🇷🇴🎬🎥🇷🇺 Fr. Ciprian Mega met with a number of Russian personalities while in Moscow, among which was, perhaps the most interesting out of them all, Konstantin Malofeev.

For those who haven't heard of him, Malofeev is the chairman of the non-governmental and pro-monarchist organisation called the Society for the Development of Russian Historical Education "Double-Headed Eagle" and the chairman of the media group Tsargrad TV, dedicated to Russian Orthodox Christianity.

Malofeev is a billionaire, with a reported net worth of over 1 billion USD (2019), money which he made while he activated as an investment banker with Renaissance Capital, then MDM Bank and then co-founded Marshall Capital which later merged with CFG Capital, a French investment fund. The sale earned Malofeev a lot of money and, unlike other Russian oligarchs who spend their fortunes on themselves, he used it to start a political movement, bankrolling Russia's monarchist movement.

Malofeev has been under US and EU sanctions since 2014 being actively involved in supporting the separatists in the Donbas and in 2022 was even indicted by an American court for sanction evasion.

Tsargrad TV is probably the project which gave Konstantin Malofeev the notoriety he has in Western circles, as the television station and website promoted Russian philosopher, Aleksandr Dugin who, before that, was relatively unknown outside of Russia.

@Wallachian_Gazette

🇷🇴🎬🎥☦️🇷🇺 Ciprian Mega told RFE/RL that, while he was in Moscow, he got the chance to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in a church with the permission of the Russian Patriarch, Kirill.

Such a choice is against Church canons however, as someone with Mega's rank has to obey the orders of his hierarchical superior, Bishop Sofronie (Sophronius) of Oradea. Sophronius and the spokesman of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Vasile Bănescu, have said that Mega did not receive a blessing and did not represent the Romanian Orthodox Church with his actions.

Mega has served with the Orthodox Church in Cyprus for a period of 9 years before returning to Romania.

As explained previously, Fr. Mega has a difficult relationship with his superior, Sophronius, whom he accused of tolerating homosexuality within the Bishopric of Oradea and Bihor, a very grave accusation and there is some truth behind it. In 2021, a priest in the Bishopric of Oradea was exposed as a homosexual by an angry lover who texted the incriminating proof to a What's Up group in which Mega was included. He forwarded the text to his superior, presbyter Simion Goga who notified bishop Sophronius. The priest that was exposed filed a complaint with the police targeting Mega and Goga citing a "violation of the right to privacy". The case remained forgotten for about two years when in 2023 it was reopened a few months before Fr. Mega's film, "21 rubies" was going to be released.

The priest in question was also reported to have risen extremely quickly through the church ranks becoming an advisor to the bishop of Oradea before he became 30 years old. This event had such a profound impact on Fr. Mega that he included in his movie a corrupt bishop whom he said it was modeled after Bishop Sophronius.

Homosexuality is a grave sin and incompatible with the status of a priest, presbyter, deacon or any other church rank and all members of the Church have a duty to report any such behaviours to higherups to be taken care of and Ciprian Mega was punished for doing his job, publicly, involving the police, when usually, such things are settled privately within the Church.

Another point of tension between Fr. Mega and the Church is the inadequate response to the martyrs and political dissidents of the communist era, some of whom were murdered for their Orthodox faith. Unfortunately, there were collaborators among the priests who ratted out dissidents or worked as informants with the communist state police and the response of the Romanian Orthodox Church ever since has been to avoid discussing this topic at all. Well Fr. Mega has been trying to get justice for those that suffered for their faith and punish those that betrayed it.

In 2021, Fr. Mega released "Glasul care strigă în pustie" (The voice crying in the Wilderness) a film about the life of Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa, a priest that was imprisoned between 1948 to 1965 and then from 1979 to 1985. His first prison sentence was related to his Iron Guard membership the 2nd sentence was related to his famous speeches "7 stories for the youth" where he spoke against communism and the great number of churches that were demolished by Ceaușescu after the 1977 earthquake. Dumitreasa was one of the few Orthodox clerics who publicly opposed the demolition of churches while most stood silent. He was even defrocked after he protested the 1978 demolition of the Enei Church, a historic building dating from the 1720s, a stone church built on top of an even older wooden church from 1611 in Bucharest. The Romanian Orthodox Church was so corrupted at the time that it quietly delisted the church as a "historical monument" which sped up the demolition process.

@Wallachian_Gazette

🇷🇴🔌⚡️ Last Sunday, April 28th, Romania recorded its lowest electricity consumption since 2007 when the data is available.

