Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Vadim Nikolaevich we are interested in the energy issue first of all. How is gas supplied to Pridnestrovie now? In what volumes? What is it enough for? Can we say that the acute phase of the energy crisis has already passed?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I will start by saying that it would probably be wrong to say that the acute phase of the energy crisis has passed. It is clear that things have become easier for people, people have received gas, but there are still problems nevertheless, that is, there are risks in gas supplies, they exist. God grant that these risks do not materialize so to speak, but we are working on this, so that everything is fine nevertheless, so that both citizens and industry receive gas in this respect.
If we recall the gas problem in general, then it is necessary to recall the history of the development of this situation and the statements of some officials. These statements are currently missing from the information field, and people are trying to forget them for some reason. On the contrary, I see one complete picture from all these statements, from all factual information. It comes together like a puzzle, you understand? Any action, any inaction is a puzzle. We get what we see, what we have, and what we can analyze, when we put it together. The most correct decision is when there is completely reliable information, a complete analysis of a particular situation. We begin to analyze. Even before Moldova stopped supplying gas to Pridnestrovie on January 1, the political representative, Mr. Serebryan, the vice-premier, stated (this was back in the fall of 2024) that Pridnestrovie would have to come to terms with the fact that large-scale industrial enterprises would not work. This is not literally, but in essence. That is, this gentleman already assumed that enterprises, Pridnestrovian enterprises, large enterprises, industrial enterprises, should not work. Although no one had announced this at the time, no one had spoken. But it was either fake news hit job, or they looked at our reaction somehow. It is a fact. It can be found. The Internet remembers everything, as they say. This gentleman declared then that if a gas crisis happens, and it will happen, then Pridnestrovie will have to choose between dying of hunger or of cold. Of course, a lot of Mr. Serebrian's lawyers began to say that he was misunderstood, that he said the wrong thing. Excuse me, what is there to understand and what is there to say? Please, read his direct text and direct translation or read it in Romanian. What are the problems? Everything becomes clear. That is, we see a picture that is gradually emerging, that some Moldovan officials, not all of them, of course, were counting on a gas crisis, and they counted on the fact that it would, of course, seriously hit our industrial group, the population and Pridnestrovie as a whole.
Literally from January 1 (it would seem, the first day of the new year – people should be resting, but no) a certain group of people who earn money on information feeds, let's say false, sat down at their "workplace", that is, at the keyboard, mouse and monitor, and began to simply bombard the Pridnestrovian information space. They wrote that the crisis had come, that the government would not cope, that everything would disappear, that people should go out into the streets, that everyone was abandoned, no one was doing anything, hospitals were closed. Remember, right? All hospitals were closed, everything was closed, nothing was working. There was complete, so to speak, darkness and cold, and hunger in places of detention. Yes. It was literally such, you know, an information flow. Naturally, people worked for their money. These are fighters of such an invisible front who, naturally, earn some rewards from this, and they worked out their tasks. We began to really work, unlike them. We had already held an operational headquarters on January 1, and we knew our tasks clearly. I knew my tasks as president, all my subordinates, the entire vertical of power, the administrative management also knew their tasks. What to do in this situation? We had developed plans, naturally. We began to minimize the consequences of this gas crisis. We did it quite successfully in my opinion in the conditions in which we found ourselves. I saw irritation on the Internet: how is this possible, is it really true that nothing will work out for us, we are not achieving our goals. They really did not achieve their goal.
I had already visited Moscow by then. I was talking to my colleagues. The Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Alexander Valentinovich Novak, personally delved into the solution to this problem and was personally involved in it, for which I thank him very much. Various options for gas supplies to Pridnestrovie were discussed with colleagues from the Ministry of Energy. It seemed to everyone that the easiest option was to find another supplier if Moldovagaz refused at that time. They found another supplier. I will not name, it is not so important. You remember what the reaction was from the Moldovan authorities. Simply a categorical rejection of this supplier with some outrageous accusations. I still did not understand what they meant, and probably no one else did. Although the company of course has a license for gas transit through Europe, for gas supplies to Moldova, including the Pridnestrovian region according to their, so to speak, legislation. They did not allow this businessman to work with us on gas through force and blackmail. That is, it was the first attack by and large of the unwillingness to supply gas to Pridnestrovie. Other options for gas supplies were already proposed then, based on the credit financing of Pridnestrovie by the Russian Federation. Tiraspoltransgaz received a loan through a bank, paid for gas independently – and Moldovagaz is already a gas supplier to Pridnestrovie.
