Did hundreds of NATO tanks cross from Romania into Moldova, en route to the regions of Transnistria and Gagauzia, during the Orthodox Easter holiday? No, there is no evidence of that: no NATO convoys have been spotted in Moldova and a Moldovan government spokespesman denied the rumor.
The claim appeared in a video published by TikTok user @ichimstefanel_vasilica03 on April 14, 2023, (archived here) with the caption:
"Senator Diana Sosoaca's message to Romanians during the Easter holidays! Right now, hundreds of tanks are crossing Moldova and heading towards Transnistria and Gagauzia! Let's hope NATO doesn't attack Russia on Easter night!".
Users on social media saw a clip from an interview with Romanian senator Diana Sosoaca on Nasul TV
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Apr 20 11:12:56 2023 UTC)
In the TV show referred to by the TikToker in the video, Sosoaca claimed to have information that NATO troops are already in Moldova, but local fact-checkers and media outlets could find no proof of her allegations. Sosoaca did not share any of the alleged information in the clip.
In addition, Daniel Voda, the Moldovan government's spokesman, said that there are no NATO tanks in Moldova - since the country is not a NATO member - and that any such operation would be immediately communicated to the public by the Ministry of Defense.
No credible reports from Transnistria or Gagauzia have since emerged either.
