“140,000 tons of apples cannot be exported. They were planned to be sold in Russia and Belarus
Igor Munteanu, former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Washington, spoke for gandul.ro about the balance of the first month of the Russian-Ukrainian war. He explained that today’s world is in a period of fragile peace in which values and strategies align with the new world order. What does it say about Putin’s plan of attack, but also about the repercussions of the war, both humanitarian and economic.
Survival test for Ukrainians
“For Ukrainians, it is a test of survival as a nation and as a country. I think the huge number of civilian casualties shows and proves to everyone that Russia is waging a classic war, not a special operation as the Kremlin calls it.
For those close to the borders of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, but also other states, the war in Ukraine is an additional warning that the future brings or very fragile peace, a geographical distance too short and can always be escaped by the same military forces that . bombing civilian cities in Ukraine. “
ES Igor Munteanu also analyzes the way in which Vladimir Putin thought of his plan of attack on Ukraine, but also the erroneous expectations that the Russian president made of the Ukrainian people in this regard.
“If you look closely at the details of these military campaigns of this war, you will notice that the plans are not being carried out, they are rather virtual plans, because the circle in which President Putin made the decision to attack a Ukrainian city was. very narrow. He didn’t even bother to prepare this war logistically, and that explains why many of the military in the area around Kyiv woke up a week later to run out of ammunition without fuel. This means that the premises from which these plans of attack were constructed were totally erroneous.
Vladimir Putin expects the Ukrainian people to greet them with flowers and balloons, as they once gained power by mobilizing the working class in Bolshevik Ukraine. But we live in a different world, and obviously the resistance and response of the Ukrainians is different from what Vladimir Putin expected. “
360,000 Ukrainian refugees passed through the Republic of Moldova
The former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Washington also spoke about the economic costs of this war, but also about the Ukrainian refugees who have passed through the Republic of Moldova so far.
“It simply came to our notice then. I will start with the economic ones because, with the opening of this classic front in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova has blocked access to the ports of Ukraine, Ilyichsk and Odessa, through which they receive most of the imports. There were imports of fuel and liquefied gas. Through the ports of Ismail and Chilia, Moldovan producers exported grain. And, obviously, in the conditions in which this war began, even these ports were blocked.
Significant quantities of vegetable and fruit products that have been sent to Belarus and Russia are also blocked. Today, the Republic of Moldova has about 140,000 tons of apples that cannot be exported, because they were planned to be sold in Russia and Belarus. It would be a huge blow for Moldovan farmers if they do not find a solution to replace it with other local markets.
On the other hand, the effects of war are related to the humanitarian dimension. So far, more than 360,000 Ukrainian refugees have passed through the Republic of Moldova. About 110,000 refugees remained. The majority remained in the families of Moldovans, 10% are located in the state-run institution. That means you have to pay them some money for a living. The Republic of Moldova has requested assistance from the EU and other countries, but I do not think that all the necessary resources have been found to meet the needs of these people. Thirdly, we are certainly talking about the strict dimension of security and defense “, concludes Igor Munteanu, former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Washington.