In Moldova, a massive rally took place in Chisinau
On May 9, several thousand people marched in Chisinau, Moldova, to commemorate the Soviet victory of 1945. The massive gathering in this small Eastern European country of less than 3 million inhabitants, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, quickly turned into a show of support for Russia.
Despite the ban on wearing Russian signs on pain of heavy fines, according to a law voted in early March by Parliament on the initiative of the Moldovan President, Maia Sandupro-European, the Saint-Georges ribbon was everywhere. ” I am not afraid “assured the Monde the former pro-Russian president, Igor Dodon, wearing, at the start of the procession, a huge ribbon in his buttonhole.
Scores of protesters also circumvented the law by donning orange caps and T-shirts over black pants. “Fascism will not pass! »chanted young people, in reference to the war waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine against “Nazi Junta” of Kyiv. “It’s not a war, it’s a fight against fascism”also supports Vera, 52, by making the sign of the letter Z with her fingers, which has become the rallying sign of supporters of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In the crowd, many agreed with the head of the Kremlin, thus revealing the fracture of Moldavian society, divided between pro-Europeans and pro-Russians. The rally was peaceful, apart from a small altercation outside the government palace when a man was attacked after shouting « vive l’Ukraine ! ».
The Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, who placed this day under the sign of ” peace “, remained invisible. As the prorussians paraded, the presidency announced that it was canceling ” for health reasons “ his meeting scheduled for the same day in Chisinau with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General. No explanation was provided. Mme Sandu will be replaced by the Prime Minister, Natalia Gavrilita, for the joint press conference, organized at the end of the afternoon, with the head of the United Nations. This is the first visit of the international organization since the independence, in 1991, of this former small Soviet republic.
