Tiraspol, 23 January. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. The newspaper of the Armed Forces of the PMR For Pridnestrovie marks 25 years. The first issue came off the press on 23 January 1992 when the independence and sovereignty of the PMR were defended by the Republican Guard. And since 2 March, when Moldova's riot police attacked the regiment of civil defence of Russia's 14th Army deployed in Cocieri, Dubossary district, Moldova launched a large-scale military aggression against the PMR. It was the journalists of For Pridnestrovie who at the risk of life made reports from the battlefield positions of guardsmen and volunteers wrote about the residents of the republic protecting their homes, towns and villages.
After the war, the newspaper covered the establishment and development of the Armed Forces. One of the regular columns The Army is Strong through Its Training is dedicated to various phases of combat training, military exercises. The column Our Acknowledgements praises the best soldiers, sergeants and officers. «Any military, regardless of the rank, can become its character. The main criterion is excellent service," said the editor-in-chief, Viktor Zabolotniy, in an interview with Novosti Pridnestrovya.
Journalists specially try to find military dynasties for this column. The newspaper wrote about the dynasties of tankmen, signalmen, artillerymen and simply about families where several generations have bound their lives with the army, although in different branches. According to Zabolotniy, sometimes interesting reports are found in the most unexpected places, for example, a distinguished serviceman selected for Our Acknowledgements turned out to be of a military decent. «There is a notion of journalistic luck. When you come to a soldier and it turns out his grandfather is a war veteran. You begin to find out where he fought and he appears to have taken Berlin," the editor cited an example.
Military doctors also have a dedicated column in the paper. It generally provides applied advice, for example, in the winter period on how to move correctly on the ice and on what first aid should be provided to soldiers who got bruises and other injuries.
Reproters try to ask directly their readers, mainly soldiers, which materials would be of interest to them. During the Olympics, the Football World Cup and other popular competitions, journalists make sports reviews. The paper also reviews new cinema releases. Special attention is given to patriotic and military films. Commanders of military units often organise the exhibition of films for the personnel.
The staff of the newspaper comprises nine persons, five of whom are in the publishing and editorial department. It does not only deal with the layout and release of the paper, but also with the publication of various normative acts of the Defence Ministry, including military and combat chatters.
Four people are directly engaged in creating journalistic content: the editor-in-chief, its deputy, a reporter and a photographer. The paper comes out twice a week with a circulation of 1,630. It is distributed to military units and other institutions under the Defence Ministry. The newspaper can be subscribed to at post offices.
Over 25 years the newspaper has had three editors-in-chief. The first editor, Natalya Vorobyeva, held this post longer than the others. She, as the majority of the paper's journalists, was not only an army journalist, but also a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces of the PMR and the first woman in Pridnestrovie to be promoted to the rank of colonel. The second editor, Captain Denis Kozhokaru, did not work long. Now the paper is headed by Lt. Col. Vitaly Zabolotniy.
The staff had planned to release a special issue with colour inserts by the anniversary date. Its electronic version is already available, but due to funding problems and considerable indebtedness to Bendery's publishing office Polygraphist printing the newspaper, the release has been postponed indefinitely. «These problems are not new. They have lasted for a year and a half. We have been in debt to the publishing house, but thanks to the director, our paper has been printed for a year.
But until the money issue is not resolved, the team of the paper are not sitting idle. Articles written by army journalists are published on the site of the Ministry of Defence. It should be noted, at the same time, that For Pridnestrovie had begun releasing its e-variants long before the problems with paper versions arose.
In addition, the team contributes to the international publication Peacekeeper. It is released through the joint efforts of Pridnestrovian, Moldovan and Russian military journalists and comes out annually on 29 July, the day of the launch of the peacekeeping operation on the Dniester.
