Press conference of the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the creation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (transcript)

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Good afternoon, dear representatives of the media. It has become a good tradition for the president on the eve of the Republic Day to answer journalists' questions. It would seem that there have been many such conferences and other meetings, but new questions constantly arise. Why? Because some events are happening. Life moves forward, this is normal, and I am interested in answering your questions. You get something new from my answers.

Igor Avrenev, TSV:

Vadim Nikolaevich. Things are raging around Pridnestrovie as usual. Our neighbors are still at war, other neighbors are still being armed –"for the sake of peace" of course. How do you assess what is happening around us and our role in all this?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

I will probably get a comprehensive answer. Let's start with the fact that the times are clearly turbulent. This is understandable. Unfortunately, there is a war in the neighboring state. Our border is more than 400 kilometers long. War is always bad. I support the desire for peace and hope that an agreement will be reached and the war will end on the territory of Ukraine. This position is clear and understandable. It has always been, and I have never changed it. Everything is cyclical – from one electoral process to another in Moldova. Internal problems there are connected with this in many ways in principle – when certain forces that are very different from each other in their choice of vector sort things out. Please, pay attention: any elections turn into not a choice in Moldova, for example, of a party or a choice of a specific person – the president, but a choice of the path of development of the state. Everything is clearly divided there, it is visible. People who have different positions express their opinions as best they can. There is an unsettled electoral situation in Moldova, let's call it that. All this affects us naturally. Returning to Ukraine: if someone thinks that this will bypass us, he is mistaken, as I initially said back at the beginning of the military actions on the territory of Ukraine. such a global war cannot pass by. It will still affect the economy, people, relationships, opinions, and so on in any case.

As for Moldova, you just said that they are arming themselves. We should still look closely at what they are arming themselves with, how they are arming themselves, what they are doing in this part. I will express my opinion. I do not see any belligerence on the part of the President of the Republic of Moldova, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. There is no such thing. I do not see that these people, these officials want a war between Moldova and Pridnestrovie. Of course, the statements of other people, including officials, are alarming nevertheless. For example, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. He bragged that they are acquiring FPV drones. We understand that FPV drones are offensive weapons, not long-range, but at a short distance. He, the Minister of Defense, bragging and enjoying himself, told how they are arming the Moldovan army with FPV drones. If they think that this will scare Pridnestrovie, they are making a mistake. I think that they are scaring their own people more. Because this is not about peace. This is about war. I think that this Minister received comments addressed to him. I am convinced of this. Nevertheless, such statements are alarming. The fact that the state is arming itself (again, depending on what and how), we are watching and assessing this. I hope that those people who are at the helm of the Republic of Moldova (meaning the top officials) do not want war. They understand the absolute destruction for Moldova in the event of a war with Pridnestrovie. I can clearly say that Moldova will not see a single provocation from Pridnestrovie. We want only peace, one hundred percent, and we will resolve any issues, even the most difficult ones, exclusively at the negotiating table. This is my position, I have not changed it. The situation is consistently difficult today, but we must be patient, restrained and not succumb to the provocations of certain narrow-minded people.

Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, good afternoon. Everything is raging around Pridnestrovie. There has been a crisis in the negotiation process since 2019. You have said more than once that if there had been a dialogue, many problems could have been avoided, including the gas crisis that we experienced in January of this year. What is happening with energy resources now? Should we expect a repeat of the situation this coming winter?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR: 

Yes, we need to look at the root causes of any conflict in general. If we take the history of six or seven years ago, we will see the following picture: it was Moldova that broke almost all the negotiating mechanisms, leaving only political representatives who do not have much influence on decision-making, on the current situation by and large. The most important format, the large negotiating platform that was previously presented, is the "5 + 2" format. I would like to remind you that it was destroyed by Moldovan politicians in 2019. I will not name them by name, everyone knows very well what kind of politicians there were in 2019. But it was then in October in Bratislava after the "5 + 2" meeting that Moldova refused to sign the final protocol. They gave the opportunity to re-sign in November, but Moldova refused in November as well. The "5 + 2" format has not worked by and large since then. The pandemic began then, which had its own subjective and objective factors. Unfortunately, military actions began in Ukraine, which had their own subjective and objective factors then. All of this is beneficial to someone. Moldova makes it clear and says that it is impossible to assemble the 5+2 format today. Moldova’s position – we do not want to work in the 5+2 format at all. Some of the participants in the 5+2 format support it, in principle. Our position is different. We are in favor of resuming the 5+2 format. We insist on this format in order to discuss all sorts of issues that arise, like the Russian Federation and the OSCE mission. There are many of them. The most important thing, of course, is issues of peace, issues of preventing war, issues of stability, issues of eliminating any provocations, issues of economic cooperation, resolving many social issues, and so on. The absence of such a negotiation format definitely does not remain without consequences. Consequences are coming. This is the gas crisis, this is the energy crisis, these are other crises that can only arise. You simply cannot express your position, convey the true picture, there is misunderstanding and problems arise when there is nowhere to talk. There is also no dialogue in the "1+1" format. Moldovan and Western politicians call meetings of political representatives the "1+1" format. Perhaps they can be called that as well, but they are not able to decide or discuss certain issues due to their functionality and their powers, let's say. This is the level of the president or the prime minister, but such meetings do not exist, unfortunately. This is also bad. Therefore anything is possible, of course. Any development has its right to exist. We must know this, assume it and prepare for it. Which is what we are doing. We will not allow panic here, the destruction of the Pridnestrovian statehood and the loss of life, of course. I can tell you this for sure. If someone expects that some crisis will break Pridnestrovie, as they did during the gas crisis, they are simply mistaken. They simply do not know what the Pridnestrovian people are, what kind of people live here.

Olga Zavyboroda, Moldova 24 TV channel:

If we go back one question, when we talked about the upcoming elections to the Moldovan parliament. One month exactly remains until the voting date. I would like to know in this regard, how did Pridnestrovie, in the Administration of the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, react to the fact that the number of polling stations for voting by residents of Pridnestrovie was simply catastrophically reduced. They wanted to open only ten of them, then they agreed on twelve, but this is still two times less than there were in the elections in previous years. Tell me, how did Pridnestrovie react to this reduction?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Let's take it this way. The last elections to the parliament. 41 polling stations were opened for citizens of Pridnestrovie who have Moldovan citizenship four years ago, in 2021. There were no problems. People voted. There were certain obstacles, of course. Nevertheless, those who wanted to cast their votes, exercised this right and voted. Thirty polling stations were opened for the elections of the President of the Republic of Moldova. According to my information, the same number should have been opened for the parliamentary elections, which we are expecting on September 28. In addition, the amounts to finance the opening of 30 polling stations were included in the Moldovan budget. That is, the decision was made on 30 polling stations, as far as I know in principle. We suddenly heard the opinion then that this is too much, supposedly, the electoral activity of the Pridnestrovian people, who have Moldovan citizenship, has decreased. Here are the numbers for you. No questions. Let's now remember what the elections of the President of the Republic of Moldova looked like the last time. Allegedly mining of bridges, allegedly mining of polling stations, suddenly some repair work on the road. Imagine, they went and dug up the road: we are laying a pipe, they say. Okay, fine, lay the pipe. Naturally, everyone observed the number of vehicles in Rybnitsa direction, in Kamenka direction in Bendery direction, in Dubossary direction. Many people turned around and left. They were simply not allowed in. Here is the answer to the question of why electoral activity was reduced. Regarding electoral activity. Our citizens watch Moldovan channels, Moldovan media. All this hysteria that is happening in Moldova, as far as the elections are concerned, it also affects our citizens who have Moldovan citizenship, and the ongoing political processes, of course, affect the electoral interest of Pridnestrovian citizens who have Moldovan citizenship. We must provide them with the right to choose, of course. The position of Pridnestrovie: whoever wants to, go ahead and vote. We have witnessed a reduction in the number of polling stations. They opened 12. What followed? This was followed by an appeal from the Supreme Council, city and district council deputies, public organizations, the Human Rights Commissioner and other organizations demanding that the number be left as it should be: 30, better 41, of course, as it was in the parliamentary elections, but not less than 30. But the decision has been made, as I understand it, is already final. Although Moldovan citizens living in Pridnestrovie have appealed this decision in court. We are waiting for the court's decision, and we will be guided by it. How many will there be, 12 or 30, depending on the court's decision and the decision of the Central Election Commission, accordingly, our Pridnestrovian citizens will express their right at those polling stations that will be open. If we look at this picture as a whole, we see the number of polling stations opened, for example, in the Russian Federation – 2, in Ukraine, according to my information – 2, in Israel – 2. This is probably how the Moldovan Central Election Commission sees the electoral saturation with Moldovan citizens, this is how they ensure the right of Moldovan citizens living abroad to cast their vote. This is their vision. I do not want to discuss it, in principle. I understand that this is wrong, but what is there to discuss? Let the court make the decision.