I would like to remind you an important point, that the European Union offered us then, it was just the end of January, assistance in the form of gas supplies from February 1 to 10. Please note at the same time, the European Union did not make any statements and did not set preconditions when it naturally offered this gas as humanitarian aid. That is, just get it. We agreed. Yes, it was a good offer, for which I thanked the European Union and those who made these decisions, of course. It is clear that we needed it. Then very interesting things happened, interesting events. The Prime Minister of Moldova made a statement on European gas that Europe would continue to supply gas, but you must fulfill the following demands, when the gas was already flowing, on February 3. The first is to completely stop supplying gas to industrial enterprises, the second is to raise gas prices to a level practically equal to European ones. You know, it was strange to hear all this and watch how Moldovan politicians are trying to manipulate European gas and make, by and large, impossible demands. How can we stop all industrial enterprises, collect taxes, and force people to pay European prices? That is, these were obviously impossible demands by and large. I am grateful to the Europeans for those 10 days, but I absolutely do not understand their further actions. Why blackmail Pridnestrovie, making obviously impossible demands, knowing that we will be forced to refuse by and large? Do you understand what the situation is? Of course, we worked in parallel with the Russian Federation. It is a reliable supplier, a reliable partner, without additional demands. This is the most important thing. Without additional requirements. Gas that Pridnestrovie paid for began to flow to Pridnestrovie from February 14, thanks to all the global work carried out, thanks to the actions of those officials whom I have named. This gas was paid for by Pridnestrovie. We pay for gas transit through Moldova from our budget. We are talking about how much gas costs for the population, for industry, and so on. It cannot be free, it cannot simply be cheap, because we pay real money for its delivery to the consumer. It goes by credit assistance to Moldova, to the border, through the territory of Moldova, Pridnestrovie pays for the transit – Tiraspoltransgaz. Everyone knows this very well. Naturally, this is normal. This is business, as they say. They cannot pass gas through their territory for free. They receive money for this. This algorithm, this system works today, and citizens receive the corresponding gas, industrial enterprises receive it, and pay for it at the corresponding prices. The price is not cheap and is quite competitive in this regard.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
How is the economy of Pridnestrovie coping with these challenges, because they are very negative?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
The challenge is very serious of course. The Pridnestrovian economy has felt the negative impact of the gas crisis and all those economic blockades and obstacles that Moldova is building today by and large. We can talk about the duties that were introduced double in 2024. Agents of the Pridnestrovian economy lost 13 million euros on these double duties. No one is going to return them for some reason, although, they were obliged to return them by and large. Naturally, the lack of normal banking operations, the lack of accounts of our enterprises and the restriction of foreign economic activity of our enterprises have a negative impact naturally. The gas crisis in addition. As a result, the decline in foreign economic activity of Pridnestrovie amounted to 50% on average in January-February. Slightly more import, slightly less export, but on average 50%. This is let's say noticeable for the Pridnestrovian economy. Naturally, turnover falls, the profitability of enterprises falls, and tax revenues to the budget decrease as a result of the decline in foreign economic activity. It is clear that these conditions are difficult. Of course, we were forced to take certain measures to preserve teams, to preserve enterprises. Which is what we did. Therefore we expect that all enterprises will start working and, let's say, more or less stabilize, and taxes will begin to flow into the budget, of course.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
What is the volume of incoming gas?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Today, the volume is 3 million cubic meters of gas per day. This is enough for household consumption, for generating electricity at the State District Power Plant of Dnestrovsk on gas for consumption in Pridnestrovie and partially for industry.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Vadim Nikolaevich, how has the energy crisis affected the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian settlement process? How are the negotiations going now, is there a dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol? Is there any progress in resolving the problems?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
