Moldova continued the deportation of Russian citizens on the eve of elections in Transnistria
Moldova deported five more Russians who tried to enter its territory from Russia. In total, there are currently eight victims of the arbitrariness of the Moldovan authorities. These are members of the Public Chamber of Russia, employees of the Institute of CIS Countries, human rights activists, and social activists.
During the inspection, border guards took away Pavel Pozhigailo’s personal documents and sent him to the waiting room. He was there without food or documents for more than 8 hours. After that, he was sent on a plane, without documents, without explanation. And only in our border zone they gave him an envelope with documents.
The deportation was argued to the Chairman of the Public Monitoring Committee of St. Petersburg, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Security and Interaction with the Public Monitoring Committee of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Alexander Kholodov, on the grounds that he “did not confirm the purpose of the trip.”
“Perhaps they were confused by the fact that I was going to an anti-corruption conference? And to the exhibition “30 Years of Corruption”. Apparently the famous “Laundromat” scares them!” – Kholodov wrote on his Facebook.
“We went through passport control, we were given permission to enter the territory of Moldova, then we were detained by border guards. They held us longer than all the other passengers, when there was no one left in the arrivals area, then they started talking to us. I tried to find out from them: “What did I break, the law?” They replied: “We will explain everything to you now.” Then they gave me a paper that said: “We are expelling you because you did not indicate the purpose of your arrival.”
I also provided the address where I was going and said that I was going for medical care, in particular, I wanted to get into dentistry. They replied: “No, you are deceiving us, you are an observer at the presidential elections in Transnistria, you have been awarded two orders of Transnistria, you want to undermine the sovereignty of Moldova.”
I am a professor, I do not undermine anyone's sovereignty. They confiscated our passports. I said that these are the property of Russia, and that they have no right to seize them. They took my suitcase and did not issue deportation certificates.
It seems that persecution against Russian citizens has begun in Moldova. Another person from St. Petersburg was detained with us. I don't know who he is, but I understand he is a religious figure. He was also deported. They wrote him the wording: “For other reasons,” said Vladimir Egorov, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries.
Russian human rights activist Alexander Brod, also deported, will appeal to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee due to the ban on entry to Moldova.
“I believe that with such actions to limit the access of human rights activists and social activists to its territory, Moldova only spoils its international image and additionally draws attention to the elections in Transnistria, forcing respect for the choice of its residents, who chose independent statehood over an aggressive neighbor.
I believe that with these unfriendly actions Moldova achieved the opposite effect. Firstly, they began to talk more and write more about the elections in Transnistria. “In addition, on World Human Rights Day, detaining human rights defenders and restricting their entry into the territory of a state that considers itself legal and civilized is absurd,” Brod said.
He spent 5 hours in the waiting room. He did not rule out the possibility that he could be detained and a criminal case filed against him. According to his information, a human rights activist from Ukraine was also not allowed into Moldova.
President of Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky discussed the situation with the deportation of Russians at a meeting with Polish political scientist Richard Hubert Burton. The Moldovan authorities allowed him in Transnistria.
"Maia Sandu (President of Moldova - ed.), apparently, has taken upon itself the obligation to rapidly sever all contacts and ties with Russia. The behavior of the Moldovan authorities, even against the backdrop of all previous ones at different times, when Russian representatives were not allowed into Transnistria, is unprecedented. It is important for Moldova to harm the democratic process in Transnistria, so that later it can continue the tactics of non-recognition of Transnistria and refusal to negotiate,” said Russian State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin.
Political scientist Sergei Karnaukhov is outraged that Russian diplomats were unable to protect citizens subjected to repression in Moldova.
“Members of the delegation have been waiting all this time for consular assistance. At least a basic phone call stating attention to the situation and the work being done. Did the Russian Embassy in Moldova know about what happened...?
What else is the American-Romanian leadership of Moldova ready for? How will we respond? Shall we send another gratuitous tranche of money to support Bessarabian farmers?
Sorry for the critical tone. But I am writing about this, sincerely wondering why Russia’s offensive in sensitive areas has been so weakened, when the dignity of the country is now so unceremoniously infringed upon by such quasi-states as Moldova,” Karnaukhov wrote in his Telegram channel.
And the chief editor of RuBaltic.Ru, Alexander Nosovich, believes that the Moldovan authorities are precisely provoking Russia to take drastic actions.
“For Maia Sandu’s team, the ideal Kremlin reaction is recognition of Transnistria. Then you can immediately burn all the bridges, tighten the screws all the way, ban all pro-Russian parties, media and public organizations in Moldova, imprison their leaders and supporters, declare them a “fifth column” and call in a NATO contingent to the republic.
The worst thing that can happen to the Moldovan government now is the restoration of the territorial integrity of Moldova, which it has verbally desired. Not according to the “Croatian scenario”, but according to the “Kozak plan”, that is, under the conditions of federalization of the country, under which the PMR, in which the Russian tricolor is used along with the state flag, will become a subject of the federal Republic of Moldova.
This scenario is the death of the pro-Western project in Moldova. “Not only in the PAS party, but also in Berlin, Washington and Bucharest, bones will be laid to prevent the reintegration of Transnistria without the subsequent cleansing of the “separatist element” and depriving its residents of voting rights,” Nosovich wrote.
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