Viktor Berezhnoy, the "Parliamentary Newspaper":

Vadim Nikolaevich, the formation of Pridnestrovie was proclaimed 35 years ago at the Second Extraordinary Congress of Deputies of All Levels. What were the prerequisites, what preceded this, why did the Pridnestrovians decide to separate from Moldova?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

A pressing question. 35 years have passed, but the reasons still exist today. I am now watching and listening to some "analysts" who talk about "the interests of the directors of enterprises of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, business", that now there is a new wave of businessmen, and they are only holding Pridnestrovie. They modestly forget about the reasons that formed the basis of the people's choice at the same time. The people's choice is the independence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. I will outline. I hope that I will be heard.

First. 1989. August 31 - September 1. Adoption of the law on the language in the Latin script. It is the Romanian language in fact. The people who wrote in Cyrillic for many decades and centuries suddenly became Latins. Well, it was your choice – the choice of the people living in the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Naturally, the Russian language, the Ukrainian language were deprived of any status at the same time. Only the Romanian language remained in fact, although it was still called Moldovan. A short period of time. This was probably the trigger, the impetus for mass discontent, for mass protests of people living in Pridnestrovie. We remember all this, we see it. There is video evidence when tens, hundreds of thousands of people came out and protested against this decision. This was not done for nothing, dear ladies and gentlemen. What defines the state? The state is determined by language, literature, history, art, traditions and so on – that which is connected, in principle, with nationality. The foundation was laid for the formation of a new community in historical Bessarabia and in today's Moldova – Bessarabian Romanians. I understand this very well. Those who did this also understood it very well. But those who rejoiced, they did not understand what they were doing. They were taking the path of destroying their historical statehood. What happened next? The so-called parade of sovereignties came then, when all the union republics suddenly became independent. The Soviet Union began to collapse. Through betrayal and collusion of the party elite that existed then in the post-Soviet space. These are traitors to the people. I always speak openly about this and do not change my opinion. The state fell apart. These patches appeared. Their own ideologists appeared in each territorial entity who began to form, let's say, their own history, explain the events that were happening, blame someone and make certain decisions. Moldova also embarked on the path of independence, but unlike all the union republics that declared independence from the USSR, Moldova went further. They recognized their own state within the borders of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic as an illegally created territorial entity. They say, Stalin created it, the Bolsheviks created it, the Soviet government created it, it’s all illegal. The people were not asked. Let me remind you that the Moldavian SSR was created after certain geopolitical, not yet catastrophes, but geopolitical treaties, such as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. As a result, Bessarabia was annexed to the MASSR, to the existing MASSR with its capital in Tiraspol. The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was created. So, Moldova officially, by a decision of parliament (think about it: parliament is the highest legislative body), recognized this territorial entity as illegally created. That is, they do not recognize the borders of the Moldavian SSR. This was a renunciation of Pridnestrovie in fact. De jure. Please note, not even de facto, but de jure. That's all. This was done a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Then, after the history of the Soviet Union was drawing to an end, on August 27, 1991, the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova was adopted. If you read the documents in fact, listen to the experts and those who took part in this and