Propagandists hush up investments and reforms: what is really happening with Moldovan Railways?

# Translation to English, preserving HTML markup:

On February 14, 2025, a video was posted on the CTVBY channel with the headline: “Moldovans rose up against the authorities! #moldova #protests #politics #news #eu #prices #sandu #rally”. This video gathered more than half a million views.

It stated:

Residents of Moldova also have to pay for the mistakes of the authorities from their own pockets. Rising prices for housing, electricity, and heat have literally ruined people. Many already don’t have enough money even to pay for utilities. Desperation drove Moldovans to the streets. The government building was blocked by railway workers. The railway employees demand payment of their salaries. They haven’t been paid for more than eight months. According to the transport workers’ union, the debt has already reached 10 million dollars. People found themselves in a desperate situation. To survive and not end up on the street, many take out loans, which will have to be repaid with interest.

Our verdict based on the analyses conducted:

Verdict: Partially Incorrect

Reasons:

• There is a mix of false and correct statements; the ratio of these two is approximately equal.

Fact-checking rating scale

Full video:

After studying the Moldovan press 1, 2, 3 about the problem, we found out that the head of the Federation of Railway Workers’ Unions, Iona Zaporozhana, said the company’s debt for salaries alone reaches 200 million lei (10 million euros).

“Yes, investments are coming in, new sections are being built with European funds. But the state should include subsidies for passenger transportation in the budget — this is done in all European countries. We haven’t received them since 1992,” he noted.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development noted that the problems of the Moldovan Railways have accumulated over the years due to inefficient management and lack of long-term planning.

“Over the past 10-15 years, the state-owned Moldovan Railways has been managed with great negligence, and the current situation is a legacy of the lack of managerial vision. Today’s enterprise management is trying to turn the situation around, and the main priority is to pay salaries to employees and eliminate financial losses,” the ministry’s official statement on Facebook said.

The ministry also reported that steps are already being taken to improve the financial situation and increase the efficiency of the railway:

• Investments are being attracted to upgrade railway infrastructure.
• The enterprise is planned to be divided into three separate units: for infrastructure management, passenger and freight transportation. This should improve management and attract private investment.
• An internal audit of expenses and their optimization is being conducted.

“The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development supports the development and modernization of the railway sector, facilitates the attraction of external resources and promotes policies that support the operation of the enterprise. The Government of Moldova actively supports this process, but current expenses, such as salaries, fuel, and other operating expenses, cannot be fully covered by state funds. Our common goal is to turn the Moldovan Railways into a financially independent company operating on the principles of sustainable economy. The Moldovan Railways is a strategic enterprise for the national economy, and the Moldovan authorities remain firmly committed to supporting the modernization process and avoiding the risk of bankruptcy,” the ministry emphasized.

The situation with the railways in Moldova can be viewed as a case of how reforms in traditional monopolies should be carefully thought out. Additionally, they are dependent on regional problems, as the Moldovan railway suffered from the war in Ukraine, as it carried out many transportations related to the Odessa port.

Now let’s perform an analysis of disinformation narratives and semantic analysis: