The PMR President answered questions from RIA News journalist. The interlocutor of Vadim Krasnoselsky was Alexander Lagutin.
- Good afternoon, Vadim Nikolaevich. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. I would like to ask a question first of all about your declaring 2025 the Year of the Pridnestrovian People. This is your initiative. Why did you decide to pay attention to this, why did you decide to emphasize this?
- The topic of the "Pridnestrovian People" did not arise this year in general. Frankly speaking, I am even surprised by some politicians who for some reason consider that we only started to address this issue this year. This is not true. It is enough to look at the Development Strategy of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, approved by the decree of the President in December 2018 for 8 years, where our state idea is clearly spelled out. One of the points is the further development of the community of the "Pridnestrovian people", popularizing languages, ethnicity, traditions, culture, literature and so on. Society has always dealt with this issue – the Pridnestrovian people before this decree, by and large. According to the Constitution, the bearer of sovereignty is the Pridnestrovian people. The Pridnestrovian people are mentioned in many documents, starting from the Constitution, laws, decrees, orders, and in society, of course. It was public organizations, holding round tables on this topic repeatedly, the same Pridnestrovian State University, they suggested that this topic should be further studied. It should be studied historically, into the roots of the Pridnestrovian people. Therefore, the decision was made listening to people and focusing on their opinion. Yes, I was very interested in delving into this topic, to go even deeper. The creation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, the Year of the Pridnestrovian People is probably relevant on the 35th anniversary of the Pridnestrovian statehood. Its announcement implies extensive plans for work on this topic. The history of the Pridnestrovian people is deep. When you start reasoning with someone – not arguing, I don’t like arguing at all, I always rely on facts – you come to the following. There is the Dniester River, there is a division into the right and left banks, this is historically true. We need to take a closer look at what states existed on both the left and right banks. Historically. Naturally, these states determined the peoples living here. Take some time period. A thousand years at least. It is possible and longer, but probably a thousand years is enough for understanding in principle. So, the left bank is modern Pridnestrovie: the first statehood here was designated precisely by the statehood of the ancient Russian states. This was Kievan Rus, then there was the Galicia-Volyn Principality, after that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was here for about 150 years, after that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Crimean Khanate divided the territory of Pridnestrovie. All this was until the middle of the 18th century and a little later, when Russia became interested in these lands, and as a result of the Russo-Turkish wars, Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region went to the Russian Empire. This is a significant moment, a significant milestone. Both a thousand years ago and to this day the statehood of Moldova did not extend to these lands by and large. What was on the right bank? There was the Wallachian Principality on the right bank, the Moldavian Principality with its capital in the city of Iasi – the current territory of Romania. There was also Bessarabia. When forming such a state as the Principality of Moldavia, then as Romania, the lands of the Principality of Moldavia never went to the left bank of the Dniester. This has never happened historically. Both the Principality of Moldavia and the Romanians later – the successors of the Principality of Moldavia – conducted their policy from the Carpathians to the Dniester. This is a fact. A question arises. What people live in Pridnestrovie? Why do we not have titularity? There is a titular nation in Moldova. Although they have a big question now – who are the titular? Moldovans or Romanians? They talk about titularity, but who? It is completely unclear now, but this is their question.
As I have already said, since the 9th century, different states were represented here. But already from the middle of the 18th century and a little later, when these lands finally became part of the Russian Empire, they were sparsely populated in fact. And the Russian Empire was concerned about populating these lands of the Northern Black Sea region. And Empress Catherine the Great, her faithful friend and comrade Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich - they took measures to ensure that people appeared here. What were they offered here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie? They were offered freedom - there was no serfdom here, they were offered land, and significant allotments, enough to feed their families and engage in small-scale farming - entrepreneurship. They were exempt from taxes for a certain period of time, exempt from military service, both in kind and in money. These were great benefits. In addition, many peoples here were allowed to engage in entrepreneurial activity. What happened? It turned out that, in fact, people from all over the Russian Empire came here - to new lands, to the new world, as they say, and began to settle. In principle, the citizens living in Bessarabia, Wallachia and the Iasi region did the same. People came here in whole villages. We remember from history that these lands were in vassal dependence on Turkey, and, of course, people did not feel so free there, they could not engage in activities, they simply did not have land. And the people living there, on the right bank, asked both Potemkin and the empress to give them the opportunity to live here. And so the Moldovans became part of the Pridnestrovian people. And pay attention to all the dates of the formation of Moldovan villages. This is all the end of the 18th century. This is a fact. This is how the Pridnestrovian people were formed. Even during the formation of the Romanian statehood, we must also remember this, this is the San Stefano Peace Treaty and the Berlin Treaty, again the territory of Romania did not extend to the left bank of the Dniester. And naturally, it did not make claims. Never historically, I repeat, the left bank of the Dniester was part of either the Moldavian Principality or the Romanian state. Again, for the sake of historical truth, it is worth recalling who gave Romania its final independence. This is the result of the Russo-Turkish wars, the result I have already indicated, two peace treaties - the San Stefano Peace Treaty and the Berlin Treaty. As a result, Romania received complete independence, vassal dependence on Turkey was no longer there. Well, who participated in the Russo-Turkish war? Of course, the Tsar-Liberator Alexander II - the Emperor of All Russia and the units that were stationed in Pridnestrovie: the 55th Podolsk Regiment, the 56th Zhitomir Regiment, the city of Bender, the city of Tiraspol. These are our fellow countrymen. It was the Pridnestrovian people, by and large, who fought for the independence of Romania, the peoples historically living here. And the regimental units that were here were formed from local residents. That's how history unfolds.
As I have already said, different states have been represented here since the 9th century, but from the middle of the 18th century and a little later, when these lands finally became part of the Russian Empire, they were sparsely populated in fact. The Russian Empire was concerned about populating these lands of the Northern Black Sea region. Empress Catherine the Great, her faithful friend and comrade Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich – they took measures to ensure that people appeared here. What were they offered here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie? They were offered freedom – there was no serfdom here, they were offered land, and significant allotments, enough to feed their families and engage in small-scale farming – entrepreneurship. They were exempt from taxes for a certain period of time, exempt from military service, both in kind and in money. These were great benefits. In addition, many peoples here were allowed to engage in entrepreneurial activity. What happened? It turned out that in fact the people from all over the Russian Empire came here – to new lands, to the new world, as they say, and began to settle. The citizens living in Bessarabia, Wallachia and the Iasi region did the same in principle. People came here in whole villages. We remember from history that these lands were in vassal dependence on Turkey, and people did not feel so free there, they could not engage in activities, they simply did not have land of course. The people living there, on the right bank, asked both Potemkin and the empress to give them the opportunity to live here. So the Moldovans became part of the Pridnestrovian people. Pleease, pay attention to all the dates of the formation of Moldovan villages. This is all the end of the 18th century. This is a fact. This is how the Pridnestrovian people were formed. We must remember, this is the San Stefano Peace Treaty and the Berlin Treaty, again the territory of Romania did not extend to the left bank of the Dniester even during the formation of the Romanian statehood. Naturally, it did not make claims. I repeat, the left bank of the Dniester had never been part of either the Moldavian Principality or the Romanian state. It is worth recalling who gave Romania its final independence for the sake of historical truth. This is the result of the Russo-Turkish wars, the result I have already indicated, two peace treaties – the San Stefano Peace Treaty and the Berlin Treaty. As a result, Romania received complete independence, vassal dependence on Turkey was no longer there. Well, who participated in the Russo-Turkish war? Of course, the Tsar-Liberator Alexander II – the Emperor of All Russia and the units that were stationed in Pridnestrovie: the 55th Podolsk Regiment, the 56th Zhitomir Regiment, the city of Bendery, the city of Tiraspol. These are our fellow countrymen. It was the Pridnestrovian people who fought for the independence of Romania, the peoples historically living here by and large. The regimental units that were here were formed from local residents. That's how history unfolds.
As for the Pridnestrovian people, what is worth paying attention to? The Declaration of Independence of August 27, 1991 is the main document of Moldova's statehood today, and according to the decision of the Constitutional Court, it has the highest legal force over the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova. Unfortunately, these people who make some statements, gesturing with their hands, they do not read their Declaration of Independence. That is the problem. It would be worth it. This is the main document of modern Moldova. What is worth paying attention to, as regards the Pridnestrovian people. Firstly, the Declaration clearly delineates the territorial claims of modern Moldova – this is Bessarabia, Bukovina, the Hertsa region, that is, Izmail. In addition, it also singles out the territory of Pridnestrovie, clearly indicating that this is the territory of the Moldavian ASSR, formed on October 12, 1924 (in quotation marks, "transnistria" - this is how they designated the territory of Pridnestrovie). People live here, they live in Pridnestrovie, they even call it. That is, in the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova – the main document – the Pridnestrovian people are designated. This is a fact.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, we know that last year a census was held in Moldova, and there the country's leadership literally called on people to write that they are Romanians. You know that there were statements by Moldovan politicians that even in Pridnestrovie there are more Romanians than in some villages on the right bank. What can you tell Chisinau?
- Well, I don't want to interfere with their narratives. Probably, they have such a position of turning one nation into another – Moldovans into Romanians. This is their choice. The choice of people who call themselves either Romanian or Moldovan. By the way, I am not against Romanians. Not at all. There is a Romanian state, there is a Romanian language, but there are also Moldovans and the Moldovan language. The choice of people how to feel – either Romanian or Moldovan. This is the choice of people. We have people of Moldovan nationality who speak the Moldovan language and use the Moldovan script – Cyrillic. This is the original Moldovan script. When the Moldavian Principality was formed, the script was in Cyrillic and they spoke a purely Moldovan language. This was already the second half of the 19th century when the state of Romania was formed, they changed the Cyrillic alphabet to Latin. In principle, they laid the foundation for the formation of a new language, this new language is Romanian. There is Moldavian, there is Romanian, everyone has the right to life. This is how I look at this whole situation. Something like that. What people wrote there, it is their choice.
As I have already said, we are a multinational people: Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Poles, Germans, Armenians, Moldovans, and maybe Romanians. I do not rule out that we have a very small group of people on the territory of Pridnestrovie who say: "We are Romanians." If they exist or will exist, that is not bad. They are still the Pridnestrovian people. We are a multinational Pridnestrovian people.
What is Moldova's problem? How did the problem arise? It is the law on language. It was 1989. Let's remember it. August 31, 1989, when they adopted the law on the native language – Moldovan and designated the titular nation – Moldovans. Pure nationalism. Moldova is a multinational state. How was it possible to single out one nation above others and not give the status of state language to the Russian language? The overwhelming majority of the Moldavian SSR spoke Russian. Do you understand? They went for it. We are talking about Moldovan as a native language, and the Declaration of Independence already included the Romanian language in the Latin script. This is a collision. The Constitution of Moldova specifies the Moldovan language. This collision was resolved by the decision of the Constitutional Court recognizing the Declaration as a legally more significant document than the Constitution. What happened? A harsh substitution took place in Moldova, which fought for its identity, for the Moldovan language, in fact. First, the script – to Latin. No one seemed to notice, so what, they changed it. Then they changed the language, and after the language – literature, history, and state symbols. Everything from the neighboring state, from Romania. All these attributes that I just outlined, they form the people. If someone considers themselves Moldovans, they have the right to do so, they probably know something about history, remember the past. What is happening now, of course, is that a new nation is being formed – Bessarabian Romanians. This must be clearly understood. No offense, nothing personal. I am simply stating historical facts. We have the Pridnestrovian people, the multinational Pridnestrovian people, defined by a thousand-year history and, naturally, by the Declaration of Independence itself.
- Continuing with the topic of history. You know that a scandal has erupted in Moldova. An order was published by the Ministry of Education of Moldova literally before Victory Day: it was necessary to show all schoolchildren in the fifth and senior grades the film "Siberia on the Bones" about the deportation of the Moldovan population. You are opening a museum quarter, where the exhibition includes a bust of Joseph Stalin literally on May 9 at the same time. Can this be considered such a subtle response to Chisinau?
- No. This is not an answer. I will now explain our position.
The history of the 20th century is very tragic in general, of course. This is a fact. It is not just Stalin, or Antonescu, or Hitler who are to blame. No. At the core was a tragedy called the "Collapse of the Russian Empire", called the "October Revolution". This is a tragedy, of course. The tragedy that was followed by irreversible historical, geopolitical processes. All these processes probably gave birth to those inhuman beings who organized the Holocaust, the mass shooting by and large. This is history. I always say that we must show history as it is. Not only the victorious pages, but also the tragic pages of our history. We must not politicize them in any way at the same time, but simply give history to people and the memory of certain events. They took a different path in Moldova. They politicize certain events, keeping silent about their own tragedies, and present history one-sidedly.
I have not seen this film "Siberia on the Bones", but the fact that there were many Main Directorate of Corrective Labour Camps in Siberia and peoples were resettled there is a historical fact, I will not argue with it. I have not seen this film, but I know history. But I think imposing only this history on children is the wrong way to convey history to your people.
For example Pridnestrovie. Pridnestrovie celebrated Victory Day in a big, beautiful way. Lots of people. A museum, a museum quarter was opened. Now new exhibits are being prepared there. I will explain right away. There will be a museum of the Soviet Union, the Soviet period, and modern Pridnestrovie, and local conflicts, including the Afghan war, there will be an exhibit dedicated to the liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster in the same building. That is, it is a complex. Such complexes are not built in two days. Here is a museum that is dedicated specifically to the Great Patriotic War. There are busts of military leaders. There are busts of other military leaders, those who participated in the Odessa offensive operation, in the Jassy-Kishinev operation, such as General Oktyabrsky, Marshal Malenkov and so on in addition to Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin. That is, all historical figures who in one way or another participated in the Victory of the Red Army, the Soviet Army in that terrible war are represented. This is our history, and it must be shown. There are dates such as January 24 in Pridnestrovie at the same time. We honor the victims of the repression of the Cossacks. on this day. Sverdlov issued a resolution, document, decree, it doesn't matter, on the liquidation of the Cossacks as a class on January 24, 1918. The mass extermination of the Cossacks began after this date. According to various sources, up to two million people died, including children and the elderly. This is our history. This is a tragedy. Please name other states in the post-Soviet space where this date, January 24, is listed at the state level. Nowhere. Do you understand? Nowhere.
We show our history. This is our history, you understand? There are Cossacks here, and they also suffered from these, so to speak, decisions. Another date is October 30, Remembrance Day of the Repressed. Those who live in Pridnestrovie and elsewhere know about the execution pit near the St. Vladimir Bastion on the former territory of the Tiraspol Fortress. Thousands were shot, thousands. We honor these people. We hold events, reburials, exhumed remains. We have done a huge amount of work. We wrote "The Name on the Stone" scholarship work which talks about this tragedy. We show this tragedy, we do not advertise it, do not popularize it, do not politicize it, do not make films to show to schoolchildren. This should not be done. We must simply show the truth. We have another date – January 27. This is Holocaust Day, which we also honor as a memory here, in the territory of Pridnestrovie. This date is precisely the mark of the Nazi-fascist ideology. The punitive forces under the Romanian administration shot people here based on their nationality. We have Holocaust memorials everywhere. They didn’t just put them up somewhere and leave them there. No. They stand at the site of the executions, at the site of the mass deaths of people of Jewish nationality, and not only as a result of the actions of the Romanian administration, the SS punitive units, and local collaborators. There were about 20000 people shot in Dubossary. The executions took place on September 12, 13, and 14, 1941. We are currently completely restoring the memorial complex there. This is also our history, but we are not making PR out of it. Not at all. We are simply saying with these examples that we should not be called “transnistria” – it is a fascist attribute, it is outdated, it does not apply to us. We are not “transnistria”, we are Pridnestrovie. Let’s honor the fallen. Here we honor the fallen. We celebrate the Victory Day of the Soviet people, the Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War at the same time. We honor the heroes of this war. We open a museum. We will do this. We show the whole history. Not a piece of it, but the whole history. We are not engaged in the rehabilitation of fascist henchmen in our history textbooks, as they do in Moldova. I have already spoken about this, I will not repeat myself. History must be shown in full. Then it is true. There will be no myths when you show it in full, and not in part – what is beneficial, what is unprofitable, we will see here, but there is no need to look here. This will not do. The people, understanding the fullness of history and responsibility, in fact, for this history, will make the right choice. There is only one choice – peace. Why do we need to show all these horrors in reality? So that this does not happen again here. This is my task. My task is to prevent a repetition of what happened, these tragedies.
