Geo Stroe is just one of the hundreds of military reservists who distribute the messages of Călin Georgescu on Facebook, of the legionnaire Eugen Sechila, and others that are part of the Kremlin’s propaganda arsenal.
Stroe declares himself to be „a free and unrestrained Dacian,” and the main image on his page is a photo of the rock formations „Babele” in the Bucegi Mountains, under which it says „Daco Romanian Academy Foundation.”
Stroe announces that he was a „subunit commander” in the 30th Guard Regiment Mihai Viteazul.
His Facebook posts are further shared by dozens of users.
Stroe is a small cog in the huge propaganda system created on social networks by a large part of the military and intelligence reservists in Romania.
I spent several days in the open Facebook groups of some military reservists, and the support for Călin Georgescu, a candidate who has repeatedly declared his admiration for Vladimir Putin and Russia, is enormous.
For example, the "Romanian Reservists" Group, with 116 members, is controlled by Gabriel Gheorghian, who does not provide any information about himself on his Facebook page, but most of his activity is to promote Călin Georgescu.
In the "Professional Reservist Military" Group, with over 3,000 members, the group's administrator himself, Nelu Vacariu, is a promoter of Călin Georgescu and propaganda originating from Moscow.
"Has the diversion started in Romania? It seems so. Thus, the plan of the group of politicians who organized the CCR diversion is going smoothly. Just like during the live televised revolution period (who remembers) today the diversion is taking place with the help of obedient television stations! Open your eyes, but also use your brain!", wrote Nelu Vacariu, in a post illustrated with the portrait of the mercenary Horațiu Potra.
Romania, Considered an Enemy State by Russia
Above were presented three examples out of thousands of posts in a single day on the public Facebook groups of military reservists.
There, in plain sight, a strong, deep, and extensive campaign is unfolding against Romania's interests, promoting narratives of a state that declares Romania as an enemy without any reaction from the military authorities.
"Romania is perceived by decision-making centers in Moscow as an enemy state," according to the SIE report dated December 4, 2024, declassified by the presidential administration.
The document, by far the weakest of those presented, as it only tangentially refers to the specific situation in the country and the causes that led to Russia's massive interference in the presidential elections, indicates that the social media groups have been taken over by Moscow's influence agents.
"Propaganda and disinformation (including through the use of emerging technologies in activities on specific groups and communities... and the implementation of generative artificial intelligence modules to transmit tailored propaganda messages, in real-time, at the individual level," the SIE report states.
An official document of the Romanian state acknowledges that "specific groups and communities" have been taken over and controlled from outside the country.
Overnight, dissatisfaction related to pension levels, for example, or dissatisfaction with government decisions, has been transformed into propaganda against Romania, its military and economic interests. And this phenomenon occurred without any reaction from the President of Romania and the Prime Minister. They have repeatedly stated that, although there is a war at the border, the situation is stable and secure. Until it turned into chaos.
Reservists, an Unresolved Issue
Călin Georgescu is supported by reservists who have worked in intelligence agencies. One of them is Bogdan Vacusta, who served in the Directorate General of Defense Intelligence (DGIA), the army's secret service, according to a disclosure made by Digi24.
"Romania... has become a priority for Russia's hostile actions, with an increasing interest at the Kremlin to influence... the agenda in Romanian society in an electoral context," as stated in the report by the Foreign Intelligence Service.
The intelligence agency came into the public spotlight after the director Gabriel Vlase used a private plane to attend a Formula 1 race in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to an article published by G4Media.
Although military reservists are still under the oath taken at the beginning of their service, paradoxically, some of them have turned into propagandists for Russia.
The Phenomenon of Radicalization on Social Networks
What's even more wrong is that both the Ministry of Defense and other military institutions in Romania have done nothing to communicate and maintain contact with these individuals, have done nothing to listen to their problems and attempt to resolve them.
Many of them have felt abandoned, forced, after leaving military service, to requalify and adapt to a new life for which they were not prepared.
There are extremely few social reintegration programs for reservists, few professional retraining programs, and even fewer ways to communicate with them.
Some reservists feel deeply unjustly treated because they faithfully served their country for a while, and now Romania has abandoned them, they believe, no longer needs them.
From here, a profound frustration arises, which has been exploited, used, and turned against Romania by Russia's hostile agents.
"Throughout my military career, two of the units I served in were disbanded. I was moved to different places in the country, and it was not easy for me," a reservist told me under anonymity protection, who now worked as an Uber driver, worried that he didn't have enough money to pay for a mortgage.
The radicalization of messages in the reservists' social media groups is not a phenomenon of yesterday, but has been coalescing over years of frustration and dissatisfaction. Now, it has been hijacked by interested parties and used as a weapon in a hybrid attack that has destabilized Romania to its core. An attack that has not ended.