On 12 January 2026, Euromaidan Press published a frontline report titled "Ukraine and Moldova trap Russia's hidden army with New Year's midnight move," based on analysis from the video channel Reporting from Ukraine.
We have removed this article after determining that it significantly overstated what actually occurred.
What the article claimed: That Ukraine and Moldova enacted a "full blockade" against Transnistria starting at midnight on 1 January 2026, "marking a clear policy shift" that closed "every supply line" into the region.
What actually happened: The Russian gas transit through Ukraine ended on 1 January when the transit contract expired — a development that had been publicly anticipated for months. Ukraine's border with Transnistria has been closed since February 2022. Moldova's customs duties on Transnistrian goods have been in place since 2024. No new "coordinated blockade" was announced or enacted by either government.
The underlying news — an enhanced cooperation protocol between Ukrainian and Moldovan border guards — was accurate, but the article interpreted this routine development as a dramatic strategic shift that the facts do not support.
Moldova's Bureau for Reintegration Policy has consistently characterized similar sensationalized claims
about Transnistria as disinformation. Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Valeriu Chiveri stated in December 2025 that security agencies "have not recorded any actions different from those that occurred previously." The specialist newsletter Moldova Matters reported that a government source confirmed "they see nothing unusual in the region and that the situation is calm."
Moldova Matters has documented that sensationalized reports about Transnistria have previously been planted to "inspire panic in newsrooms that are not well informed about Moldovan affairs."
We regret publishing analysis that amplified a misleading narrative. This incident has prompted a review of our editorial processes for video-based frontline reports.
Euromaidan Press is committed to accurate reporting. When we fall short, we correct the record.
