Diana Șoșoacă makes controversial claims on Russia Today about the protest, the EU and the situation of Romanians

Diana Șoșoacă, president of S.O.S. România, made several controversial statements in an interview given to the Russia Today channel after the shepherds’ protest in Bucharest, organized on September 15, 2026. She spoke about Romania’s economic and social situation, its relationship with the European Union, and measures concerning peste des petits ruminants.

The Member of the European Parliament claimed that more than 50,000 people participated in the demonstration in Victory Square and that the gendarmes and police officers had beaten and gassed the protesters. However, authorities’ estimates indicate approximately 3,000 participants. Șoșoacă also claimed that the slaughtering of sheep had been imposed by the European Commission, although the measures were adopted after outbreaks of the disease appeared and were aimed at controlling and eradicating it.

In the interview, she said that Romanians are “dying of hunger,” that politicians in power “have turned off the water,” and that Romania is “the slave of the European Union.” Șoșoacă further claimed that interviews for Russia Today, distributing the channel’s materials, or traveling to Russia could lead to imprisonment and raised the possibility of “concentration camps” appearing.