We, the Pridnestrovian people are friendly in fact. No one divides each other by nationality at any table, at any festival, when godparents gather. No one. People of all nationalities and ethnicities sit at the same table. We are the peaceful Pridnestrovian people. We want to build good-neighborly relations with the people living in historical Bessarabia, today's Moldova. We are different peoples, but we have something in common somewhere, there are family ties, we have our own history of relations, so to speak. We want to build normal territorial and national good-neighborly relations, do you understand? There are different historical territories and, naturally, different peoples. That's all. That's our goal. Unfortunately, these narratives, these lies that are instilled in Moldova, including children, a certain vector that is taken, destroy friendship and create false ideas about the Pridnestrovian people. This is wrong. That's why we want to spread the truth, which is what we do.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, you started talking about peace, about good-neighborly relations. I want to ask you as a politician a question. We are all now watching the resumption of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Do you think that anything will be achieved and will this tragedy, as you call it, what is happening now in Ukraine, end?
- One wish: for all this to stop. Of course, we must think about peace, not war.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, you know that in international law there is such a principle as the right of peoples to self-determination, but the principle of territorial integrity of the state still prevails in relation to Pridnestrovie, in our opinion. Why do you think this is still happening?
- Let's go back to history again. The historical statehood of Moldova and Romania never extended to the left bank, to the territory of Pridnestrovie as I already said. There was a short period of time – from August 2, 1940 to the publication of the Declaration of August 27, 1991. That is, half a century. We were together for only 50 years in a thousand-year history. Let's focus on the Declaration again. I advise everyone once again in general: please delve into the Declaration of Independence of your own state – Moldova, read it in detail, think about what is written there. So, the Declaration of Independence of Moldova fully recognizes the creation of the Moldavian SSR as an illegal act. The Declaration of Independence of Moldova of August 27, 1991 recognizes the creation of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic as an illegally created entity. What was before the Moldavian SSR? There was Bessarabia and there was the MASSR. The MASSR – this is clearly spelled out in the Declaration, and it is spelled out what people lived there. Therefore, if the state recognizes this as an illegally created entity called the MSSR, then we roll back to the period of August 2, 1940, when Bessarabia was separate, when the MASSR was a separate entity, with its own Constitution among other things by the way. There was the annexation of Bessarabia to the MASSR then, which was recognized as illegal. That's all. That's the first point. The second point. We open the Declaration of Independence again, which confirms the equality of peoples and their right to self-determination – in accordance with the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the norms of international law. That is, the Declaration of Independence gives the people of "transnistria", as they call Pridnestrovie, the right to self-determination. Did we draw up this Declaration? Or did I participate in it? Of course not. This was done by Moldovan politicians, this was done by the then president of this state and all the deputies of parliament. Not all. A part, the overwhelming majority of the deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. They gave us the right to self-determination by recognizing the Pridnestrovian people. Therefore, we have this right. Both historical and legal. Moldova is in addition the only post-Soviet republic that recognized its formation as illegal. That's all. It's a fact. I remind you once again that the Declaration has the highest legal force over all other laws and the Constitution of Moldova.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, you know that Moldova recently took a destructive step by expelling Russian diplomats. One of them was the co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission. This created a forced pause in the work of the peacekeeping mechanism. Do you think that these actions could somehow negatively affect stability in the Security Zone?