We have a problem with this in fact. I am always traditionally for dialogue. Everyone knows my position. I have never hidden it and said this 5, 6, 7 years ago, 10 years ago and today. I am saying that the only way to solve problems is dialogue. Let's see how our dialogue is developing today, with whom we are talking. The "5+2" format de jure exists, but de facto it does not. Pridnestrovie and the Russian Federation traditionally advocate its resumption on a platform where it is possible to discuss problems, possibly solve them, find some understanding, sign some protocol and continue to implement it in the current legislation of the parties at the same time. This is probably the most important result of any signed agreements that are being reached or have been reached before. But the format does not work. Everyone says that this is impossible naturally, that there are military actions in Ukraine, that Ukraine and Russia cannot be seated at the same negotiating table. This is highly doubtful. I will explain why. We have a peacekeeping mission of joint peacekeeping forces in Pridnestrovie, which includes peacekeepers from the Russian Federation, Pridnestrovie and Moldova. There are working bodies of this peacekeeping mission called the "Joint Control Commission", where specialists from Moldova, Russia, Pridnestrovie and Ukraine sit at the same table and perform their functional duties, solve some problems, make decisions, sign some documents. That is, the mechanism is working. This is, of course, a great success and a good result. Therefore, I am convinced by this example that convening the "5+2" format is possible. It is quite possible and necessary. I would like to remind you that it was Moldova that practically froze the "5+2" format in 2019. It did not destroy it, so to speak, but froze it by not signing the final agreements in October, I think, in Bratislava. Then there was an attempt to re-sign – it did not work – in the fall of the same year, 2019. That's all. Moldova did this deliberately so that this platform would cease to be a negotiating platform, so that there would be no dialogue in fact, so that Pridnestrovie would not be in this dialogue. Do you understand? It was obvious. I already stated this then, if you look at the archival records, I spoke about this directly and said that this was unacceptable, this could not be done. Then the pandemic, then the hostilities, and now there are allegedly arguments. There are objective arguments allegedly. No, these are not objective arguments. This is simply an attempt to use a certain misfortune in their own interests so that there is no dialogue. This is one point, yes. Therefore, I say again that Pridnestrovie, insists and will be consistent in this in terms of resuming the "5+2" format, where all parties participate, in order to achieve peace here, in this territory, in the regional space as a whole.
I would like to tell you once again what the 5+2 format is. It is a very serious international platform, which includes Pridnestrovie, Moldova as parties to the conflict, Russia, Ukraine as guarantors, the OSCE as a mediator, and the United States of America and the European Union as observers. Please, imagine by and large, everyone who is even interested somewhere, has already been implemented in this format, has a connection to it, has the right to vote and has the right to influence. Therefore, common sense suggests: this is what is needed today, and this is what needs to be launched today.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Whose political will is needed for this mechanism to work, and what role can the OSCE play in this?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
The OSCE is a mediator, but the OSCE is not able to revive the work of the 5+2 format. I think that all parties to this format should declare that this is necessary. I think that everything is possible. We cannot bury the “5+2” format. It exists de jure. I repeat that for now it is not being restarted for purely formal reasons, but I think we are close to this, and the “Permanent Conference…” will resume, there will be a meeting and working groups will convene again on the problems that exist. Naturally, these working bodies of this format must resolve these problems, analyze them, conduct expert research, send them to their representatives and make decisions on them. The dialogue is not only “5+2”. I am also talking about another, more specific dialogue – when leaders of states and leaders of regions speak. This dialogue is also absent, by and large, it officially does not exist. This is also bad. It is precisely the absence of this entire dialogue platform (let’s return to the energy crisis) that is the root cause. The absence of dialogue. I am convinced that if the President of Moldova, the Prime Minister listened to direct information from me during the negotiations, they would probably make some different decisions, because they would have complete objective information. Not just formal, but objective information. If I say something, I base it on facts. Facts are stubborn things. You can reject them, react to them negatively, but they exist. There is no escape from this. Of course, we must speak