now openly talk about the time when it all happened, that this Declaration of Independence was actually written by Romanian lawyers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then this Declaration can hardly be called pro-Moldovan. It is absolutely pro-Romanian, but the deputies voted, right? They voted. There they again confirmed the illegality of the creation of the Moldavian SSR. They wrote in it that there is a Pridnestrovian people, the people of Pridnestrovie, who have rights. This is what is written in this Declaration, read it carefully. They wrote that the people have the right to self-determination. They wrote that there is only one language in Moldova – Romanian. There is no Moldovan language in Moldova from that moment on because the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova has the highest legal force according to the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova. Only the Romanian language. The acute question of how to survive has become in Pridnestrovie when Moldova, the central government, abandoned the Pridnestrovie. We are not together de jure, even more so de facto. Naturally, in order to protect our lives, our freedoms, our rights, in fact, elementary state mechanisms began to be created, which later transformed into ministries, departments, government and so on. The people were looking for an opportunity to protect themselves. The empire was collapsing with a terrible roar. The people were robbed of their homeland. These are the conditions in which we, the Pridnestrovians, found ourselves. No business elites, no, it is the people. The people made their choice. For their own protection. This is true. They later realized in Chisinau that they had made a mistake. They decided to correct it with war, with blood. Do you understand? President Snegur gave the command to invade then. I think he did. Who else could? After all, by and large, Moldova did not name those who gave the command to invade Pridnestrovie. They did not name names, and, of course, people were not held accountable for their actions. Hundreds of people died. No one was held accountable for this. There was no special operation, special forces, special police units here, on our territory. No. These were the mobilized armed forces of the Republic of Moldova that invaded the city of Bendery. Dubossary was shelled before that. They invaded the city of Bendery. This is a tragedy, in fact. Military force was used against the civilian population. This must be clearly understood. This is a war crime. We are waiting for those responsible to be named. On the contrary, those who killed the Pridnestrovian people here, civilians, are honored as heroes who allegedly fought for a united Moldova. What Moldova united for, if you destroyed it yourselves? There was no unity of Moldova. It was destroyed de jure by the Moldovan parliament, the Moldovan government. As for the agreement in general, I would like to remind you that the invasion of the city of Bendery took place on June 19, 1992. The Moldovan parliament made a decision on a peaceful resolution of the Pridnestrovian conflict the day before, on June 18, 1992. And a day later - the invasion of the mobilized army. That is, the army had been preparing for this war for three or four months. Understand. It was a powerful blow in the back. Why? Because the city of Bendery was unblocked. It was unprotected. Armed people invaded there. They started shooting at vehicles, at enterprises, at people. What did this cause? Of course, people's protest. This is an elementary conclusion. People's protest. People wanted to protect themselves. They did it in the end. The people died. I feel very sorry for these people – both the defenders of Pridnestrovie and the civilian population. I feel very sorry for those people who died, let's say, on the other side of the barricades. They were simply pushed to the slaughter, under absolutely false slogans "for a united, indivisible Moldova". They were deceived. Those who died, they died for nothing in fact. I feel sorry for them too, of course. But how could I? They are people. I personally have never felt any joy over the deaths of Moldovan citizens. We are not aggressors. The Pridnestrovian people are defenders, yes, but not aggressors. Then there was a difficult negotiation process and a number of referendums, and here we are today.