- The peacekeeping mission is an interesting topic in general. In addition to the Russian Peacekeeping Mission, peacekeepers from Pridnestrovie, peacekeepers from Moldova, and observers from Ukraine are participating here. There are working mechanisms. This is the Joint Control Commission, the Joint Military Command. I will express my opinion. I do not see any attempts by Moldova to destroy the mechanism of the peacekeeping operation as of today. The mechanisms are working. The JCC is working, the JMC is working. These moments that took place, they had their reasons. That's one. And the second. Of course, I would advise my Moldovan colleagues to be extremely careful when it comes to the work of the JCC, JMC and influencing them. This can be interpreted in such a way that you, for example, are trying to disrupt the mechanisms of the peacekeeping operation. I do not see Moldova on the path of destroying the peacekeeping mechanism. This is not the case today. This is what I see, this is what my subordinates report to me, who participate in the work of these commissions.
- How is the situation around the perimeter of the republic assessed in general?
- The situation, as far as the military component is concerned, is stable. Stable. The peacekeepers are working. The personnel are on duty. Russian peacekeepers are on duty, Pridnestrovian peacekeepers are on duty, and Moldovan peacekeepers are on duty. There are no conflicts. We congratulated each other on May 9, on Victory Day. Good.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, the Russian Foreign Ministry recently drew attention to the state of the process of settling the Moldovan- Pridnestrovian conflict. It was noted that it is in a deep crisis due to the fact that Kishinev is taking measures to exert economic pressure on Tiraspol. Do you think there is any progress or signs that the situation may change in this area?
- I will start by saying that I am convinced, and I can prove it, that the freezing of the negotiation process between Moldova and Pridnestrovie is absolutely artificial. The "5+2" format was violated, essentially stopped by the Moldovan side, Moldovan negotiators back in 2019, in October. This was done rudely, in front of everyone, as they say – mediators, observers, participants in this format. No one understood what happened, why Moldova acted this way. We need to ask these people why they did this. The president was there then, his negotiator was there, they are all somewhere now too. We need to ask them why they did this, why they disrupted the negotiation process with Pridnestrovie. After all, the "5+2" format was a worthy, internationally recognized platform for negotiations and determining the fate, by and large, of the conflict settlement, in the end. All possible issues of relations between Moldova and Pridnestrovie were discussed on this platform. There are a lot of them. Economic, political, and ordinary human issues. A lot. Decisions were made. These decisions became protocols signed by the parties then. Certain norms were adopted and implemented in the legislation of Pridnestrovie and Moldova. That is, there was a process. Moldova broke all this. Then the pandemic, then the hostilities in Ukraine, unfortunately. Everyone is talking about the hostilities in Ukraine now, and we cannot assemble the "5+2" format in these conditions. But this is not true. I will explain again why. Even if we return to the peacekeeping mechanisms, to the Joint Control Commission, the Joint Military Command, you know very well who is sitting at the negotiating table: representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Pridnestrovie, and the OSCE. Everything is fine. So, it can be gathered. Moreover, there are military people sitting there, and we are talking about diplomats. Therefore, I think all these are artificial excuses. There is a desire of a certain group of politicians not to allow the convening of the "5 + 2" format. I see this. Naturally, we are in favor of continuing this format, continuing the negotiation process. This is very important. Important. In general, if we are thinking about a settlement, and not about freezing this conflict, the negotiation process is necessary. The Moldovan side excludes this possibility. Although the Russian Federation, the OSCE are in favor of continuing the negotiation process in this format. Well, I think common sense should prevail, and we should all come to the understanding that all issues should be resolved in favor of negotiations.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, this year began with an acute phase of the energy crisis. I would like to know what the current situation is with gas supplies? Are there any negotiations with Moldova to conclude a longer-term contract so that all this does not happen again by the winter period?
