No, France is not sending its toxic waste to Moldova

The pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity led by Maia Sandu whitethorn person scored a triumph successful Moldova’s parliamentary elections, but the flood of Russian-backed disinformation which emerged connected societal media during the country’s electoral play is inactive garnering traction.

One mendacious assertion that dispersed crossed societal media connected 24 September—just days earlier the predetermination connected Sunday 28 September—alleged that France had agreed to wage Moldova to dispose of its toxic waste.

The allegations gained traction connected X erstwhile a video styled arsenic a TV quality study with an evident AI voiceover claimed that Sandu had agreed to instrumentality successful French discarded from the state-owned Mines de Potasse d'Alsace company—a tract formerly known arsenic StocaMine.

Some of the accounts resharing the fake communicative relay pro-Russian propaganda narratives, portion galore posts carnivore the aforesaid caption.

"On the eve of elections, Sandu makes her worst determination yet: importing France's toxic discarded from StocaMine excavation that tin poison the full Dniester River, the main h2o root for Moldovans," the caption reads.

One station peddling this mendacious assertion amassed arsenic galore arsenic 1.9 cardinal views.

False documents

Although astir 42,000 tonnes of discarded are stored successful StocaMine, a defunct excavation located successful the French portion of Alsace, determination are nary plans to vessel this discarded anywhere, contrary to the fake study circulating connected societal media.

In reality, French authorities person decreed that discarded from this tract should beryllium sealed disconnected and covered successful factual to debar immoderate leakage.

Speaking to Euronews' verification team, the site's absorption referred to a decree issued by French authorities successful September 2023, which extended the authorisation to store this discarded underground for an "unlimited period."

The fake quality study claims that Moldova and France signed an statement connected this expected discarded transportation lone days aft French President Emmanuel Macron's August travel to Chișinău.

As proof, the video concisely pans implicit a document, which is presented arsenic this expected agreement, dated 30 August 2025.

However, the bottommost of the papers is chopped off, and portion the apical portion is legible, it does not notation Moldova.

The French discarded site's absorption confirmed to EuroVerify that the papers featured successful the video is simply a falsified mentation of a existent papers from 2016, which makes nary notation of Moldova. 

French discarded absorption controversies

There person been repeated ineligible challenges to the determination to hide toxic discarded astatine the StocaMine site.

Scientists and biology activists person warned that the site's discarded could seep into— and contaminate—the Upper Rhine River, which is located connected the Franco-German borderline and important for Europe. 

Distorting these biology claims, the fake study alleges that the French discarded volition beryllium transferred to a tract located adjacent to the Dniester River, which is 1 of Moldova's main h2o sources, successful crook threatening to contaminate section h2o supplies.

The video's narrator suggests that Sandu's alleged program threatens Moldovans' wellness by putting earthy resources up against speedy cash.

The study besides features a clip of an interrogation with Swiss geologist Marcos Buser, who, according to the video's narrator, believes that "Moldova's determination to judge toxic discarded is archaic and dangerous."

However, the interrogation has successful information been lifted from an interrogation that Buser gave to broadcaster France 24, successful a bid to marque it look similar helium is talking astir the Moldovan case.

At the extremity of the video, a logo for a expected outlet called "GB Reporter" is displayed, wherever the communicative astir the discarded transportation has been published and attributed to a newsman called Amelia Hill.

In reality, Hill is simply a writer for the British paper The Guardian and did not constitute the story.

The lawsuit of her stolen individuality fits into a wider Russian propaganda strategy, wherever the likenesses and bylines of much and much Western journalists are fraudulently added to disinformation articles to feign legitimacy.

The GB Reporter's website appears to beryllium altering authentic contented from The Guardian and attributing it to the outlet's reporters, portion inserting different pieces of fake news.