These are the reasons that stand at the forefront. No business elite, no leaders, etc. hold Pridnestrovie in their "tenacious hands". This is not true, this is a lie. What I told you is true, this is the truth. They are simply trying to invent something, make us forget, and so on. Some more challenges are emerging today, in the new era. Well, let's say, the law on separatism. Everyone criticizes it, including the OSCE, Europeans. Why? Why was it necessary to single out and criminalize this term? If anyone is a separatist, it is not us, but you. You destroyed the Moldavian SSR with your decision. So bring your deputies to criminal responsibility, if it comes to that, in accordance with this law. Why? This also does not bring us closer, but distances us. The destruction of the "5 + 2" format does not bring optimism either. We also need to think about this.

Modern ideology of Moldova. We can focus on this separately. For example, a textbook from Moldova. It is called "History of the Romanians and General History". The textbook for grades 9-11. The question is: why should we, Pridnestrovians, study the history of the Romanians? Please explain it to me. The history of the Romanians has never extended to the left bank of the Dniester. Historically, there has never been a Romanian state here. Yes, there was only a ghetto called "transnistria" in 1941-1944. Fascism and the totalitarian "Antoneskov" regime. Yes, that was. There are five of them with Romanian as the language of instruction in our schools, they study this history – the history of the Romanians. No one in Pridnestrovie will understand, I can tell you for sure, why the history of the Romanians should be studied in Pridnestrovie. That is only the cover. If in historical Bessarabia, in today's Moldova, they want to study the history of the Romanians, that is your desire, your right, please, as they say. But we will not have this in Pridnestrovie. This is the first thing. Next. Take the contents of the textbook. This is the rehabilitation of fascist criminals. The fascist criminal, historical, war criminal Antonescu and his henchmen. I want to remind you that 150 ghettos were built on the territory of Pridnestrovie. People were killed in the most brutal way. They were burned alive, buried alive in the ground, shot. The number is from 200 to 400 thousand, the data varies. It is impossible to count these people. The numbers are huge. We will open a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Dubossary on September 12. About 20 thousand people of Jewish nationality were shot there. I think not only Jewish. When I study the documents, I have access, I get the impression that the Nazi criminals, including those in the Antonescu administration, tried to please their leader Hitler with their cruelty, tried to kill the local population as cruelly as possible. They probably got some kind of bad pleasure, I don’t know. It’s hard for me to explain. All these reports to the Gestapo, Goebbels, Himmler, Hitler. It’s like they were organizing competitions. People were burned alive in Chisinau, people were burned alive in Odessa, children with their mothers were shot here. It’s hard to explain. It happened right here. We should study the history of the Romanians? These people are rehabilitated in Moldovan textbooks. Well, excuse me. At the same time, there is an opinion of authoritative platforms, those who deal with the problems of the Holocaust in Israel, Bucharest, by the way. These are both European and American platforms, not to mention the conclusion of our Pridnestrovian State University in the part that yes, this is a direct rehabilitation of fascist collaborators and specifically Antonescu. The position of the Ministry of Education of Moldova is surprising. They do not see any problems in this. It is like water off a duck's back for them. So what? They are trying to rehabilitate. I would like to voice my opinion once again. The Germans, or the Magyars, or the Bulgarians, or the Poles, or the French, or the Romanians did not lose. No. Ideology lost in this terrible war, in World War II. All these nations were victims of this ideology. The Soviet Union with its allies, of course, saved these nations from this most brutal ideology, the fascist-Nazi ideology. We saved them: our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, my grandfather fought. We saved them, Europe, from the fascist-Nazi ideology. Those who are trying to rehabilitate are attempting to rehabilitate not the state that allegedly lost, but the regime, the ideology. This is scary. We need to talk about this openly in my opinion, not be afraid, demand an unambiguous correction of the history that is present there. That's about it. Therefore, there are a lot of reasons for conflict and misunderstanding of each other. It is very difficult to eliminate them. You understand, I am not against, for example, the Romanian language. In no case. The Romanian language exists. This is a fact. People who were born with the Romanian language, they have the right to speak Romanian. No one is going to fight the Romanian language. There is also the Moldovan language in my feeling and knowledge. Of course, there is the Moldovan language. It has the right to exist. There is such a platform, it is called ISO – the register of world languages. In 2008, the Moldovan language was removed from there, and only the Romanian language was left. Please note, none of the leaders who were presidents, ​​prime ministers and so on, did nothing to return the Moldovan language to the state of Moldova. So it happened. The foundation was laid in 1989 for the formation of a new nation – Bessarabian Romanians. The people who live in Moldova study the history of the Romanians and everything that is written there now. Excuse me, this is the choice of the people living in Moldova. We do not live in Moldova. We live in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. We have our own choice and our own view of history. We will never call our grandfathers and great-grandfathers occupiers, they are liberators. That's the question.

Alexander Karasev, the Pridnestrovie newspaper:

Vadim Nikolaevich, my question will be somewhere close to the one you answered. What, in your opinion, is the uniqueness of the Pridnestrovian state? What positive experience do we already have in this regard that other states can use?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

