SPECIAL Informat.ro / Romania, in the Russian press: The top topics from the last two weeks

In the last two weeks, the Russian press has paid attention to Romania especially in the context of sporting events and geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. The data was collected by the media monitoring platform NewsVibe, between January 30 and February 13, 2026. The report identified 223 articles published in the Russian press during this period. This information reflects a predominant interest in sporting events, energy incidents, and themes related to the Republic of Moldova. The predominant tone is neutral in factual news. In contrast, sensitive political articles tend towards a negative tone. They portray Romania as part of a Europe that Russia considers hostile.

Top discussed topics about Romania

Romanian football and UEFA Nations League

The most extensive coverage of Romania in the Russian press during this period is related to the draw for the UEFA Nations League groups for the 2026-2027 season. The sporting event was reported by multiple Russian publications. Among them are Izvestia, Life.ru, Novosti, and Sport24. All mention that Romania will play in League B, Group 4, alongside Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Sweden. The tone of these materials is neutral. Romania is treated like any other European team. There are no criticisms or praises, just the listing of teams and groups. This segment represents almost 30% of the total articles mentioning Romania in the last two weeks.

US Congress report on the 2024 elections in Romania

An important topic that appeared in the Russian press during this period is the report of the US Congress's legal committee about the alleged interference in the elections in several European countries, including Romania. The Russian news publication Vzglyad reported the article "TikTok stated that there is no evidence of Russian interference in the elections in Romania," on February 4 with an impact of 951,200 readers. The material cites the report which shows that the TikTok administration could not confirm the Romanian authorities' allegations about the alleged Russian interference in the presidential elections in Romania in December 2024.

The publication InoSMI reported in the article "In TikTok no evidence of Russian interference in the 2024 elections in Romania was found," published on February 4 with an impact of 237,900 readers. It mentions that the TikTok administration stated in the report to the European Commission that it found and received no evidence of a coordinated network of 25,000 accounts related to the campaign of candidate Călin Georgescu.

The Interfax news agency published on February 4 the material "In the European Commission, the allegations of interference in the 2024 elections in Romania were denied," which had an impact of 251,900 readers. The article cites the spokesperson of the European Commission, Toma Regnier, who categorically denied the allegations of interference. He stated that the Commission has never interfered in national elections and that these are the competence of the member states.

The tone of these articles is mixed. On one hand, the Russian press presents the American report as evidence that the allegations of Russian interference in the Romanian elections have no basis. On the other hand, the articles suggest that the European Commission would be the one that interfered in the electoral process, exerting pressure on social media platforms to censor political opponents. In this context, Romania is presented as a victim of a supposed Western plot.

Energy crisis and connections with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova

Another major topic involving Romania was the massive energy blackout on January 31, 2026. This power outage affected Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The Russian press extensively reported on this incident, and Romania was frequently mentioned in the context of energy transmission lines. The Ukrainian energy minister Denis Şmigal was quoted in multiple articles, stating that the technical incident involved the simultaneous disconnection of the 400 kV line between the energy systems of Romania and Moldova.

The Russian publication Life.ru published on January 31 the article "Romania urgently supplies electricity to Moldova due to the massive blackout." This had an impact of 474,300 readers, and the material cites the Romanian economic publication Economica.net, which states that Romania has increased the volumes of electricity supply to Moldova and Ukraine. The article presents Romania as a crisis helper. However, it implicitly suggests Moldova's dependence on Romanian energy infrastructure.

The Republic of Moldova and its relationship with Romania

The Republic of Moldova frequently appears in articles about Romania. This happens especially in the context of debates about unification. The article "The Russian Ambassador announced the promotion of the idea of unification of Romania and Moldova" was published on February 3 by RIA Novosti, having an impact of 1.4 million readers. It cites the Russian ambassador in Romania, Vladimir Lipaev, who states that the idea of the inevitability and legitimacy of the unification of Romania and Moldova is promoted in the public consciousness of both countries.

The Russian newspaper Izvestia published on February 5 an article where, "Ambassador Lipaev says that Bucharest is pursuing a policy of Romanianization of Moldovan society," the Russian diplomat claims that top political leaders, including the President of Moldova, hold Romanian passports. He argues that entire spheres of leadership, including national security, are controlled by former or current Romanian officials. The tone is clearly negative. Romania is presented as an imperialist actor trying to control Moldova.

The RIA Novosti press agency published on February 11 the article "In Moldova, it was explained what caused the conflict around the church in Dereneu," which explains that the conflict regarding a rural church in the village of Dereneu is related to plans to transfer the church building under the leadership of the Romanian Metropolitanate. The article mentions that parishioners opposed this decision and that a group of about 150 people forced the police cordon, and the parishioners occupied the church to prevent the transfer. Among them were a representative of the Chișinău Metropolitanate and the entire Moldovan Metropolitanate, the mayor of Dereneu village, and the priest's lawyer.

