Cristian Canțâr
@cristiancantir.bsky.social
Associate Professor, Oakland University. Foreign policy analysis, paradiplomacy/sub-state diplomacy, role theory, Romania, Moldova, fiction, and TV. Academic work: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Vvx23r4AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubda
Pinned
Going to pin a short introduction here as more folks migrate away from the other site. I teach at Oakland University, a public university in the greater metro Detroit area in Michigan. I'm originally from Moldova (lived there until I was 15), and have lived in the U.S...
Pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor really betting on Gagauzia loving amusement parks more than anything: Șor has warned Gagauzia, which he still controls, that Chișinău is going to shut down his GagauziaLand in the region if he loses power there. Gagauzia will hold local ...
November 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor really betting on Gagauzia loving amusement parks more than anything: Șor has warned Gagauzia, which he still controls, that Chișinău is going to shut down his GagauziaLand in the region if he loses power there. Gagauzia will hold local ...
A pro-Russian portal (Enews) has been attacking Ziarul de Gardă, one of Moldova's best independent media outlets. This is a good reminder to subscribe to Ziarul de Gardă (zdg.md), which has made major revelations about the Kremlin's interference ...
Homepage
Singurul ziar de investigații din Republica Moldova.
zdg.md
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
A pro-Russian portal (Enews) has been attacking Ziarul de Gardă, one of Moldova's best independent media outlets. This is a good reminder to subscribe to Ziarul de Gardă (zdg.md), which has made major revelations about the Kremlin's interference ...
Moldova's most popular pro-Russian politician, Igor Dodon, is asking for the suspension of "any form of interaction" with Ukrainian authorities in light of corruption scandals there. Dodon also vocalizes Kremlin propaganda claims that Kyiv has shut down the Orthodox Church ...
November 19, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Moldova's most popular pro-Russian politician, Igor Dodon, is asking for the suspension of "any form of interaction" with Ukrainian authorities in light of corruption scandals there. Dodon also vocalizes Kremlin propaganda claims that Kyiv has shut down the Orthodox Church ...
Some pro-Russian media and commentators have been scathing about the pro-RU opposition in Moldova recently. Pro-RU forces lost the Sep. 2025 legislative elections badly, of course, but the criticism now extends to their post-electoral behavior. A couple of examples: ...
November 17, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Some pro-Russian media and commentators have been scathing about the pro-RU opposition in Moldova recently. Pro-RU forces lost the Sep. 2025 legislative elections badly, of course, but the criticism now extends to their post-electoral behavior. A couple of examples: ...
Once in a while, I look at recent Moldovan export and import data and am astounded by how insignificant of a trading partner Russia has become compared to the 1990s: 3% of MD exports of goods went to RU in Jan-Sep. 2025. By comparison, 9.3% went to Italy! ...
November 15, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Once in a while, I look at recent Moldovan export and import data and am astounded by how insignificant of a trading partner Russia has become compared to the 1990s: 3% of MD exports of goods went to RU in Jan-Sep. 2025. By comparison, 9.3% went to Italy! ...
Things getting interesting in Moldova's Gagauz region: the speaker of the local legislature (the Popular Assembly) has resigned. And the Gagauz governor is in prison. These outcomes are in part the consequences of their affiliation with pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor...
November 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Things getting interesting in Moldova's Gagauz region: the speaker of the local legislature (the Popular Assembly) has resigned. And the Gagauz governor is in prison. These outcomes are in part the consequences of their affiliation with pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor...
Some great comedy in Moldovan politics: nobody can figure out where the mayor of the city of Orhei is. The mayor, who's associated with pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, stopped coming to work and is rumored to have fled Moldova to escape potential criminal prosecution ...
November 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Some great comedy in Moldovan politics: nobody can figure out where the mayor of the city of Orhei is. The mayor, who's associated with pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, stopped coming to work and is rumored to have fled Moldova to escape potential criminal prosecution ...
The Kremlin-friendly Trump administration has a somewhat surprising fan: the Transnistrian separatist regime. Transnistrian propagandist Andrei Safonov recently complained that Brussels is trying to sideline Washington and the Kremlin in Transnistrian negotiations ...
November 13, 2025 at 6:57 PM
The Kremlin-friendly Trump administration has a somewhat surprising fan: the Transnistrian separatist regime. Transnistrian propagandist Andrei Safonov recently complained that Brussels is trying to sideline Washington and the Kremlin in Transnistrian negotiations ...
