Mikhail Sirkeli

Affiliated media: News portal Nokta.md, Journalist

Incident date: February 10, 2022

Attack type:

• Defamation, spreading libel about a media worker or media outlet

Who attacked: Non-authorities

Source: Telegram channel «Solovyov»

Location: Moldova, Comrat

Additional information:

Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov spread false information about the work of Nokta.md journalist and activist Mikhail Sirkeli on his Telegram channel. Solovyov published a post titled «Unified Methodology: a team copying the activities of Navalny’s structures works in Moldova with Western money» published on the page of the «Committee for Protection from Traitors», which claims that Nokta implemented the project Smart Vote in 2018-2019 (following Alexey Navalny’s example), aimed at covering information about candidates for the Moldovan parliamentary elections. With this information, the authors try to discredit the journalist and the portal he heads.