We can probably talk about the uniqueness of Pridnestrovie for a long time, but I will highlight the main thing. The main thing is interethnic harmony. We show how people of different nationalities, different ethnic groups, different religions should live. We are tolerant of our neighbors. Pridnestrovians love their neighbors. This is the most important thing. There is no hatred in society. This is the most important thing. We can share this with all our neighbors. Please note that we have Russian schools, Ukrainian schools, and Moldovan schools. We have three official languages ​​– Russian, Moldovan and Ukrainian. We are ready to create other schools, any kind, and to make several more languages ​​official, if there is a request for this and there is a need for this. Absolutely no problem. It seems to me that if mono-nationality were replaced by multi-nationality, many countries today would not have problems and wars. These are definitely problems, conflicts and wars when a state follows the path of mono-nationality and elevates one nation above another. Pridnestrovie shows how to live in a large multi-national family. If we talk about the Pridnestrovian people in general, we have a very rich history, starting with the village – with the Scythians, Celts, Goths, Huns, Crimean Tatars and so on, Kievan Rus, the Galician state, the principality, of course. If we approach the current Pridnestrovian people specifically, it was formed in the middle of the 18th century. Crimea became part of the Russian Empire then, therefore, the northern Black Sea region up to the Dniester became part of the Russian Empire, but the lands were uninhabited. There were few people. Such statesmen as Catherine the Great, Prince Potemkin, Suvorov, were concerned about the small population here and (here is a very important point) suggested that the inhabitants of the Russian Empire come here and live here, and not only of the Russian Empire, but also of foreign countries. What did the Russian Empire give to the people here? It gave the most important thing: freedom and land. There was no serfdom here. There was a lot of entrepreneurial activity here, taxes were reduced, there was no military service, and so on. Moreover, here everyone could adhere to their religion without any pressure. Therefore, there were a lot of synagogues here, a lot of Baptist churches, there were Old Believers. Orthodoxy, Catholics, Baptists, Old Believers – these are all our traditional confessions that have existed here since the emergence of the Pridnestrovian people. I do not differentiate between them, to be honest. I am an Orthodox person. Of course, I was christened in the Orthodox Church, but I treat everyone equally. The people do the same, as does the president. For example, history: there were 32 synagogues and 10 Orthodox churches in Bendery by 1917. Of course, time turned everything upside down, changed everything then. There are Orthodox churches, there is also a synagogue today. I think this is fair and quite appropriate. This is also our history. The Pridnestrovian people began to form from that moment. Pay attention to the Moldovan villages here, on the territory of Pridnestrovie. What year were they formed? The end of the 18th century – 1790-1792 again. Bessarabia was still annexed by the Ottoman Empire that time. The Ottoman Empire did not give people either land or freedom, it only taxed them. People came here to live in whole villages. The Russian Empire took them under its crown, protecting them. That is how Moldovan villages appeared. Other peoples appeared here, living here. There are 72 nationalities, ethnicities living in Pridnestrovie, having deep roots of the Pridnestrovian identity and the history of Pridnestrovie today in total. The Pridnestrovian people are traditional: they clearly remember their roots, their history, and are proud of it. I always say that any nation has heroic pages, there are also tragic pages, and they must be known and talked about. Without blurring one history and exalting another. In no case. History must go like links in a chain: each link connects the next, if you break one, the whole chain will collapse. Therefore, the historical memory that permeates the Pridnestrovian people is also an achievement of the Pridnestrovians. If we recall the Immortal Regiment on May 9 this year: rain, downpour and hundreds of thousands of these umbrellas. People came in such weather and will come in any weather. No one drove them away, no one called them there, people just came. Why? Because people remember their history, remember their ancestors, respect them. This is even a form of civil protest, I tell you. This is a form of civil protest against the dominance of lies and distortion of history, when people, the ancestors of these people are called occupiers. I think that the number of people expressing this protest, respecting their history, will be only increase from year to year. The Pridnestrovian people are people-defender, people-worker, people-winner. It is impossible to bend or break Pridnestrovian people.

Yulia Gorlova, Sputnik Moldova agency:

The eighth month of probably the most difficult year in the history of Pridnestrovie is ending. What is happening in the economy now, taking into consideration a number of non-operating industrial enterprises, and unclear prospects for electricity supplies? How is this affecting the lives of Pridnestrovians? What are the forecasts? Is there a possibility of compensating for lost income?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

The year started hard, that's true. The gas crisis, or rather the lack of gas as such in the first months affected the work of our enterprises, of course. The consequences are still evident. We feel this in relation to the budget. There were attempts to limit the supply of gas to operating enterprises in addition to the gas crisis. We did not allow this. Enterprises receive gas in the amount required for their work ultimately. There were statements by some Moldovan politicians that gas should not be given to Pridnestrovie at all – only for social needs. It is clear what it was all leading to – mass crisis and a possible escalation of the conflict. Thank God, there are smart people, and they did not allow this. In addition, there is a big problem with the export of finished products by our Pridnestrovian enterprises. Moldova simply does not allow exports, including to European markets, for an absolutely incomprehensible reason. This concerns enterprises operating in the territory of Pridnestrovie. All this affects our lives, of course. Naturally, incomes are falling. We fulfill all our social obligations in full as of today. We were forced to cut development programs, which is very bad. We hope that we will restore this in the future anyway. We are saving a lot, as of today. We are saving a lot and supporting those enterprises that have found themselves in an energy and economic crisis.