- The situation remains stably tense in fact. With the help of the Russian Federation, we receive gas in Pridnestrovie. By the way, thanks to the leadership of Moldova for letting this gas through. I am telling you how it really is. It does not interfere. They understand that people live here and they should enjoy the benefits of civilization. This is a good step forward. I perceive it very positively. This speaks of an element of peaceful coexistence again. The situation itself remains stably tense, there are no clear guarantees, as I already said, unfortunately. I am saying once again that Alexander Valentinovich Novak, we are constantly working with him in this energy area, he is doing everything to ensure that Pridnestrovie has gas.
– We understand that an economic blow was dealt because there was no gas, the industry did not work. All this is now reflected in the population, in the situation in Pridnestrovie. Citizens say that prices for services are rising, and salaries and pensions remain at the same level.
– We are in a deep energy and economic crisis. Our enterprises simply did not work in addition to the lack of gas. Moreover, many Moldovan figures, not politicians, but figures, insisted that our industry should not work at all, that industry should be stopped. I watched an interview with Ms. Sandu, the President of the Republic of Moldova. She says: well, how do you imagine this, people live there, people should work there. Of course, these words, her opinion – this is absolutely correct. Moldova should not listen to these nationalists in my opinion in general. They do not bring good, they bring only evil, they sow evil, unrest. They need tension, they need war. We must learn to somehow not react to, let's say, the ultra-right wing. It does not lead to anything good at all. Oh well. Of course, we live according to the situation. As for salaries and pensions, we raised them when possible. There was a big increase in salaries for health workers, the main segment of our public sector employees last year. We raised the salaries of other public sector employees by a certain percentage, and pensioners. The situation is such now, there is a crisis at present. We have increased the prices for energy, of course, but in the right amount, so that this does not have a catastrophic effect on the situation of our citizens. We survive in the conditions in which we find ourselves. Naturally, the government, the Supreme Council, and I as president, we work every day to stabilize the situation. Unfortunately, we were forced to reduce development programs. Those that we have traditionally had here in Pridnestrovie. We are saving. We are saving in order to fulfill our social obligations in full.
- Continuing with the topic. Pridnestrovie has increased utility bills for services for the first time in several years. Will there be another increase? This worries citizens very much. What components influence this decision?
- Firstly, we increased utility bills based on the prices at which we receive these energy resources from suppliers. It is important to understand this. Our prices correspond to Russian prices. If we take the average Russian prices by province, by region, they correspond to Pridnestrovian prices. We are not going to increase prices further now. I will explain why. Our citizens' income does not allow it. The income of citizens does not allow us to do this today. We must accept this and calm down.
- You have ordered that schools of Pridnestrovie be equipped with solid fuel boilers. You have already said that the situation with energy resources in Pridnestrovie is unstable. What other steps are being taken to equip such important social facilities with alternative power sources?
- I want to correct you, Alexander. I did not say that all schools in Pridnestrovie should be provided with boilers. Of course not. These are hospitals, these are correctional institutions first and foremost. Yes. These are some schools, some kindergartens. So that, God forbid, at a certain stage of the energy crisis, we could continue to keep children in kindergartens, teach them in schools, keep the sick in hospitals, and certain categories of the population – in correctional institutions, not to mention places of detention. There is a priority that we will follow, providing these institutions with additional energy sources. The solid fuel boilers in this case, because they are the most profitable in terms of the cost of providing heat in the absence of gas.
What other additional measures do we have? We have nevertheless activated the process of installing solar power generation sources through our legislation. I thank domestic investors who are doing this. We are ready to consider other programs in this area, in principle.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, May 9 was celebrated in Tiraspol and throughout Pridnestrovie by citizens in large numbers. There was pouring rain, despite this, only 85 thousand people took part in Pridnestrovie. This is the largest number in the post-Soviet space. Why did people come then, in the conditions of how they are now trying to revise the history of the Great Patriotic War, revise the history of this holiday in your opinion? For example, I heard Moldovan experts, they say that we should not celebrate, but remember the dead and this tragedy. Why did Pridnestrovie manage to celebrate this holiday so massively?
