EXCLUSIVE | Romania, in the view of the Russian press: Top stories from the past two weeks

Over the past two weeks, Romania was presented in the Russian press through the lens of regional security, particularly in connection with cooperation with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in the case of drones, political developments in Bucharest and, in a more neutral register, sports and Eurovision. In most cases, Romania was not the main subject of the reports. It appeared mainly as part of the regional context formed by the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and NATO, which favored a mixed tone: factual in agency news and sports materials, but more critical or alarmist in politicized texts about security. The data were collected by the NewsVibe media monitoring platform during the period from August 29 to September 11. The report identified 651 articles published in the Russian press during this period.

Romania associated with regional cooperation against drones

The most discussed topic in the analyzed feed was the prospect of cooperation between the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Romania to intercept drones. Two materials on the same subject, which had an estimated impact of 582,000 and 1.4 million, respectively, reported statements by the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, about discussions held with neighboring states. “Now, the main objective and all attention are focused on the interception system, so that, if necessary, we can shoot them down. Intense discussions are taking place with partners and neighbors,” Igor Grosu stated, according to the material taken from the Rupor agency. Romania and Ukraine are explicitly indicated as the main neighbors considered in these discussions. Romania appears as a neighboring state and potential partner in a regional air security mechanism. At the same time, the repeated association with Ukraine and measures to counter drones places Romania within a geopolitical framework that is sensitive for the Russian press, where security cooperation in Russia’s neighborhood is frequently viewed through the lens of expanding Western influence. In the materials identified in the feed, the tone toward Romania is not directly hostile.

Zelensky’s plane incident reported in a polemical register

A related topic, treated much more polemically, was the alleged drone incident near the plane of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the context of his departure from the Republic of Moldova. Here, Romania is not mentioned as a direct participant in the incident, but appears indirectly within the regional security space in which the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and cooperation with neighboring states are situated. The publication Argumenty i Fakty published several versions of the material titled “A drone in the sky caused panic: Zelensky fled Kyiv from attacks,” with impacts estimated by NewsVibe at between 215,800 and 345,500. The tone of Argumenty i Fakty is negative and sensationalist toward the Ukrainian leader, with the material using phrases that characterize the report as a “spectacle” or “story.”

Politics in Bucharest presented through the idea of crisis

The Russian press also reported on Romania’s political situation, in a material about the possible resignation of Ilie Bolojan, presented as interim head of government. The news item, with an estimated impact of 322,800, cites Digi24 and B1 TV and claims that Bolojan might leave office before the publication of a new S&P report on Romania. The information was denied by Government spokesperson Ioana Dogioiu, who said that “it is absolute fake news.”

The text mentions the difficulties of forming a new cabinet and the lack of agreement among pro-European forces regarding early elections. The journalistic treatment is relatively neutral in this case. There are no explicit attacks against Romania or Romanian leaders, and the information is attributed to Romanian media sources. Nevertheless, the editorial selection places instability and political conflict at the forefront, so that Romania is presented to the Russian public mainly through the vulnerabilities of its domestic political scene.

Romania as a sphere of activity for Russian athletes

The register changes in the sports news. Romania appears in a material about Russian forward Evgeny Skacikov, who signed with the Târgu Secuiesc club “Haromseki Adyushok” and is set to play his eighth season in Romania. The news item had an estimated impact of 122,600. According to the material, the player has played for clubs in Romania since 2019, obtained Romanian citizenship and plays for Romania’s national team. The article also notes that other Russian athletes are part of the team’s roster. The tone is neutral to positive. Romania is presented without geopolitical connotations, as a stable professional environment for a Russian athlete and as a setting in which he has integrated, including at the level of the national team.

A neutral mention of Romania at Eurovision

Romania was also mentioned in a news item about the European Broadcasting Union’s refusal to accept Kazakhstan’s application to participate in Eurovision. The material, which cites Politico, notes that Bulgaria won this year’s edition, Israel came in second, and Romania placed third. The news item has limited impact, estimated at 14,600, and contains no political comments or assessments of Romania. The country is mentioned strictly as a contextual element in a material about the contest’s participation rules and Kazakhstan’s status in relation to the European broadcasting area.

Overall tone of the reports

During the period analyzed, the Russian press portrayed Romania mainly as a border actor in a regional space marked by the war in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova’s security concerns. Within this framework, Romania is not directly attacked in the identified materials, but is associated with Ukraine, regional cooperation and NATO’s neighborhood. The negative tone is concentrated in publications with a polemical approach, such as Argumenty i Fakty, but the main target of criticism remains Ukraine and Western discourse on security. By contrast, Romanian political topics are reported in an informative manner, while sports and cultural topics maintain a balanced or favorable tone.

Chart: NewsVibe

*****Summary prepared with the assistance of a data monitoring feed provided by the NewsVibe Romania media monitoring platform. The analysis, data and images presented were enhanced with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.