therefore. If, for example, Moldova is embarrassed to speak about economic issues, although there is no escape from them either, then we have the most important issue, an important issue, the number one issue – maintaining peace. Dialogue is important in order to prevent any provocations, in order not to be instruments in cunning combinations. Naturally, I am sure of this, that the leadership of Moldova thinks about peace, does not think about war. Although look at how many different opinions, different speculations on the Internet. Who knows where the truth is? This truth can be determined, discovered, revealed in a direct dialogue, when you look each other in the eye. Therefore, we have traditionally never threatened anyone in Pridnestrovie, and we are not going to threaten our neighbors. We want to find common ground in order to maintain peace, exclude provocations, and conduct a dialogue on the problems that exist between Pridnestrovie and Moldova on the contrary.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
There is a global issue. The presidents of the United States and Russia are currently negotiating. Many people in the world are following this. Do you think this detente will affect our region, will it help maintain peace and stability here?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
Any negotiations are good. I have always traditionally been in favor of the negotiation process. This is very good if negotiations are ongoing, this is already a result. God grant that they reach the final point and benefit these or those states, so that hostilities cease. I am always in favor of negotiations as I have already said. This is not even up for discussion.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Pridnestrovie and Moldova marked a mourning anniversary, the beginning of military actions on the Dniester in early March. Many paid attention to the statements of Moldovan leaders, who literally according to a template said that the war was unleashed by Russia, and Pridnestrovie is an occupied part of Russia. How does Tiraspol feel about such statements?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
It is enough to recall the war of 1992. It is documented in actions. It is necessary to look at the root causes of the conflict as such. War is already the last stage of the conflict. There were certain events that were the forerunners of a major conflict naturally. How can we forget about the law on language? In Latin font. The Moldovan parliament, contrary to the will of the deputies of the left bank, adopted a law on languages in 1989, while the Soviet Union was still in existence, although it was already weak, but nevertheless the Soviet Union still existed. If we recall history again, we can talk about the pressure that our parliamentarians from the left bank, from today's Pridnestrovie, experienced, about the persecution of them, about the murder of these deputies, including by terrorist organizations. The law was adopted. The law imposed only one language for one, so-called, titular nation. There was no Russian or Ukrainian language there. None. No regional, none. Naturally, a conflict. This is the root cause of the conflict. Your grandfathers, great-grandfathers spoke, in which you studied at school, in which you see dreams - Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, any other when people are deprived of the language that your parents spoke. They tried to take it away, which created, generated a conflict situation. If they had not touched the language, I am convinced, everything would have been different, there would have been no conflict. The conflict only heated up. Naturally, the people spoke for their rights, the workers' collectives spoke. It was people who defended the interests of Pridnestrovie, if we recall that time. Not some incomprehensible and invisible forces – no. People, work collectives, the people of Pridnestrovie went out into the streets as work collectives and defended their rights. The right to speak their native language, the right to life and freedom here in Pridnestrovie. What happened next? Moldova took out of its legal field Pridnestrovie, the Pridnestrovian region. For example, if any crimes of any kind were committed here, our citizens could not go and write a statement to the police in Chisinau or Caushany, Varnitsa, anywhere: statements were not accepted. Crimes were not investigated. Help was simply refused. Naturally, the same situation arose with pensions and salaries. What should people do to protect themselves, to rely on someone, to simply live without fear for tomorrow, to protect themselves? Of course, to create elements of a state, to create a police force, to create a prosecutor's office, to create courts, to create elements of a state, which later became a state – the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, having protected itself. By and large, Chisinau had leverage to reach an agreement, to make concessions somewhere, to return the Russian language to the people. They did not use it. Apart from militant statements about the need to demolish the city of Dubossary, to plant corn there, there was nothing else.