Here's a useful shortcut for figuring out what parties in the Moldovan parliament support a permissive environment for the spread of Russian propaganda. Parliament took a vote to denounce an agreement with Russia on cultural centers. The majority PAS voted to denounce, ...
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Here's a useful shortcut for figuring out what parties in the Moldovan parliament support a permissive environment for the spread of Russian propaganda. Parliament took a vote to denounce an agreement with Russia on cultural centers. The majority PAS voted to denounce, ...
Former Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin (2001-2009), the leader of the Party of Communists, recently received the Lenin prize from Russia's Communist Party. Other winners? North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Chinese propaganda outlet Xinhua (enewsmd.online/publicatsia/...).
10 ноября 2025 года Президиум Центрального Комитета КПРФ наградил Владимира Николаевича Воронина Ленинской премией Центрального Комитета КПРФ
Открыл и вёл заседание Председатель ЦК партии Г.А. Зюганов
enewsmd.online
November 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Former Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin (2001-2009), the leader of the Party of Communists, recently received the Lenin prize from Russia's Communist Party. Other winners? North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Chinese propaganda outlet Xinhua (enewsmd.online/publicatsia/...).
Bit of a funny day in Moldovan politics, with several institutions and groups that are clearly pro-Russian insisting they are not pro-Russian. First, EU expansion commissioner Marta Kos said legislative opposition representatives told her they are not pro-Russian ...
November 11, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Bit of a funny day in Moldovan politics, with several institutions and groups that are clearly pro-Russian insisting they are not pro-Russian. First, EU expansion commissioner Marta Kos said legislative opposition representatives told her they are not pro-Russian ...
What makes Moldova vulnerable to foreign interference in elections, and how can authorities minimize these risks? ADEPT, one of MD's leading think tanks, has a long report on this very topic, which is relevant beyond Moldova because it looks at multiple variables present in ...
November 10, 2025 at 7:07 PM
What makes Moldova vulnerable to foreign interference in elections, and how can authorities minimize these risks? ADEPT, one of MD's leading think tanks, has a long report on this very topic, which is relevant beyond Moldova because it looks at multiple variables present in ...
Some weekend developments worth noting in Moldova, including Russian propaganda about the cancelation of a CIS visa-free agreement, RU outlets encouraging Moldovans to use the Kremlin-controlled Max app, and parallel legislative diplomacy toward Moscow by pro-RU groups...
November 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Some weekend developments worth noting in Moldova, including Russian propaganda about the cancelation of a CIS visa-free agreement, RU outlets encouraging Moldovans to use the Kremlin-controlled Max app, and parallel legislative diplomacy toward Moscow by pro-RU groups...
A useful way to understand Moldova's relations with Russia, as articulated by local experts: MD's victories in reducing RU influence are tactical, temporary, and circumstantial. A final victory depends both on Ukraine's resistance against RU and on MD becoming an EU member...
November 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
A useful way to understand Moldova's relations with Russia, as articulated by local experts: MD's victories in reducing RU influence are tactical, temporary, and circumstantial. A final victory depends both on Ukraine's resistance against RU and on MD becoming an EU member...
Moldova will close the Russia House in Chișinău for spreading Kremlin propaganda. Funniest reaction so far from Moscow: a RU State Duma member said Chișinău did that because it is afraid of the "beauty and truth" of Russian culture and science (tass.ru/politika/255...).
Глава АНО "Евразия": новый кабмин Молдавии взял курс на разрыв связей с Россией
Алена Аршинова отметила, что за негативным фоном в отношениях между Москвой и Кишиневом стоит Брюссель
tass.ru
November 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Moldova will close the Russia House in Chișinău for spreading Kremlin propaganda. Funniest reaction so far from Moscow: a RU State Duma member said Chișinău did that because it is afraid of the "beauty and truth" of Russian culture and science (tass.ru/politika/255...).
If you want to learn a lot about Moldova and its current challenges, the IDIS think tank has a comprehensive list of Moldova's top 100 challenges in 2024, spanning the economy, education, foreign policy, and so on. You can read the (300-page!) report here: viitorul.org/files/librar...
viitorul.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:40 PM
If you want to learn a lot about Moldova and its current challenges, the IDIS think tank has a comprehensive list of Moldova's top 100 challenges in 2024, spanning the economy, education, foreign policy, and so on. You can read the (300-page!) report here: viitorul.org/files/librar...