The consumption was measured at 3636 MWh. This historic low was recorded two weeks after the previous historic low of just 3900 MWh, registered on April 14th.

The reasons behind this were a reported increase in domestic energy production by prosumers, people who have installed solar panels and such and do not necessarily rely on the national power grid if the weather is good and the continued decline in industrial output.

Despite utility costs reaching pre-Russo-Ukrainian war levels, the industrial output of Romania has not recovered to pre-2022 levels.

For example, ALRO Slatina, Romania's top aluminium producer, who used to account for 10% of the country's total electric energy consumption, has limited its aluminium output since the outbreak of the war. Liberty Galați, Romania's top steel mill has only one furnace open.

🔗 https://economedia.ro/romania-a-marcat-ieri-cel-mai-mic-consum-de-electricitate-din-istorie-cum-am-ajuns-aici.html

🇺🇸🎖🇷🇴 The Atlantic Council will award the "Distinguished International Leadership Award" to Romanian president, Klaus Johannis.

The infamous American think-tank focused on American foreign policy will give Johannis this prize based on the "exemplary rulership of Romania and his role as a European and Transatlantic leader".

🔗 https://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-27102672-iohannis-primi-oscarul-washingtonului-pentru-cariera-remarcabila-conducerea-exemplara-romaniei.htm

🇷🇴🪖⚡️ The Romanian MoD has eliminated the entry exam for those applying for the military academy as it recorded a huge lack of personnel.

Available data shows that the officer corps is 57% staffed, meanwhile NCOs, drill sergeants are 75% and 72% staffed, meanwhile the file & rank are 77% staffed and the administrative/civilian personnel is 89% staffed.

An exam will still be required for those wishing to become an officer however, only the results of the bacalaureat, the graduation exam of high school, will be required for NCO and drill sergeant posts.

Before, such low requirements were kept only for those wishing to enlist as simple recruits.

One solution military analysts have found for the deficit of personnel and lack of interest for service within the army is a significant increase in the pay the soldiers receive, a fact which will certainly help as, by comparison with the private sector or other jobs within the administrative state, the military is unattractive from a financial POV.

🔗 https://adevarul.ro/stiri-interne/evenimente/situatie-alarmanta-in-armata-jumatate-dintre-2356685.html?amp;utm_medium=Fanatik&utm_campaign=CrossExtern

🇷🇴🪖⚡️ 60% of the 6.448 candidates for a position as a reservist in the Romanian Army failed the physical exam!

The Romanian MoD presented 5.093 posts for which 6.448 people signed up but only 40% of them passed the physical exam, the psychological evaluation and the theoretical exam, the other 60% being failing at one of the three exams, most of whom failed the first probe.

Meaning, out of the 5.093 empty posts, only 2.626 were occupied.

The national defense bill which will institute a revised reservist training program, among other things, is going to be promulgated sometime this year and will open even more posts within the Romanian Army but with such dismal entry statistics, it will take a while before all personnel deficiencies will be completed, time which Romania might not have.

🔗 https://r3media.ro/mapn-rezultate-catastrofale-la-recrutare-60-dintre-romanii-care-s-au-prezentat-au-fost-respinsi-majoritatate-teste-fizice/

🇲🇩⚖️🇬🇧 Fugitive Moldovan oligarch, Veaceslav Platon, has submitted an asylum claim with the British authorities citing political persecution back home.

Platon was condemned in the Moldovan bank fraud case, one of many Moldovan execs and businessmen that fled with a total of 1 billion USD worth of savings.

Moldovan authorities are working to have Platon extradited but his claim will definitely prolong the process.

The funny part is that Veaceslav Platon can be deported to Rwanda following his asylum request.

For those unaware, last week the British Parliament passed the “Rwanda Bill” of conservative prime-minister Rishi Sunak which disposed that asylum seekers will first be deported to Rwanda while their application is processed by the relevant authorities whether or not their request will be approved.

This bill had some adverse side effects like migrants fleeing the UK to neighbouring Ireland or even across the channel to France.

🔗 https://tv8.md/2024/05/02/platon-a-depus-cerere-de-azil-in-marea-britanie-procedura-de-extradare-anevoioasa-pana-la-o-decizie-a-londrei/256838e

🇷🇴🇺🇸🔫 A transport of American military hardware was spotted in Romania a few days ago.

By the looks of the houses it was somewhere in Transylvania.

