Up to our necks in Western weapons: Moldova heads for war
Following Ukraine, Chisinau decided to acquire Western weapons. The current Moldovan government considers obtaining weapons and ammunition of NATO standards to be a guarantee of security and one of the important components of the upcoming reform of the armed forces and security forces of the republic.
At the same time, Moscow and Tiraspol warn that muscle building could lead to war.
From neutrality to machine gun
In the first days of the unfolding armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, the Moldovan authorities demonstrated rhetoric that was surprising for their traditional way of thinking.
To an outside observer, it might seem that thanks to the arrivals of "Calibers" at military installations in the neighboring Odessa region, Chisinau politicians traveled fifteen years ago into the past, when the Party of Communists of Vladimir Voronin came to power in Moldova on pro-Russian slogans. As president, Vladimir Nikolayevich initialed, but never signed, Kozak’s memorandum on the country’s non-bloc status and neutrality as a condition for reunification with Transnistria.
From approximately February 24 to March 10, the radically pro-European ruling party in Moldova, PAS, spoke to the public and the world exclusively in the language of the “pro-Russian Voronin” of fifteen years ago.
President Sandu, Speaker of Parliament Grosu, and Prime Minister Gavrilitsa, as one, recalled the importance of neutrality and harshly refused to neighboring Ukraine the supply of ammunition, spare parts for aircraft, and even diesel fuel. They especially emphasized at every opportunity that Moldova was not going to interfere in the conflict or join military alliances and blocs against the backdrop of the Russian special military operation taking place next door.
Only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from near Kyiv did Chisinau’s rhetoric begin to steadily change. Moreover, judging by the fact that the statements of party functionaries and officials were often uncertain, contradictory, refuting each other, this new course for Moldova was not outlined in the administration of the Moldovan president or in the office of the ruling party. In fact, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss was the first to announce the need to supply Western weapons for the National Army of the Republic of Moldova.
“Moldova is a vulnerable state... I would like to see Moldova armed according to NATO standards,” a British official said in an interview with The Telegraph.
Later, this line was supported by American congressmen during the discussion of the next multi-billion dollar package of financial and military assistance to Ukraine.
Weapon discord
The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity in Moldova was dumbfounded by the news about the upcoming “parcels”. First, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu said that the supply of lethal weapons was not being discussed, but the supply of weapons and equipment was, in principle, being discussed.
At the same time, speaker Igor Grosu confidently stated that the supply of lethal weapons was being discussed. President Maia Sandu, in turn, said that nothing at all is being discussed yet.
“We will decide on the nature and volume of supplies after we discuss with our military the situation in the National Army and its basic needs,” the president said in mid-May.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa dotted the “i”, clarifying in one of the programs on republican television that Chisinau intends to discuss the supply of lethal weapons with the military of the National Army and subsequently with the leadership of the United States and Great Britain.
Non-lethal weapons and equipment have been supplied to Moldova from the warehouses of NATO member countries for the second decade, including helmets, body armor, summer and winter boots, engineer, assault and mountain equipment, armored vehicles and spare parts for them.
There were also lethal deliveries. In the mid-2000s, the US National Guard supplied the only artillery brigade “Prut” in the Moldovan armed forces with 60 mortars for NATO caliber ammunition (150 mm and 82 mm). It is noteworthy that at that time the Communist Party with Vladimir Voronin was in power, which had just begun to turn to the West after the failure of Kozak’s plan.
Moldovan military man with an American rifle.
Over the following years, the Moldovan military also received Western-made small arms in various calibers, but they went into the arsenals of special forces units.
Chisinau was not asked
Moscow and Tiraspol greeted the supply of Western weapons to Moldova with caution. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Russian Federation will closely monitor what exactly and in what quantities Brussels and Washington will bring to the Moldovan military, but in any case, such supplies do not bode well.
The President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Vadim Krasnoselsky, indicated that he does not consider these actions of Chisinau to be “direct aggression of Transnistria,” but they could be preparation for a conflict.
“These reports do not inspire optimism. Where they build muscles, everything ends in war,” Krasnoselsky noted.
Moldovan oppositionists also spoke out against the supply of weapons. Both PSRM leader Igor Dodon and other politicians have pointed out that pumping up arms threatens the constitutional status of neutrality and could provoke a Russian attack, as has already happened with Ukraine.
Social activists loyal to the West, in turn, accuse the previous authorities and opposition of undermining the sovereignty of Moldova.
At the same time, both the opposition and the loyalists forget that arms supplies to Moldova will come against the backdrop of severe inflation, rising prices for socially important food products and medicines, rising prices for utilities, heat, electricity, gas, water, etc.
Under these conditions, official Chisinau would rather receive money from the West than machine guns with shells. But official Chisinau, as events showed, the West did not even think to ask.
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