This Moldovan autonomous region still yearns for the times of the USSR and declares itself in favor of the occupation to “put order in Ukraine”
A statue of Lenin presides over the entrance to the small school in the town of Congaz, in the Gagauzia region, in southeastern Moldova. Years ago there were hundreds of monuments dedicated to the first leader of the Soviet Union throughout the country. Little by little, they began to disappear, as Moldova moved further away from Moscow’s sphere of influence. Now only a few remain standing. Practically all of them are in this autonomous region. One of them in this school, today converted into one of the dozens of centers enabled to welcome people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some 600 refugees have passed through here since the war began. “Of course we have seen the statue, but the important thing is that they have treated us well here,” says one of the refugees.
Moldova is a complex country. The Gagauzia region, with just 130,000 inhabitants, even more. Gagauz is spoken here, a language very similar to Turkish, Romanian and Russian. After the disappearance of the Soviet Union the zone received a status of particular autonomy. Most of its inhabitants speak Russian. Many openly declare themselves close to the Kremlin. Others do not take a position when asked about the war and say that they do not want to enter politics. Very few consider what is happening in Ukraine an aberration.
Comrat is the capital of Gagauzia. The name of this city is of Turkish origin. In the center there is another huge statue of Lenin. At eight in the morning mass begins in the Orthodox Church, linked to the Moscow Patriarchate. The ceremony, entirely in Russian, lasts two hours. The religious center is full. There are mostly older women. A few meters away there is a cafeteria. There are Dimitry and Anna, about 25 years old. Dimitry’s grandfather is Belarusian. Anna’s is Ukrainian. But both were born in this region. They complain that Gagauzia is poorer than the rest of the country, that it is a “battered” land. When asked about the war, they twist their faces. “We have no position,” they say.
In Congaz, a few kilometers from the capital, it is market day. The stalls are on both sides of the main road. The locals are surprised to see people from outside. They are very curious to know what journalists are doing there. Most want to protest the price of gas and electricity. Others talk about food. But there are also people who show their support for Putin and the Russian invasion. Among the latter there is a phrase that is constantly repeated. “It is not a war. They have gone to bring order to the Ukraine.” This is what Vladimir and his family say, farmers from a small village in the area.
“Putin was late”
Roman is a young man from Conrad, but he works in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital. He is the only pro-European in his gang from Gagauzia. He explains that in this area of the country many have been informed for years only with the media related to Moscow. “They thought for a long time that Putin was delaying in doing his special operation in Ukraine,” he explains.
There are other citizens of the region who are even more forceful. This is the case of Oleksandr. He is a 38 year old family man. He lives near Conrad. He has a small construction company. His house is much better than those around. He has been building it himself little by little. To enter the houses of this region you must always take off your shoes. His wife, Natalia, invites for coffee and cake. Oleksandr was born in Gagauzia. But he explains that he does not speak Romanian, that his language is Russian and that he identifies more with Putin’s country than with the rest of Moldova. He insists that Russia’s aggression is justified because the fascists had to be “stopped.” He even feared that “they might come” to his houses in Moldova. He is also not afraid of a possible invasion of his country. In fact, even he would consider supporting the occupying Army.
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