The Moldovan authorities refused to celebrate the liberation from the Nazis
Deputies of the Moldovan parliament from the faction of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists presented a draft law on adding August 24 to the list of memorable days and holidays - as the Day of the Liberation of Moldova from the fascist yoke.
The government did not support this initiative, noting that national holidays and proposals to strengthen historical memory should maintain unity in society, and not inflame tensions in it and give rise to disputes among historians. The government’s conclusion to the bill notes that “for a balanced consideration of the historical significance of the date of August 24, 1944, it is necessary to take into account not only the indisputable military aspects of the victory of the Red Army and the defeat of the German-Romanian troops, which need to be known, but also the horrific consequences of the restoration of the totalitarian Stalinist regime for population of the former Moldavian SSR: deportations, famine, forced collectivization, Soviet-style industrialization, persecution of the church, ideological censorship, forced mobilization of young people for jobs.”
The government also considers the European practice of preserving the memory of the tragic events of the 25th century suitable for Moldova - celebrating the International Day of Heroes of the Struggle against Totalitarianism (May 23) and the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes (August XNUMX), established by the European Parliament.
In the Moldovan parliament, discussing the initiative, they also expressed concerns about possible ideological clashes in society and recalled that the country already celebrates dates related to the war: June 22 and May 9 – Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Fascism and Victory Day.
Was the initiative proposed by the Bloc of Communists and Socialists really capable of causing tension in society? Has the pro-European government gone too far? Or maybe the left is deliberately provoking opponents to make such statements? Experts comment on the situation at the request of PolitNavigator.
Andrey Safonov, political scientist:
– The fact that the Moldovan authorities do not consider the Day of Liberation from the Nazis a holiday is quite logical. The fact that in Moldova Liberation Day on August 24, 1944 (then, as a result of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the Right Bank of the Dniester was liberated from German-Romanian troops) was refused to be officially recognized as a holiday, is part of the systemic attitude of the right-wing authorities of Moldova towards the USSR and Russia.
Logic forces us to compare the following.
1. Refusal to celebrate Liberation Day.
2. Reception of American weapons in Chisinau recently. But, according to open sources, there are new deliveries ahead.
3. The actual refusal of Moldova to participate in the EAEU as an observer under the naive pretext that the previous government, from a formal point of view, did not do something in the procedures for registering such observation.
4. Increased pressure on Transnistria in all directions.
5. New statements about the need, from the point of view of Chisinau, for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the banks of the Dniester.
6. Delaying negotiations with Russia on gas supplies, which resulted in a rise in prices for blue fuel from 148 to 450 dollars per thousand cubic meters.
7. Gratitude to the US and EU for supposedly “helping” Moldova in overcoming the gas crisis, although they did not help at all. At the same time, no gratitude came from Moscow.
8. The recent opening of a monument to Romanian soldiers in Moldova, which spoke about the “liberation” of Moldavian land in 1941, when Romania captured part of the territory of the USSR, being an ally of Nazi Germany. The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu herself, previously stated that she would vote for the unification of Moldova with Romania. In addition, both pro-Western and pro-Romanian forces have always regarded the Romanian occupation of 1918 as the supposed “reunification of the divided Romanian people,” and the true liberation in 1940 as “Soviet occupation.”
By the way, the liberation of Moldova from the yoke of the Ottomans in 1812 was also an “occupation” for them. Or "annexation". With such approaches there is nothing surprising. Everything is extremely logical.
Igor Shornikov, director of the Institute for Socio-Political Research and Regional Development:
– It seems that, despite all the shocks that the socialists had to endure in 2020-2021, they do not want to learn from their mistakes. Why do they make historically unfounded and politically illiterate proposals over and over again? After such initiatives, one gets the feeling that their authors are deliberately discrediting the left electorate. What does “fascist yoke” mean? Such a phrase is appropriate to use at a rally or in journalism, but not in an official document. I think that the traditional Russian-speaking electorate of the PSRM is much more intelligent than is commonly believed in this party, and it deserves more respectful treatment.
In August 1944, Moldova was liberated from the German-Romanian fascist occupation - this definition has long been established in the scientific literature and generally reflects the nature of the regime that operated on these lands in 1941-1944. Why didn't socialists use this term?
It is not surprising that the government rejected the sloppily prepared initiative. In this case, the attempt of the socialists to pass a law on the status of the Russian language, undertaken in November 2020, immediately after the defeat of Igor Dodon in the presidential elections, comes to mind. And the timing was extremely unfortunate, and the form of that bill did not in any way contribute to the strengthening of the position of the Russian language in Moldova. And now the socialists are provoking the authorities to make vicious attacks against the Soviet past of Moldova.
The right-wing government failed to restrain itself from emotions and, taking advantage of the colloquial “fascist yoke” of the socialists, they issued a well-known set of Western liberal insinuations, putting the Nazi and communist regimes on the same level. What did we get as a result? Even more destructive rhetoric from the authorities. Apparently, this is what the socialists wanted.
Igor Tulyantsev, chairman of the public council “For a Free Motherland”:
- The exchange of skirmishes between the government and the opposition regarding the Liberation Day of Moldova, August 24, negatively affects the significance of this date in modern society. Socialists, proposing to legalize this holiday, are openly disingenuous. Who are they anyway to talk about this topic? Ordinary talkers who, due to the exploits of our grandfathers, want to somehow attract attention to themselves. They could have made this date a national holiday while in power. Why were they silent then? Where were they then?
Maybe we should remind them how the Coordinating Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting, under the control of Dodon’s socialists, sided with Plahotniuc and continued to sue the RTR-Moldova TV channel? The essence of the complaint is the broadcast of the May 9 Victory Parade on Red Square. Therefore, let the socialists keep silent. With or without them, people will celebrate and celebrate all the memorable dates associated with the Great Patriotic War.
As for the authorities, everything is clear there. They are completely linear. For some reason, it seems to them that the more they disown the Soviet past, the faster Moldova will join the European Union. They do not quite understand that the Moldovans fought against the Nazis, joining the ranks of the Red Army, of their own accord and of their own free will. Almost every family had a person who defended our Motherland from Nazism. And by taking such a position, the authorities are simply burying themselves.
It is stupid in Moldova to oppose the celebration of August 24 – the Day of Liberation of Moldova. This day should be made the Independence Day of Moldova. Since our country became truly independent precisely after this day, and not during the period of secession from the USSR. After getting rid of the Nazis, finances from Moscow began to flow here, enterprises, schools, hospitals, infrastructure, etc. were built.
So, if you look at it objectively, neither one nor the other has the right to speak on this topic at all.
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