Journalists - Start Here
This page is meant to be a practical orientation for foreign journalists - especially those reporting on Moldova for the first time. It collects reliable local sources, institutions, and practical resources that I regularly use in my own reporting and analysis.
Note: This page is updated periodically but not exhaustively.
Contents:
Reliable Local Media
When I’m writing Moldova Matters I rely on a variety of local sources in addition to my own reporting and I try and cite them in-line in most articles. Here are the outlets I follow most.
For each of them I note their publishing language. If they publish in multiple languages I put them in order. For example, an outlet that is tagged (Ro / Ru) primarily publishes in Romanian but also has Russian coverage.
Independent Investigative Outlets
Ziarul de Garda (ZdG) (Ro / Ru) - ZdG is a comprehensive newspaper (yes they still do print) and also among the most prominent and prolific investigative news outlets in Moldova.
RISE (Ro / Ru) - As a community of investigative journalists, RISE can often be silent for weeks before dropping a major investigation. They have a tool called “Profiles” which brings together all wealth declarations, court cases, news stories and other information about top politicians and companies1.
Cu Sens (Ro / Ru) - They broke multiple critical stories during 2025 and have a track record much larger than their small team.
Daily / Breaking News
Newsmaker (Ru / Ro) - My go-to for daily news. The outlet is primarily Russian speaking and is a standout in their reporting and comprehensive coverage.
Agora (Ro) - Excellent daily news site.
TV8 (Ro / Ru) - While primarily a TV station, TV8 has a good website and through their various shows occasionally breaks major investigative stories.
Regional News
Zona de Securitate (Ro / Ru) - The only independent media outlet focused entirely on Transnistria and the Security Zone. With journalists banned from the region (and often arrested) they do important work, often undercover, to keep the rest of Moldova informed. They also have important resources such as a map of the military / security posts and a guide for safe routes to get to the villages on the far side of the river that remain under constitutional control.
Nokta (Ru) - The only independent outlet covering the Gagauzia autonomous region and the south of Moldova more broadly.
NordNews (Ro / Ru) - A regional media outlet covering the northern city of Balti and the surrounding region.
Key Institutions and Civil Society Organizations
Think Tanks
Watchdog - With the slogan “We watch the government for you,” Watchdog is an expert community focused on improving public policy development in various fields. They have become the top voice in identifying and studying Kremlin hybrid warfare tactics.
The Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS) - Made up of “practitioners with substantial executive and legislative experience” the IPIS team focuses on good governance, conflict settlement and inter-ethnic consolidation and strategic communication and media.
Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) - Focuses on EU integration, foreign and security policy, public sector reform and more. Lead organizer of the annual Moldova Security Forum.
ExpertGrup - Think tank focused on economic and public policy research.
Election Monitoring & Democracy
Promo-Lex - NGO focused on electoral observation, human rights and the rule of law. They are the gold standard for election credible reporting on electoral processes. They are also the main organization documenting human rights abuses in Transnistria.
ADEPT - NGO focused on electoral systems, political parties, and democratic institutions. They run the resource site Elections.md which brings together information about parties, candidates, past election results, election law and much more.
Economy & Business
The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) - A business association advocating for a better business environment for their members. They represent local companies and foreign investors (including, obviously, American companies).
The European Business Association (EBA) - A business association focused on advocating for the alignment of Moldova’s economy and legislation with EU standards.
The Foreign Investors Association (FIA) - A business association made up of the largest foreign investors in Moldova.
The Moldova Small Enterprise Alliance (AIM) - A cross-sectoral business association representing small & medium companies in Moldova. Members are both local and foreign and the association advocates for a better business environment and against corruption2.
Media Watchdogs
Media Guard Public Association - This NGO provides a wealth of information about Moldova’s press, including databases of ownership, tools to check the credibility of media organizations, viewer / reader stats by media type and much more. They are closely associated with ZdG.
Fixers, Translators, and Practical Resources
Moldova has very few foreign correspondents and before the outbreak of the full scale invasion of Ukraine there weren’t too many journalists who made their way here at all. As such, there isn’t a lot of traditional infrastructure for foreign correspondents. While there are some individual fixers and many people working as translators, there’s only 1 agency working in this space right now.
Journo Birds - Founded by award winning Estonian investigative journalist Marian Männi, Journo Birds describe themselves as a “Baltic Moldovan team.” They provide fixing and translation services as well as a range of storytelling and production services.
Additionally, Tim, the owner of the Tiraspol Hostel in Transnistria, provides fixing services in the Transnistria region3.
Excellent Reference Materials
OpenMoney - A register of Moldovan companies, beneficial owners and government contracts. The site allows a map view showing interconnections between companies and individuals. There are limitations - Moldova data protection law means that systems like this can’t differentiate between different people named John Smith (or Ion Stratan more appropriately). Other websites provide company information such as Infodebit, Data2b, Infobiz and others. Many will offer to sell you access to company financial data - this is not needed because…
The Public Depository of Financial Statements - This is a free digital service from the National Bureau of Statistics where you can look up yearly financial reports for all Moldovan legal entities.
E-Cadastre - This government website allows you to browse the national land registry. Some information, including the identity of property owners, requires a license.
Elections.md - A resource by the NGO ADEPT with comprehensive election information including about parties, candidates, election results, CEC rulings, electoral legislation, analysis of electoral programs, opinion polling and much more.
Profiles by RISE - Investigative outlet RISE’s profiles of their top people and companies of interest. Politician’s employment histories, property records - if it’s available publicly anywhere RISE has it here. This site is updated sporadically.
Grant Corruption Case Tracker - ZdG publishes a case tracker for the most important cases of grant corruption working their way (ever so slowly) through the Moldovan courts. These include the Theft of the Billion, the Airport Concession, etc.
Data & Official Sources
Here are links to the most important official websites for journalists to reference:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - they handle accreditation for foreign journalists4
National Bank of Moldova (BNM)
It’s only sporadically updated, but still invaluable.
Disclaimer, I co-founded AIM and served as its president from 2016 - 2025. I still serve on the board of directors.
Tim’s services have been used by many major news outlets. At the same time, Moldova Matters is making no endorsement here and it remains illegal and potentially dangerous to report from the Transnistria region.
Accreditation is required for access to official government institutions and press events, but not for reporting in general. Journalists should apply in advance, particularly during elections or major political events.
Access to Transnistria is not covered by Moldovan accreditation.