Mini Roundup
Happy Independence Day Moldova!!
This week we will have only a mini-Roundup as I’m still on vacation and have limited time by the computer. But it’s important to check-in on Moldova’s Independence Day. In the 31 years of the young country’s history, this year feels especially poignant as Moldova faces down unprecedented threats and challenges in order to defend the country’s independence in a dangerous geopolitical neighborhood.
Moldovan Independence Day
Today Moldova turns 31 amidst some of the most challenging crisis the young nation has ever faced. In speaking to citizens about the holiday political leaders all sought to frame the ongoing challenges as a struggle for the country’s independence.
In a statement on the holiday President Sandu said:
“Let's believe in ourselves, don't stop in the middle of the road, no matter how hard it is. Let's leave our children a free country where they can shape their future. If someone asks what is the use of freedom and democracy when prices rise, we will answer them: our freedom makes us stronger, gives us a voice, dignity and power, makes us not be afraid and act in accordance with our own interests, and not under dictation someone from outside. The war will end and we will be able to emerge from these crises stronger and more resilient,”
Prime Minister Gavrilita also made a statement on the occasion saying:
“I congratulate you, dear citizens, on the 31st anniversary of independence, over the years we have grown together, studied and achieved success.
Independence Day is the moment of realizing that we are responsible for ourselves and those around us, that it is given to us to take care of a piece of paradise and pass it on to our children.
Independence means the freedom to decide for ourselves what to do next, realizing the consequences of our choice. Independence means responsibility for every action and the ability to use the opportunities of an ever-changing world.
The people of Moldova, living all over the world, are celebrating today the birthday of their country, the place where it all began and where many of us hope to return to contribute to change to make the country a better place,”
Ukraine also celebrates its independence day this week on August 24th. Speaking about this holiday, Moldovan MP Radu Marin made the following statement stressing the now interlinked nature of Moldovan and Ukrainian independence and freedoms:
“Although most believed that Ukraine would fall in a few weeks, today Ukraine stands. At the cost of thousands of human lives, Ukraine is fighting for its freedom and independence, for the freedom of Europe. I want us all to understand that Ukraine is now fighting for the freedom and independence of Moldova. If Ukraine falls, we can only imagine Putin's sinister plans for our country. Fortunately, thanks to the courage of the Ukrainians, thanks to highly effective weapons provided by the West, Ukraine is skillfully fighting against the Russian aggressor. Ukraine will win,”
Rapid Fire Roundup
Here we will take a quick look at the key stories to follow in Moldova from the past weeks.
UN Secretary General António Guterres made an unscheduled visit too Moldova to meet with President Sandu following his attendance of meetings in Lviv with Ukrainian leadership. They discussed the regional security situation and refugee support topics. No more in-depth information on the visit was released.
Russian hacker group “Killnet” has claimed responsibility for a wave of cyberattacks on Moldovan infrastructure including a claim to have hacked into the tax office. Addressing the attacks Prime Minister Gavrilita said:
“Several public institutions have been targeted, but as you can see, we have had no service interruptions. For several weeks now, we have been taking measures to strengthen this area, and which, obviously, we will continue to take in the future,”
The Ministry of Interior has announced that there have been 245 false bomb threats so far this year. The need to secure and sweep so many building so frequently has stressed ministry resources and they will be presenting new protocols to the government that the Minister claims will secure public safety while speeding the process of clearing threatened buildings.
A joint Moldova - Ukrainian project to restore 21 km of rail line between Ukrainian Berezino and Moldovan Basarabeasca was completed this week 2 months after the project started. The first trains are now moving on the restored Soviet-era rail link allowing for easier import / export through Ukraine’s southern Danube ports.
Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban has announced the formation of a new political party called the National Alternative Movement or MAN (based on the Romanian language acronym). Mr. Ceban regularly criticizes the PAS government and has strongly aligned with the Socialist party which he used to belong to before running for mayor as an independent. He claims the new party will be “Pro-European” in spite of his long standing pro-Russian positions and recent vehement opposition to the Pride march in Chisinau. This sudden shift towards Europe has been roundly mocked on social media with most commentators suggesting the first questions asked at every press conference be 1) Whose is Crimea? and 2) What do you have to say about the war in Ukraine?. Both questions that Ceban has historically taken a Russian view on. Speaking about this new position, PAS MP Dumitru Alaiba noted: “I was not at all surprised when I learned that he [Cheban] was creating a pro-European party. Because Moscow needs a pro-European party that can be controlled.” Mayor Ceban has also announced he will run for a 2nd term as mayor in 2023.
Reports from the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant continue to outline a tense and risky situation. Writing about the risks, Politico published an in-depth article (in English) that made 2 key points. Firstly, the reactors are shielded with 10 m thick concrete containment units - these can only be destroyed with a massive bombardment. Basically, no errant artillery fire is going to blow up a reactor. Secondly, there is a serious risk to the electrical power supplying the plant as well as the pumps and generators managing the cooling units. Basically, Politico is arguing that there is not a risk of a Chernobyl style explosion but there is a risk of a Fukushima style contained meltdown. In this case the area within a 20km radius of the plant is in serious danger while locations further away would only risk minimum radiation in the case of a disaster. Moldovan and Ukrainian weather services have begun modeling what a radiation leak might entail - you can see one such scenario here (though it is only valid for the weather and winds on the day it was modeled).
Thanks for reading our mini-roundup! We’ll be back in the 2nd week of September with normal roundups and coverage of Moldova’s top political and economic news. In the meantime, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support our work at Moldova matters. For just $5 / month, the price of a nice coffee, you can support this work and help us expand into even better content!