Also, RIA Novosti published on February 11 another article, "The Romanian church executes the orders of the globalists, considers the expert," which accuses the Romanian Orthodox Church of executing the orders of the forces that Russian propaganda calls globalists. The narrative of these articles emphasizes the role of the Romanian Metropolitanate as a main actor in the conflict. The overall tone remains negative towards Romania, and the Romanian Orthodox Church is presented as an instrument of Western influence and the forces that Russian propaganda calls globalists. This approach suggests a campaign aimed at discrediting Romanian influence in Moldova on a religious and cultural level.

Military operations

Romania also appears in a military and security context. The article "Romania and the USA conducted joint exercises with Abrams tanks" was published on February 4 by Life.ru, with an impact of 770,200 readers. The material reports that between January 29 and February 4, soldiers from the 284th Tank Battalion "Cuza Vodă" and American crews of the five M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams tanks performed tactical tasks for small subunits. The tone is neutral and factual, without direct criticism. However, the article frames Romania in the context of cooperation with NATO and the USA.

In the article "American reconnaissance plane observed over the Black Sea," published in multiple versions between January 30 and February 6, the Russian press mentions that American surveillance aircraft Boeing P-8A Poseidon and RC-135W Rivet Joint fly over Romania before patrolling the Black Sea. In this context, the tone remains technical.

The general tone in the Russian Press

Analyzing the 223 articles from the period of January 30 to February 13, 2026, several clear features emerge regarding how Romania is represented in the Russian press. 194 (87%) have a neutral tone, 28 (13%) negative, and only one positive.

Graph: NewsVibe

The neutral tone dominates in factual news, especially in those about football and sports competitions. The negative tone appears, however, in geopolitical files. When the subject shifts to the Republic of Moldova, potential unification, or the Romanian Orthodox Church, the discourse becomes visibly hostile. Terms like "globalists" and "Romanianization" appear frequently. These terms frame Romania as an instrument of the West, which Russia considers anti-Russian.

Geopolitical Context and Implications

Data from the 223 analyzed articles reveal a clear dynamic in which discussions about Romania are often eclipsed by those about the Republic of Moldova. Nevertheless, they remain essential in the Russian anti-NATO narrative. The Russian press positions Bucharest as an instrument of Western influence in Eastern Europe. This is clearly evident from articles published by RIA Novosti and other major Russian publications.

Maia Sandu continues to be attacked for her statements about unification with Romania. The article published by RIA Novosti on February 3, "The Russian Ambassador announced the promotion of the idea of unification of Romania and Moldova," cites ambassador Vladimir Lipaev. The Russian diplomat claims that the idea of unification is systematically promoted in the public consciousness of both countries. At the same time, he accuses Romania of a policy of Romanianization of Moldova. These accusations appear in the article from February 5, where Lipaev states that Moldovan political leaders hold Romanian passports and that entire spheres of leadership are controlled by Romanian officials.

The broader strategy of Moscow to divide the West is evident in the way the Russian press presents the relationships between Romania and its neighbors. Although there are no direct articles during this period about tensions between Romania and Ukraine, the energy crisis of January 31 provides a clear example. Russian publications, including articles from Novosti and Vesti.ru, emphasize the energy interdependence between Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. They implicitly suggest the vulnerability of the regional energy system. The technical tone of the reports hides a subtle narrative. Romania is presented as part of a fragile European infrastructure that depends on complex interconnections and is vulnerable to crises. RIA Novosti publications present the Romanian Orthodox Church as an instrument of the forces that Russian propaganda calls globalists. This approach suggests a campaign aimed at discrediting Romanian influence in Moldova on a cultural level.

The US Congress report on the elections in Romania adds another dimension to the Russian narrative. Articles published on February 4 by RBC, InoSMI, and Interfax present the conclusions of the American report as a validation of Russia's position. They claim that the allegations of Russian interference in the Romanian elections have no basis. In contrast, the materials suggest that the European Commission is the one that interfered in the Romanian electoral process. This reversal of accusations is part of the Kremlin's broader strategy to deflect criticism and present the West as the true manipulator of democratic processes in Eastern Europe.

Overall, the media coverage during this period suggests that Russia sees Romania more as an executor of Western policies than as an autonomous actor with its own strategic interests. The dominant narrative remains that Romania is a pawn of NATO and the European Union on the eastern flank. This narrative serves Russia's broader strategy of presenting the expansion of Western influence as an existential threat to the sovereignty of states on the eastern flank.

*****Synthesis made with the help of a data monitoring flow provided by the media monitoring platform NewsVibe Romania. The analysis, data, and images presented have been enhanced with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.