles about Călin Georgescu on Pravda websites in Germany, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Denmark, Slovakia, and Greece.
Among other things, the Pravda network published the same article in multiple languages, claiming that Georgescu planned to ban the transit of Ukrainian grain and stop military aid to Kyiv, attempting to reinforce his image as a nationalist and anti-war leader.
Immediately after the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the first round of elections, the Pravda network reactivated to promote Georgescu’s message, in which he stated that a coup had taken place in Romania.
According to Whois, all Pravda websites promoting Georgescu’s messages were registered by an individual with a phone number from Russia (+7.4955801111).
However, the same number is associated with Reg.ru, a registrar company based in Moscow, which describes itself on LinkedIn as the largest accredited firm in Russia.
The same phone number has been reported for scams, is connected to pornographic websites, and is involved in cryptocurrency fraud schemes.
As mentioned earlier, the Romanian-language Pravda frequently references Telegram channels, which in turn disseminate similar information.
Telegram Network
In the Telegram channel “ПУЛ N3“, Călin Georgescu is portrayed as a victimized leader of a corrupt system and as a symbol of national sovereignty.
On the group, the Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the elections is described as a “barbaric act” and a “coup” orchestrated by an oligarchic state aiming to keep privileged elites in power.
Georgescu is also presented as the only authentic political figure, dedicated to the Romanian people and traditional values, opposing a political system subordinate to external influences and hidden interests.
The same type of messages also appear on the “Насправдi” channel, which has 42,000 followers. These messages amplify and are amplified by content about Călin Georgescu. Once again, the idea is promoted that the annulment of the first round of the presidential election results represents a “coup” orchestrated by corrupt elites afraid of losing their privileges.
From the Romanian-language Pravda website, we also traced content to the Gagauznews channel, which has over 8,000 followers and has posted pro-Călin Georgescu messages.
After the CCR decision on December 6, this message appeared in the group:
“Do you want to see a clear example of ‘Brussels-style democracy’? Today, it has flourished in all its splendor in Romania. It seems that falsifying the first-round results, as in Moldova, was not possible—the vote difference was too large. The EU opponent and its pseudo-values, Călin Georgescu, obtained 22.94%, while the European protégé Elena Lasconi only 19.17%. (…)
⚡️It is evident: when authorities fear their people, they will resort to any trick to stay in power. It is no longer about elections but about the fight for control over the country. The Romanian scenario is another lesson for those who continue to believe in the honesty of Western democracy,” attributed to Alexei Lungu, president of the “Șansă” Party in the Republic of Moldova.
It’s not the only message. On December 2, the same group shared a video featuring the same politician. Lungu stated in Russian that Georgescu is not George Soros’s puppet:
“(…) In Romania, the new president will be the new president, who is not Soros’s man. The same goes for Georgia, etc.“, said the politician, speaking in Russian.
The video featuring Lungu, posted on the Telegram channel, displays the logo of the website moldova-24.online. Public records show that it was registered in July 2024 by the same Moscow-based registrar (REG.RU) and with the same phone number (+7.4955801111) as the websites in the Pravda network.
Oxana Bodnar reported in September 2024 for HotNews that the journalists appearing in Moldova24 broadcasts are associated with TV stations previously owned by Ilan Șor.
| Ilan Șor is a controversial Moldovan politician, oligarch, and leader of the former Șor Party, declared unconstitutional. He is known for his involvement in corruption cases, including the theft of a billion dollars from Moldova’s banking system. Șor has fled the country and lives in Russia but continues to be active on social media, promoting anti-European and pro-Kremlin rhetoric. He is sanctioned by the European Union for actions aimed at destabilization and disinformation campaigns. |
Vasile Bolea, an unaffiliated deputy from the Republic of Moldova, also appears in a video posted on the same Telegram channel, where he talks, among other things, about Călin Georgescu and sovereignty.
In April 2024, Ziarul de Gardă reported that Bolea was in Moscow, where he appeared on stage alongside the fugitive ex-deputy Ilan Șor. On that occasion, a new political bloc named “Victory” was announced, which includes the “Șansă” Party led by Alexei Lungu, mentioned earlier.
| In the Republic of Moldova, until 2022, there was a website with a name similar to the Telegram group: Gagauznews.md. However, just two days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on February 26, 2022, the site was blocked by the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) for spreading information inciting hatred and supporting the war. Although the original site remains inaccessible, the same pro-Kremlin propaganda content is now published on a clone, Gagauznews.com.The Gagauznews.md portal belonged to the organization “A.O. Community Anti-Crisis Center” (Народный антикризисный штаб), founded by Victor Petrov, the current Vice President of the Executive Committee of Gagauzia, led by Evghenia Guțul.
On February 22, 2024, Victor Petrov was also added to the European Union’s sanctions list for “actions and policies undermining and threatening democracy, the rule of law, and stability in the Republic of Moldova,” according to Freedom House. As of October 2024, Guțul has been nominated by the Council of the European Union on the list of individuals acting to destabilize the Republic of Moldova. Guțul is described as an ally of the fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, strengthening the links between local propaganda and pro-Kremlin influence in the region, according to StopFals.md. |
“Triunghiul Basarabean” Telegram channel, with nearly 1,600 members, praises Călin Georgescu, presenting him as a sovereigntist and supporter of traditional values.
The same channel broadcast an interview with Aleksandr Dugin, referred to as Putin’s ideologist, on Radio Sputnik. Dugin stated that it would be easier for Russia to collaborate with such a president.
Călin Georgescu admitted on a Realitatea TV program, prior to the annulment of the elections, that he had met with Dugin.
The Telegram channel KP.MD has over 42,000 members. After the KP.md website was blocked by the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) in 2023 for distorting the informational space in the Republic of Moldova, another clone was created that continues to publish articles supporting pro-Russian narratives and promoting the political positions of the fugitive Ilan Șor.
Alexei Lungu is also featured on this channel, where his position is promoted regarding the closure of social platforms due to Călin Georgescu, whom he describes as “phenomenally popular in the local internet segment.”
The Telegram channel “Первый в Молдове“ (First in Moldova) has over 4,500 members. A television station with the same name was affiliated with the company “Telesistem TV” in the Republic of Moldova. Last year, the station’s broadcasting license was revoked.
Journalists from Ziarul de Gardă and RISE Moldova reported that in previous years, Telesistem was owned through a Russian company by Igor Chaika, son of the former Prosecutor General of Russia, and a business partner of Igor Dodon, the former President of the Republic of Moldova. In 2022, control was transferred to another Russian citizen.
The Telegram group features the same messages as the other groups described above, including a statement from fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor regarding events in Romania: “Democracy is dead.”
Other Telegram groups we’ve identified that promote Ilan Șor’s rhetoric, pro-Călin Georgescu messages, and anti-European Union sentiments include: Blocul Politic „Victorie”, Мамалыга и Токана (Polenta și Tokana), Канал5 (Channel 5), Алёна Аршинова Z (Alena Arshinova Z), Кэлин❗️Călin, and Приднестровец (Pridnestrovets, the Transnistrian).
Similar slogans also appear on the Telegram channel of Marina Tauber, which is unavailable in Romania. Tauber is a deputy from the Republic of Moldova, under criminal investigation for alleged illegal financing of Ilan Șor’s party, which has since been declared unconstitutional.
Authors: Vrabie Matei
Graphics: Emilian Mocanu