"The Death of Romania". How the Russian press distorts reality, creating panic with the hypothesis of an imminent nuclear war targeting Bucharest.

Romania could become "a priority target for Russia" if NATO forces attack the Russian military group in Transnistria, after "Germany requested the deployment of NATO forces" here, writes News.ru in an article citing an analysis by researcher Iulian Romanițin.

In the article titled "The Death of Romania: Why NATO Will Not Deploy Troops in Transnistria," initially reported by Digi24, the publication News.ru cites the Atlantic Council, which published a piece by Iulian Romanițin, a researcher at the Center for Advanced Security Studies, Strategic Planning and Integration at the University of Bonn (CASSIS), on how to strengthen Europe's position in Ukraine. The article starts from the hypothesis of deploying a so-called NATO peacekeeping contingent away from the contact line, at the border with Belarus or Transnistria.

"European troops could have a significant impact on Ukraine without engaging in combat. They could perform a wide range of support and training tasks away from the front line. For example, European contingents could take over much of the monitoring of Ukraine's border with Belarus and the unrecognized Transnistrian Republic (PMR) from Moldova, allowing the deployment of Ukrainian units in other regions," said the analyst.

Romania, the main target of Russia

The News.ru article then cites experts who believe that this Western proposal is provocative.

According to military expert Valentin Mzareulov, editor-in-chief of the website "The History of Internal Intelligence Services and Law Enforcement Agencies," if such a scenario materializes, it would mean that Romania would become the main target of the Kremlin, not the Republic of Moldova.

"If NATO forces attack the Transnistrian group of the Russian Armed Forces, a retaliatory attack will be launched against these forces, their command, or directly against Bucharest. It is clear that the focal point of the operation will be Romania, not Moldova. Bucharest is not a place against which we would hesitate to use special means, including nuclear warheads," said the expert.

News.ru distorts reality, turning a specific analysis into a propaganda narrative

The title "Germany advocated for the deployment of NATO forces in Transnistria" is misleading; it starts from an analysis by an expert and is transformed into a propaganda narrative by the Russian press. The phrase "Germany advocated for..." suggests an official position, a diplomatic or military initiative taken by the German government, which is not supported by foreign policy documents or public positions of Berlin on this subject.

For years, there have been academic discussions and think tank debates about possible international/western monitoring or peacekeeping missions around Ukraine (including technical mentions at the border with Transnistria), but these are expert opinions, not official positions of the German government.

The official policy of Germany on the Transnistria issue has focused on diplomatic negotiations, support for the OSCE and EUBAM, the Chișinău–Tiraspol dialogue, and, in the past, even on formulas considered by some analysts to be more favorable to Russia (federalization, etc.), not on sending NATO troops to the region.

In the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Germany, along with France and Romania, established the Support Platform for Moldova in 2022, to ensure energy and economic stability, including in the face of risks from Transnistria.

There is no decision from the Berlin government or NATO that foresees the deployment of a NATO contingent in Transnistria; nor do recent German military planning documents (focused on troop transport to the eastern flank and the brigade in Lithuania) mention such a mission.

The factual core is merely the existence of an academic analysis discussing, among many other options, a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. The rest, "Germany demands NATO in Transnistria," "attack on the Russian group," "inevitable nuclear," "Romania a priority target" are extrapolations and distortions with a propaganda function.

Analysis conducted with the support of Perplexity