Good example of parliamentary diplomacy in Moldova related to Russia: the ruling PAS is suspending legislative friendship groups with Russia and Belarus "for the duration of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine" (quote is from deputy legislative speaker Doina Gherman)...
November 6, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Good example of parliamentary diplomacy in Moldova related to Russia: the ruling PAS is suspending legislative friendship groups with Russia and Belarus "for the duration of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine" (quote is from deputy legislative speaker Doina Gherman)...
It appears that pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor's grip on Gagauzia in Moldova may be weakening a bit: Gagauz Popular Assembly speaker Dmitri Constantinov, who's helped Șor consolidate power over the region, recently gave an interview criticizing Șor ...
November 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
It appears that pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor's grip on Gagauzia in Moldova may be weakening a bit: Gagauz Popular Assembly speaker Dmitri Constantinov, who's helped Șor consolidate power over the region, recently gave an interview criticizing Șor ...
Good article about an issue that does not get enough attention in Moldova, Romania, and other countries in the area: the mental health consequences of care work abroad (nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...)
When Caregiving Makes Women Ill
nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Good article about an issue that does not get enough attention in Moldova, Romania, and other countries in the area: the mental health consequences of care work abroad (nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...)
Some significant recent Russia-related stories in Moldova, incl. more propaganda from highly-ranked RU officials about elections, Transnistria's diminishing imports and exports, and the upcoming shuttering of the Russia House. First, security council secretary Sergey Shoigu ...
November 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Some significant recent Russia-related stories in Moldova, incl. more propaganda from highly-ranked RU officials about elections, Transnistria's diminishing imports and exports, and the upcoming shuttering of the Russia House. First, security council secretary Sergey Shoigu ...
Moldova's dependence on Russia is still very much a looming presence in the country. Some recent examples. First, the new MD government's first major challenge is emerging after U.S. sanctions imposed on Lukoil. MD continues to depend on Lukoil ...
November 4, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Moldova's dependence on Russia is still very much a looming presence in the country. Some recent examples. First, the new MD government's first major challenge is emerging after U.S. sanctions imposed on Lukoil. MD continues to depend on Lukoil ...
Dacă vă interesează alegerile importante de azi din SUA, iată câteva dintre resursele pe care le voi consulta pe parcursul zilei: Amy Walter (x.com/amyewalter), State Navigate (statenavigate.org) pentru date din New Jersey și Virginia, ...
November 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Dacă vă interesează alegerile importante de azi din SUA, iată câteva dintre resursele pe care le voi consulta pe parcursul zilei: Amy Walter (x.com/amyewalter), State Navigate (statenavigate.org) pentru date din New Jersey și Virginia, ...
What propaganda narratives were most visible on YouTube during the campaign for the Sep. 28 Moldovan election? A Moldovan NGO has put together a long report to answer this question, which also includes excellent visuals illustrating themes like claims of censorship, fraud, ...
November 3, 2025 at 4:54 PM
What propaganda narratives were most visible on YouTube during the campaign for the Sep. 28 Moldovan election? A Moldovan NGO has put together a long report to answer this question, which also includes excellent visuals illustrating themes like claims of censorship, fraud, ...
And one more here: a helpful update on pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor's regional leaders and their criminal case status (all accused of accepting illegal funding from Șor). 11 people have been sentenced thus far; police can't find 5 of them (www.zdg.md/stiri/stiri-...).
November 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
And one more here: a helpful update on pro-Russian fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor's regional leaders and their criminal case status (all accused of accepting illegal funding from Șor). 11 people have been sentenced thus far; police can't find 5 of them (www.zdg.md/stiri/stiri-...).
Some weekend stories in Moldova worth paying attention to, including Russia's Ambassador using Donbas threats to discuss Transnistria, debates about gender representation in the new cabinet, and some details on how oligarch Plahotniuc took over media outlets in the mid-2010s ...
November 2, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Some weekend stories in Moldova worth paying attention to, including Russia's Ambassador using Donbas threats to discuss Transnistria, debates about gender representation in the new cabinet, and some details on how oligarch Plahotniuc took over media outlets in the mid-2010s ...