The hot phase of military actions in Pridnestrovie was June 19, 1992. I would like to remind you that on June 18 - a day before the invasion of the city of Bendery (more on that later) – the Moldovan parliament made a decision on an exclusively peaceful solution to the Pridnestrovian issue. That is, the Moldovan parliament declared: we do not want war and will resolve the Pridnestrovian issue only peacefully. That was June 18, 1992. And on June 19, the armed invasion took place of mobilized units took place in the afternoon. It was not just some special police forces that came in on the run and quickly brought in the so-called constitutional order. No. Mobilized units of the Moldovan armed forces came from three directions: the Chisinau direction, the Varnitsa and Caushany directions. You know, any person, even one who is not very knowledgeable in military affairs, will say that in order to mobilize and prepare people, at least two months are needed. That is the minimum. Even more. This includes support, uniforms, weapons, setting tasks, and so on. That is, when the parliament made the decision on the so-called peaceful solution to the Pridnestrovian issue, the order for the invasion had already been given at the very top. This is about who to trust, how to trust, how to continue the negotiation process and, most importantly, with what guarantees.
I would like to remind you of an important point. There was a commission in Bendery that monitored the preservation of peace that time. It was a civil mission, not a military one. This mission simply ran away at the first shots in Bendery. Then the Pridnestrovian guards caught them, rescued them, protected them and sent them to a safe place. None of them died. Following the military actions, they did not even bother to write any report, any certificate to show the invasion and who was guilty of it. Naturally, Moldovan units entered the city of Bendery and began to establish the so-called constitutional order, as the then President of Moldova said, shooting everyone they came across in the city of Bendery, destroying the city of Bendery. It was an invasion of Pridnestrovie, in particular, the city of Bendery. Dubossary fought, but the city of Bendery took the brunt. Blood flowed like a river. Naturally, the leadership of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Igor Nikolaevich Smirnov, observing all this happening, to whom did he turn? Of course, to the Russian Federation. The 14th Army was stationed on the territory of Pridnestrovie, and the people asked for elementary protection. Protection, you understand? Protection from this lawlessness, protection from these invasions, from these murders, from this robbery. After all, Moldova was engaged in pure robbery. This is a robber, you understand? He breaks in, robs, rapes and kills. We must protect the people.
The peacekeeping mission of Russia on the banks of the Dniester began with the introduction of peacekeeping forces, with the signing of an agreement between Moldova and the Russian Federation (in the presence of President Smirnov, Mircea Snegur and Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin signed) at the end of July 1992. This peacekeeping mission included peacekeeping forces from both Pridnestrovie and Moldova. It turned out to be trilateral. The basic component is, of course, Russian. We are grateful to them, of course: Russia stopped the fratricidal war here. No one occupied anyone. Russia stopped the war here, the Moldovan invasion of Pridnestrovie and the subsequent casualties. I have already said that people die on both sides in the war. Participants in the events from Moldova say that Russia occupied. No. Russia saved your lives. It is not a fact that you would be alive if the conflict had dragged on. There are many examples of this unfortunately. The war must be stopped, of course. Which is what the Russian Federation did here, on the banks of the Dniester. Russia, conducting a peacekeeping mission together with the peacekeepers of Moldova and Pridnestrovie, is successfully solving its tasks today. The JCC and JMC bodies are working, that is, the Joint Control Commission and the Joint Military Command – the mechanisms of the peacekeeping mission. Peace is being maintained. The most important thing is that peace is being maintained. So what occupation are we talking about, what aggression are we talking about? No. These are all facts, the facts are there, as they say. Of course, you can distort them, but facts are stubborn things. The lies sooner or later show up and look like lies. In principle, that's it. We know that the truth is on our side. We are not aggressors. We did not attack, we defended ourselves. We defended the elderly, children, women, we defended Pridnestrovie. We defended the right to live on this land and the right to speak our native languages.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory, but in neighboring Moldova a scandal has erupted around the textbook "History of the Romanians". You have spoken out about it many times. In fact, fascism and the crimes of the Romanian occupiers are being rehabilitated there. Why do you think this is happening now? Why is Nazism being justified?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I cannot say that this is happening right now. This has happened before in principle. You know, with soft steps, soft paws. They tried to take one step – everyone is silent. The second step – everyone is silent. One statement, a second, a third statement – everyone is silent. It is time to publish a textbook, to document themselves – and now they are not silent. I still want to turn to history, there are fundamental things.