– I agree that we need to celebrate and remember the dead on this day. Which is what we do. Remember, it was always set up that this is a holiday with tears in the eyes. Tears not only from joy. Tears from the realization of the losses of the Soviet people in this war, from the terrible tragedies, from the terrible trials that the Soviet people endured in the most terrible trials, in the most terrible tension of will. The one-sided position again: let's look at it as a tragedy. This is a one-sided position. This is happiness, this is Victory, this is peace. It was May 9 that brought peace to Europe. There would be no modern European Union without May 9. If there was no May 9, the Nazi-fascist ideology would still be raging there, and people would be burned in ovens, do you understand? It's true. How many concentration camps there were. What terrible concentration camps, what terrible experiments on people, on children. What terrible experiments, what terrible tortures, gas chambers, burning people in ovens. It's true. I often read the memoirs of people who survived this hell, they told me that, for example, when the gas did not kill people (there were such cases, there were technical failures), they were thrown into the oven half-dead, you understand? There was screaming and horror. All this happened in Europe. This is a fact. Should this be forgiven or should we forget? We should cry over this, of course. We should mourn this, we should repent for the sins of the people who committed these atrocities. It is blasphemous to accuse the Soviet people of occupation. Yes, the Soviet people defeated the ideology of national fascism, and national fascism enslaved Europe. We liberated Europe. Our ancestors. My grandfather. And other grandfathers. They fought there, shed their blood to liberate peoples, so that they would have a future, so that today there would be the European Union, by and large. That's the point. How can you not understand this? How can one rehabilitate these scum against the backdrop of all this evil, total evil? I can't find another word. Antonescu and his henchmen, who were proud to shoot infants. How can one rehabilitate them? Do these people have a conscience, who even say this? All this gives rise to protest in a person, in me too, by the way, as a person. Protest. I even sometimes think, is it good to know history as deeply as I delve into it? It's really hard. You understand all this dirt, tragedy and try to remain human.
I want to provide another historical example. People were standing in line for the gas chamber in one of the concentration camps. These people were of Jewish nationality. There was a rabbi of Jewish origin among them, I forgot his last name, unfortunately. He gathered people around him and told them something. The people were smiling in one step away from the gas chamber. One of the German guards, a Nazi, became interested in what the rabbi was telling them one step away from death, why they were having fun, why they were not crying. He called the rabbi over and asked what he was telling them, what made people happy before death. The rabbi replied that he had told people: happiness is to die a victim, not an executioner. These are profound words, they have a profound meaning. The Soviet people became victims, by and large. They sacrificed themselves for the sake of victory over fascism and Nazism. This must be clearly understood. The fact that there is an attempt to distort history now gives rise to protest. I had no doubt that people would come in any weather. This protest is not only in me. This is already a protest against civil-historical arbitrariness, against those who want to distort history and turn the heroes who sacrificed themselves into monsters. This is categorically wrong and is punishable by God in the end. People have come and will come – come rain or shine. I say again: this is put at the forefront in Pridnestrovie. Memory. That is why this is a holiday with tears in the eyes. The sacrifice that the Soviet people made on the altar of the Fatherland must be honored and remembered. Bow to it – you will not break, dear gentlemen.
- Vadim Nikolaevich, about these mass events. They were held in Pridnestrovie for the first time in the last few years. We know the reason. It is the threat of terrorist attacks. There was a series of terrorist attacks in Pridnestrovie. They say in Moldova that they held "The Immortal Regiment" under the sights of snipers who were on the roofs of houses in Tiraspol. How could you respond to this criticism, and what security measures are currently being taken in Pridnestrovie?
- Well, naturally, security is ensured. This is clear to everyone. Yes, we had to ensure the safety of the people who came to this march. We will always ensure it, and we always have ensured it. They fulfilled their duties even if some people were on the roofs of houses and doing something. The fact that we were covered by a series of terrorist attacks, very serious terrorist attacks, they were solved, investigated, and there is a full fact sheet of these terrorist attacks, this requires a separate study. Of course, not by these bloggers who are there talking about the Pridnestrovian people.
- Will the decree on the terrorist threat be in effect until the end of the Ukrainian crisis?
- The decree on the terrorist threat will be in effect as long as there is a terrorist threat.
