“Persecution” of ethnic Russians in Moldova and “Russophobia” in curbing Russian media propaganda
A report by the Russian MFA describes the situation of ethnic Russians in the Republic of Moldova as very serious, and it would institute several forms of persecution against these pro-European governments.
“It is unfortunate to note that Russian compatriots (and Russian-speaking people in general) living in the Republic of Moldova often face difficulties in guaranteeing their rights of access to public service, choosing the language of education and training, and to receive information freely in their mother tongue “, he writes Russian MAE.
Russia’s MFA report comes a month and a half away from statements by Russia’s Deputy Central Military District Commander-in-Chief, General Rustam Minnekaiev, who said Russia is aiming to take full control of the Donbas in the second phase of its military operations in Ukraine. and in southern Ukraine, to make a land corridor to the Crimea.
The Russian general also said that Russia intends to create a corridor to Transnistria through this operation, where, according to him, there are “cases of oppression of the Russian-speaking population.”
The Russian diplomacy report also describes a “derusification of education”, noting that Moldova’s National Bureau of Statistics is gradually refusing to publish separate data on the number of “Russian” schools in the country, citing general statistics on secondary education institutions.
In his view, Moscow also reports problems with the Russian media in the Republic of Moldova, the main sources of misinformation and false news. In this regard, Moscow’s irritation is also linked to programs to combat Russian misinformation in Moldova and cites MP Bogdan Tîrdea, one of the main generators of Russian misinformation in Moldova, who said that there are 105 Western-funded media institutions that would . opposes Russian propaganda.
“The situation in the activities of the Russian press in the Republic of Moldova is escalating under the pretext of the fight against Russian propaganda. The requests for close monitoring come from the representatives of the ruling party Action and Solidarity (with an emphasis on rebroadcasting news on Moldova 1, NTV Moldova and First in Moldova) “, the report also writes.
Russia also accuses the West of lending Moldova to the group of Russophobic states after the “denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine” operation began, and is outraged by anti-war protests in front of the Russian embassy in Chisinau and lack of action against them by the Moldovan authorities.
The President of the Parliament Igor Grosu had previously mentioned that the Republic of Moldova is a free country and that the democratic right to protest wherever it is not and cannot be restricted to the citizens.
Diplomacy in Moscow was also outraged by alleged intimidation and censorship of Russian journalists in the Republic of Moldova, as well as “pro-Ukrainian propaganda in Russian-language schools in the Republic of Moldova.”
Last but not least, the Russian MFA sees a problem in the so-called persecution that would take place against Metropolitan Vladimir of the Metropolitan Church of Moldova, canonically subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate.
“It is also known about the pressure on the Metropolitan Church of Moldova and Chisinau of the Russian Orthodox Church: parishes are stuck with subsidies, and the head, Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova, Vladimir, is being persecuted,” the Russian MFA report said.