If we talk about the Second World War in general, about the winners, about the losers, then there were states fighting of course – the fascist axis states against the Soviet Union and the allies of the Soviet Union. There were such states, of course: Great Britain, the USA, and other smaller states. If we talk about fascist Germany, the axis states – that was practically all of Europe. What was at the heart of this war? The war was an ideology, in fact. We can already say after the fact who lost and who won, who profited from the Second World War in the end. The main defeat was suffered by the Nazi-fascist ideology, which enslaved the European states. These European states became victims of this ideology as a result. The Soviet Union, the Soviet soldier liberated Europe from the fascist-Nazi ideology. That is true. He liberated Romania from this ideology, and Hungary, and Italy, and Slovakia, and Germany in the end, and other states-satellites of Hitler. I will not tell and retell the horrors of fascism and Nazism in Europe, about gas chambers and ovens, where people were simply exterminated on an industrial scale. This is clear, this is history, it is obvious to everyone. It is obvious that in many European countries it is legally prohibited to rehabilitate fascism and Nazism, using the symbols that were used by the states of the fascist axis. By the way, there is also legislation that has been adopted in Romania, which prohibits the rehabilitation, justification of Nazi criminals and those persons who are guilty of genocide and mass extermination of civilians or war crimes. It is strange to observe that in Moldova, which also suffered from fascist occupation, Nazi occupation, not only attempts, but there is already a direct rehabilitation of Nazi criminals. That is, they are not simply trying to rehabilitate states – Germany or Romania – no, they are trying to rehabilitate the Nazi-fascist ideology in the person of Antonescu and their henchmen. Do you understand the nuance? Those people who are making this attempt, they consider themselves defeatists in World War II, they consider the Soviet Union an occupier, but Nazism and fascism lost.
That is, they are rehabilitating fascism, Nazism as an ideology, probably being its modern followers. That is what is scary. Antonescu as a person is simply a criminal, but he was the bearer of the Nazi-fascist ideology. If we dive into history again, March 19 was the anniversary of 270 people being shot in Rybnitsa. For example. People were also shot in March in Dubossary, in other cities of Pridnestrovie, when the Soviet army was advancing. The Sonderkommando in Dubossary shot about 18-20 thousand people of Jewish nationality in September. If there are followers of the "feat" of Antonescu and his henchmen in Moldova, let them familiarize themselves with this history. If they agree with it, let them openly declare it: that it was normal, that shooting women who were holding infants in their outstretched arms with one bullet is normal. Do you understand? Let them say this and take responsibility for it. Let me remind you what a distortion is going on. Approximately 150 ghettos were located on the territory of Pridnestrovie in fact. The numbers are already decreasing. They are already saying somewhere around 30-40, and the number of victims seems to be smaller, and Antonescu seems to be no longer involved. It is directly stated that 8 thousand officials were sent here from Romania to carry out all these activities in the Romanian history textbook, a textbook for Moldovan schools, printed in Russian (this is a separate conversation): create ghettos, prepare executions, and so on, administer all these processes, persecute local residents. Of course, the "great conductor" Antonescu gave direct instructions to do exactly this. This is completely obvious. Naturally, being in fact a victim of fascist-Nazi ideology.
I want to remind you how Romania left the war. Antonescu was arrested after the Jassy-Kishinev operation, on August 23, I think. Romania moved away from the fascist axis and became an ally of a completely different side. Many Romanian servicemen had already participated on the side of the Soviet Union in the further development of World War II by and large. Let me remind you that Tsar Mihai was awarded the Order of Victory, the highest order of the Soviet Union, and Antonescu was shot by a Romanian court for his crimes.
An attempt at rehabilitation is, of course, blasphemous. Some Moldovan officials say that it would have been better if the Soviet Army had not liberated us, we would be living very well and wonderfully now. I don’t know. I still suggest that everyone come to Dubossary, get acquainted with the site of the tragedy, get acquainted with the methods of killing people, how it all really happened. There are confessions, there are eyewitnesses, there are people, I even talked to them, who got out of the execution pits and left at night and survived. We are talking about a girl. She is now deceased, of course. This girl is of Jewish nationality, she was saved in this way completely by accident. All this is the grief of our land. These are thousands, hundreds of thousands of ruined lives in the so-called “transnistria”. This is a tragedy. This is pure fascism and Nazism. The rehabilitation of this does not even look strange, you know, it is blasphemous. It is difficult to find the word. Absolutely inhuman. I don't know what these people are thinking.
