ERRN brings together researchers and practitioners working on political, social, and security questions across Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region.
Mara Ionescu focuses on information resilience, foreign influence narratives, and regional security developments in Romania, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova.
Her work examines how disinformation and political narratives interact with existing social vulnerabilities, public distrust, and institutional weaknesses.
Bogdan Stegarescu is a research trainee at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and a graduate in International Relations and European Studies from SNSPA.
His research focuses on the Republic of Moldova, the post-Soviet space, and institutional resilience under external pressure. His advanced Russian gives him direct access to regional sources and analysis.
Alexia Stancu is a third-year International Relations and European Studies student and a volunteer with JRS Romania. Her interests focus on human rights, refugee protection and the challenges faced by vulnerable groups.
Her experience includes volunteering with children in care centres and work related to racism and xenophobia. She is currently preparing her bachelor’s thesis on refugee issues and plans to continue in this field at master’s level.
Andrei Joroveanu is a Political Science graduate of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and a Global Security and Strategy alumnus of the Brussels School of Governance. He is currently a member of the North America Report Group at EPIS Think Tank.
His research focuses on hybrid threats and security developments in Eastern Europe, as well as emerging trends in AI, terrorism and international affairs. He is fluent in Russian and uses OSINT tools in his research.
Democratic SecurityMoldova’s emergency powers begin before a nationwide shortage has occurred. Their credibility will depend on a public record connecting each intervention to a verified trigger, defined duration and measurable result.
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Regional DevelopmentsOn 16 September, the London marine insurance market expanded its listed area to almost the entire Black Sea. More voyages may now require reporting and contract-specific negotiation, while evidence of reduced access to Ukrainian or Romanian ports has yet to emerge.
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Democratic SecurityRussia plans to operate 15 State Duma polling stations in Transnistria despite Moldova authorising voting only at the Russian embassy in Chișinău. If opened, the stations would allow Moscow to conduct an official procedure beyond Moldovan supervision, but they would not change Transnistria’s legal status or prove annexation or voter coercion.
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