The transport consisted of at least two mine-clearing M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles and two M1A2 Abrams MBTs.

If the previous transports spotted last March were related to the movement of the US 3rd Armored Brigade that was deployed to Poland, the timing would suggest these vehicles likely constitute American aid to Ukraine.

@Wallachian_Gazette

☦️🔥🎊After the same manner all the legions of devils were
stricken with like fear and cried out all together in the terror of their confusion,
saying: Whence art thou, Jesus, a man so mighty and bright in majesty, so
excellent without spot and clean from sin? For that world of earth which hath
been always subject unto us until now, and did pay tribute to our profit, hath
never sent unto us a dead man like thee, nor ever dispatched such a gift unto
Hell. Who then art thou that so fearlessly enterest our borders, and not only
fearest not our torments, but besides essayest to bear away all men out of our
bonds? Peradventure thou art that Jesus, of whom Satan our prince said that by
thy death of the cross thou shouldest receive the dominion of the whole world.

Then did the King of glory in his majesty trample upon death, and laid hold on
Satan the prince and delivered him unto the power of Hell, and drew Adam to him
unto his own brightness.

Christ is risen! Happy Easter! Happy Pascha everybody!

🇺🇦♨️🇲🇩🇲🇩 Insider MD reports that Ukrainian and Western intelligence services have begun provoking “unrest” in Moldova after continued disagreements between Moldovan president, Maia Sandu, and Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky, over the “unfreezing” of the Transnistrian conflict.

Sandu is doing her best to maintain the peace at least until after the 2024 presidential elections meanwhile Zelensky would like the Transnistria issue to be solved right now or at least during the summer.

🔗 https://t.me/insider_md/1465

🇲🇩☮️🇲🇩 Same source reports that Sandu is opposed to reactivating the Transnistrian conflict particularly because Moldova is militarily weak and unprepared to fight but also because war is the last thing on the minds of Moldovans.

But Sandu is giving in to Western pressure to solve the Transnistrian conflict because the West wants to secure a better position for Ukraine and prolong the war.

Lastly, it says that the West is doing anything to help Sandu secure a 2nd term as president while also preparing sanctions for the anti-war movements that may arise.

🔗 https://t.me/insider_md/1466

🇲🇩⚖️⚡️ Maia Sandu's justice delivers!

Her former boss, Vlad Filat, who led Moldova as premier between 2009 and 2013, was acquitted of all wrongdoing in a money-laundering case in relation with the 2014 Moldovan bank fraud scandal, the judge deciding that "the actions committed by Filat do not constitute money laundering".

The prosecution will appeal the decision. They asked for 7 years of prison and a 12.8 million Moldovan Leu fine for the former prime-minister and pro-Western politician.

Filat had been convicted in 2016 of bribery and abuse of power. He was denounced by Ilan Shor who said he bribed Filat between 2012 and 2013 to ignore what was going on in the Moldovan banking system, Filat reportedly earning 250 million USD in the process. He got 9 years of prison but was released early in 2019, with Filat virtually spending 1 year in pre-trial detention (2015-2016) and from 2016 to 2019, 3 years of his actual sentence.

Filat is one of the few people involved in the 2014 Moldovan bank fraud scandal that was actually imprisoned by the Moldovan justice system, others like Ilan Shor, Veaceslav Platon and Vlad Plahotniuc fleeing the country.

The ECHR condemned Moldova last year (2023) and ordered the country to pay 7.5k EURs in damages to Vlad Filat for denying his right to a fair trial.

In a statement to the press, Filat said that this acquittal is fair and that this trial was of a "political nature" as he already finished serving his sentence in the previous trial which convicted him of a number of financial crimes related to the events between 2012 and 2014 which this case also seeks to prosecute.

🔗 https://www.zdg.md/stiri/stiri-justitie/ultima-ora-vlad-filat-a-fost-achitat-in-dosarul-privind-spalarea-de-bani/

🇷🇴🛂🛠 Chart showing the amount of foreign (non-EU) workers employed in Romania.

There are 9 times more foreign workers in 2023 than were in 2014.

However, a number of human resources firms are worried that once Romania enters the Schengen Area and becomes an entry point into the EU, as much as half of the 127k foreign workers would leave the country in the weeks following the opening of the border with Hungary and move to countries like Germany, the Benelux for the higher salaries.

This predicted exodus would negatively impact the Romanian economy who already relies heavily on unqualified workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Indochina in the construction and hospitality sector as well as food delivery services.

@Wallachian_Gazette