The leader of the ultra-right S.O.S. Romania and Member of the European Parliament Diana Iovanovici-Shoshoake published a sharp statement about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: according to her, he “will break his legs” if he appears to deliver a speech in the Romanian Parliament. She expressed this position on her Facebook page.

It is also reported that the politician traveled to Moscow at the invitation of the International Association “Friends of Russia,” led by propagandist Pietro Strametzzi, where she attended an open meeting of the organization.

If he dares to come to my parliament, I will break his legs! Do not dare to deliver a speech in my parliament. Why do I say “my parliament”? Because the Constitution of Romania says that we, the parliamentarians, are representatives of the Romanian people, the only ones who can represent the sovereignty of the Romanian people. I am obliged to Romanians to defend the sovereignty and independence of my country and to respond to the enemies of my people

– Diana Iovanovici-Shoshoake

During the event she recalled the “tense events” during Zelensky’s visit to Bucharest in October 2023, claiming that it was she who “disrupted” his address to Romanian lawmakers.

She also spoke about allegedly more than a million Romanians living in Ukraine, and expressed concern about restrictions on their rights, claiming that they are allegedly not allowed to speak Romanian or to pray because of the ban on Orthodoxy.

In a post, Iovanovici-Shoshoake also states that the meeting “ended with applause,” and its participants “appreciated the strength of the speech, the clarity of the arguments, and the depth of the Christian and nationalist message” from the MEP.

In the post by Iovanovici-Shoshoake, it also says that the meeting “ended with applause,” and its participants “appreciated the strength of the speech, the clarity of the arguments, and the depth of the Christian and nationalist message” from the MEP.

– Source: post by Iovanovici-Shoshoake

Context and consequences

The leader of S.O.S. Romania has repeatedly been linked to interactions with Moscow. In 2024 she sharply criticized the EU for supporting Ukraine and called to stop supplying weapons to Ukrainian forces.

According to reports, Zelensky’s address in the Romanian Parliament in 2023 was canceled due to pro-Russian sentiments among some deputies; it was Iovanovici-Shoshoake who opposed his address, calling him a Nazi. On the day of Zelensky’s planned arrival, she appeared in the Parliament with a map of Greater Romania.

In 2025 the politician sent a letter to the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, calling it a “peace message.” That year in March the SBU barred her entry into Ukraine for three years.