Let's get back to the textbooks. These people who are trying to rehabilitate Nazism are followers of Nazi and fascist ideology, let's say. Perhaps, this is their choice. But the textbooks are written in Russian. Textbooks for schools where they teach in Russian. There are five Moldovan schools in our territory with Romanian as the language of instruction for schools that are in Pridnestrovie. These textbooks are being sent to Pridnestrovie. Why is this being done? I have already addressed the citizens of Pridnestrovie. I am not against teaching in Romanian. This is normal, as in any other language. If this is your choice, this is normal. But pay close attention to what history your children study in these schools. So that it doesn't turn out that in a couple of years your children will say: Mom, Dad, you are occupiers here, and it turns out that my grandfather was an occupier, and my great-grandfather was an occupier, the one who participated in the Jassy-Kishinev operation. It is scary. It is a long game. The people who print these textbooks, are their authors, and are well aware of their actions. They not only rehabilitate Nazism and fascism, they try to instill this in the younger generation, accusing the liberators of occupation. Naturally, we will resist this. I am an anti-fascist and anti-Nazi. Those around me profess exactly these views. The entire Pridnestrovian people profess these views. Fascism and Nazism will not get through here. They will not get through to Pridnestrovie. It is the duty of every person to resist Nazism and fascism, to fight them. If you lay flowers at the graves of the fallen, that is good. If you take a portrait of your grandfather and march in the Immortal Regiment, that is good. If you honor veterans, that is good. We must fight. Evil is near, we must fight it with available means. Which is what we are doing.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean recently stated that there are no military threats from Russia. The militarization process continues in Moldova at the same time. You probably know that in February they received 29 new American vehicles fully armed. The EU approved the allocation of 40 million euros for military needs, 33 vehicles, again armored and air defense systems. How does Tiraspol feel about this? Are there any risks and threats for Pridnestrovie?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
I only welcome the fact that the Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Recean, stated that Russia is not a threat. It is always dangerous that a neighbor is arming itself. Of course, we pay attention to this. We monitor the means that Moldova receives: defensive, offensive, what systems, how they can be used in a real situation. I cannot say that Moldova is preparing for a war with Pridnestrovie today. I say this quite openly and with full awareness of my statement. The fact that they are arming themselves is, of course, bad, but you understand that when there is military action all around, everyone is probably concerned about their own defense to one degree or another. To what extent this assistance will be and what weapons Moldova will receive in the future, this will be seen later, and then, perhaps, there will be other conclusions. I do not see any military preparations on the part of Moldova in terms of the intent to attack Pridnestrovie today.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
New Ukrainian ambassador to Moldova Paun Rohovei has been appointed. Are we currently maintaining any contacts with Kiev, and how do you assess this personnel decision? He was involved in the Pridnestrovian settlement issues.
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
This is an internal matter for Ukraine. The fact that there are contacts with the Ukrainian ambassador is normal. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I can contact if necessary. I think this is quite normal, reasonable. The fact that Ukraine wants to fully resume consular services in Tiraspol is good. We have about 80 thousand Ukrainian citizens permanently residing in Pridnestrovie. They have problems with documents. There are a lot of refugees from Ukraine, who also have problems with passports, with documentation, and children are born, documents need to be issued. Therefore, if the Ukrainian consular office in Tiraspol starts working, it will be easier for people of course. This is good.
Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:
Your initiative in the summer of 2022, which you expressed to the Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vitaly Tryapitsyn that it is necessary to sign a document in the "5+2" negotiating format on guarantees of peace and security for Pridnestrovie. Is it relevant? Does Pridnestrovie need guarantees of peace and security now?
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky:
You know, as far as peace is concerned, everything is relevant. One or another document can be signed for the sake of peace, especially within the framework of the "5+2" format. I am sure that when this format is resumed, this will be the number one issue - namely, guarantees of peace here, on the Pridnestrovian land.
