The Republic of Moldova, which borders Ukraine in the southwest, plays its part in this war, although it is not an active participant in the bloody events. Rather, the country at the initial stage was one of the targets for the aggressor. Russia has long dreamed of laying a land corridor through southern Ukraine to the unrecognized “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic”, which it considers de facto its own territory. Well, access to Transnistria directly opens up prospects for the capture of Moldova, whose army is extremely small and poorly armed. There is no doubt that if Ukraine had not survived, Moldova would have been next.
On December 24, 2020, after the rule of a number of either centrist-multi-vector or openly pro-Russian presidents, Maia Sandu, a politician with an exclusively European vision of the future of Moldova, received the post of head of state. Naturally, it was repeatedly criticized by the Russian Foreign Ministry for “oppression of the Russian speakers”, “rewriting of history” and other false ideologemes, which at one time served as the information basis for the annexation of Ukrainian territories, and then a full-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian Review decided to talk to one of the leaders of the Maia Sandu “Action and Solidarity” party, a member of the Commission on National Security, Defense and Public Order of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Andrian Cheptonar.
Approaching Threat
Q: I would like to start with the topic of war, with your assessments. Did you expect the events that began on February 24, 2022?
A.C.: Regarding the war, I must confess that until the last, until February 24 [2022], before I read the news, I could not think that they would attack Ukraine. Thought it was a bluff. I didn’t think it was possible in the 21st century. I was sure that Russia’s behavior is just an attempt to influence and put pressure on Ukraine.
Q: After the first failures of the aggressor, did you still have fears that Russia would have further great success and that a corridor would be laid to Transnistria?
А.C.: From the first days we understood that Russia had intentions to reach Moldova. I don’t think that Russia would stop only at Transnistria. After all, Moldova now has a democratic, pro-Western government. I am sure that the Russian army would have stopped on the Prut River, and not on the Dniester River. We are very grateful that Ukraine is holding on. That is the only reason why there are no cruel bloody events in Moldova now that we see in your country. Both the political leadership of the Republic of Moldova and the people of Moldova, for the most part, understand what Ukraine is doing for us, and we are very grateful.
Factor of Transnistria
Q: Did you expect the so-called PMR [Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic — ed.] to maintain a neutral status in this war, in fact, only keeping the Ukrainian military contingent in the southwest of the country?
А.C.: I know that things are not so simple in PMR. The PMR has a contingent of the Russian army. However, although the holders of Russian passports serve in it, many of them are ethnic Moldovans. They joined these military formations as if they were ordinary jobs because it was impossible to find another job in Transnistria. These are the military who did not plan to fight. They see the power of the Armed forces of Ukraine and definitely have no intention of entering into conflict with the Ukrainian army. Also, many of them do not have ideological grounds for this. Their only function, as you rightly said, is to keep the Ukrainian military contingent near the border with Transnistria, respectively, to block the participation of this Ukrainian military personnel at the front. Nevertheless, we have seen provocations from the Russian special services. There are representatives of the GRU [Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation — ed.] and the FSB [Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation — ed.], who are trying to provoke PMR to enter the war with Ukraine. But I am absolutely sure that they will not succeed.
Q: Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it considers PMR a part of the Republic of Moldova, but will never send its troops to its territory without an official request from the leadership of Moldova. Such a veiled hint that the ball is in your half of the field. Is there such an appeal in the plans of the Moldovan leadership and why has this not been done so far?
A.С. Konstantin, to say that the messages from the Ukrainian side were veiled is not entirely true. We also received other kinds of proposals. We saw through Arestovych [Oleksii Arestovych, ex-advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine — ed.] and other politicians quite specific proposals. I think when Ukraine wins this war, then there will be every reason to solve the problem of Transnistria peacefully. I am sure that one of the conditions for peace between Russia and Ukraine will be the complete evacuation of Russian troops from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. I think that after this war Russia’s imperialist aspirations will be extinguished for at least decades. Yes, after a certain time, they may try to attack again: this is the essence of Russian states for hundreds of years. This world should be very pragmatic so that everyone understands that if Ukraine does not become a member of NATO or is not very well armed, then after some time Russia may attack again.
Perception of the war in Ukraine by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova
Q: Andrian, I know that you recently held elections for the Başkan of Gagauzia [Governor of Gagauzia — ed.], where two representatives of the pro-Russian forces entered the second round. In your opinion, have the moods of the citizens of the rest of Moldova changed after the Russian attack on Ukraine?
А.C.: We traditionally had pro-Russian sentiments in Gagauzia. There are certain realities that have developed under the influence of Russia. But I would like to say that there are strong pro-democracy sentiments in the south and in the center.
I am from the Ungheni region, and the head of the PAS party [Party of Action and Solidarity — ed.] organization there. We have strong support for European aspirations. In the north, yes, pro-Russian politicians have support. There, traditionally, exports of agricultural products went to the Russian Federation. But after Ukraine and I become part of the EU and exports go to Europe, people will begin to see financial benefits, and they will start to look at these things differently. Another moment: we closed access to Russian channels, but propaganda is still strong – through telegram channels, through the Internet. People who have been in their closed little world for a long time can still find information that would correspond to the views already instilled in them. But, I think, after European integration within a few years, this predisposition will change dramatically. The fact that the Moldovan people see this bloody senseless terrorist war of Russia against Ukraine (I personally think that this is a genocide in general) as a factor in changing moods. But there is a certain part of society that, unfortunately, supports it.
European Perspectives on Moldova
Q: In the course of our conversation, you touched upon an important topic — European integration. A fundamental decision has already been made on Ukraine, but the Ukrainians are also interested in our Moldovan friends and neighbors also becoming a member of the EU. How do you see Moldova’s path to the EU and what do you think about the possible terms of accession?
A.C.: Our goal is for Moldova to become a member of the EU by 2030. This is a very real time frame. We have the political will to adapt our legislation to EU standards. I am sure that if pro-European parties such as ours hold on to power until 2030, then this will be realized.
Q: An important condition for joining the EU is the fight against corruption. International institutions have been operating in Ukraine for several years now, helping us in this matter. Despite some successes, there are still problems. How do you deal with this and what to do with Transnistria smuggling?
A.C.: Transnistria [as a hotbed of smuggling — ed.] existed only at the request of Moldovan and Ukrainian politicians. There was a black hole that suited everyone. We have now blocked this channel. I am sure that after the victory of Ukraine, we will not return to what it was. And without smuggling, the [Transnistria] economy will simply collapse there, and this entity will no longer be able to exist in the form of a “PMR”. I hope that this war will end as soon as possible and with the victory of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine!
Q: Glory to the heroes!
Kostyantyn Grechany
