Moldova’s Defence Ministry had to retract the  fake news that was spread across social media about Moldova's alleged permission to transit F-16 fighters through the country's territory, with the fighters supposedly being transported to Ukraine.

As reported by Newsmaker, disinformation has started to spread in recent days, especially on Telegram channels. The posts claimed that President Maia Sandu had allegedly granted permission for the transit of fighter jets through Moldova, and that the Ministry of Defence had allegedly allowed the deployment of these fighters for Ukraine at the Mărculeşti airfield. Rumours were also spread that Moldova was "preparing the Ukrainian military for an invasion of Transnistria".

"We categorically refute these false reports aimed at stirring up fear in society. We ask citizens to be vigilant and take information only from official sources," the ministry said.

The Ministry of Defence left without a detailed refutation the report that Sandu and Zelenskyy had agreed that Ukrainian F-16s would be able to fly through Moldova's airspace.

The fake news about the alleged deployment of Ukrainian fighter jets in Mărculeşti was already denied two weeks ago.

The Pentagon expects Ukraine to receive its first F-16 fighters and the accompanying spare parts and infrastructure this year.

At the end of December, the first six Ukrainian pilots completed basic training with the UK’s Royal Air Force and are currently learning to fly F-16 fighter jets in Denmark.