The forecast is as follows: I think everything will be fine and stable. We are ready for any development of events. Of course, we are not sitting idly by. Those who generated the gas crisis were sure that Pridnestrovie would simply collapse, that hospitals would not work, there would be no heat in places of detention, correctional institutions, orphanages, kindergartens, schools, and so on. But they were wrong. They were wrong and disappointed that we were able to prepare. The gas shutdown was not an unexpected action for me personally after all. I assumed, the government assumed, those who were supposed to, received their tasks, we prepared. Therefore, we did not leave any places of detention, hospitals, correctional or social institutions without heat. Everyone had heat. Business and people who were left at home for a certain period of time without heat suffered more. We supplied gas for cooking at the same time. That's the story. God willing, this will not happen again. We are doing everything for this. Naturally, we are preparing alternative sources. This concerns solid fuel boilers, this concerns additional burners on liquid fuel, this concerns renewable energy. Yes, we are working on it and making progress in this direction.

Irina Shkal, "First in Moldova":

Returning to the topic of parliamentary elections that await us in September. You touched on the topic of blocking bridges last year. The question is in view of this, how do you assess the risks of new provocations in Pridnestrovie this year?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Considering the fact that there were no investigations, no legal consequences of the actions that had already been committed, no one was punished, and they limited themselves to information that something had been mined, I assume that there were no operational and investigative measures to identify those who called, who allegedly mined the bridge or the polling station. Therefore, anything is possible, of course. We must prepare for this, we must assume this.

Dmitry Matveyev, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel: 

Vadim Nikolaevich, the situation around Gagauzia has become a bright marker of political events this year. We all know that its leader, the Bashkan, was arrested in March, then she received 7 years in prison. Is this story any event for Pridnestrovie, from which a certain conclusion can be drawn?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Yes, it is very instructive. I will divide the events around Gagauzia into two parts. This is the legal position of Gagauzia itself, its rights as an autonomy in the Republic of Moldova and separately the factor of the Bashkan – Mrs. Gutsul.

We have been observing Gagauzia for a long time and we see that the autonomy is gradually turning into part of a unitary state, absolutely without its own rights. Of course, this worries us, we draw the appropriate conclusions. This is our right, and we also emphasize this in the negotiation process, naturally. That is, we show what autonomy is. I am convinced that if we are to build some kind of common state called Moldova, it must be exclusively federal or confederative, otherwise it will not survive. The example of the autonomy of Gagauzia.

As for Mrs. Gutsul, I cannot evaluate the criminal case – I have not seen the materials. I can say one thing: this is mostly an economic case, and 7 years of imprisonment is a lot from the point of view of law enforcement practice, judicial practice. There are other types of punishment: suspended sentences, fines, and 7 years. This is very alarming. This is a lot. This is obvious revenge of the state on this person and a lesson to everyone else. I will not evaluate the case materials, I cannot do this, because I simply have not seen them. This is a court decision, and the court is the law. The fact that it is harsh.

Irina Levitskaya, TSV:

Vadim Nikolaevich, our republic will celebrate its anniversary in a few days. Pridnestrovie is 35. What of our plans have we managed to implement, what still needs to be implemented in your opinion? What are the main difficulties that have prevented and are still preventing our state from living stably, developing, raising the standard of living of our people, replenishing the budget, and so on in your opinion?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR: 

Of course, there are many achievements. They gradually follow from the interview in principle. Our main achievement, of course, is the further development of the community of the "Pridnestrovian people". Without any, as I said earlier, national, religious, ethnic or other conflicts. We invest our strength and resources in the development of each people living here on the contrary. This is the creation of the state itself, statehood, the mechanism of the state, of course. This is law and order and security. This is a very low crime rate in Pridnestrovie. I will give you some figures so that you simply understand what we are talking about. There were 3600 people in places of imprisonment who had committed certain criminal acts when the people elected me president. There are a thousand people today. We are even closing the prison in Kamenka, because it is empty. This is a very good sign. Therefore, if someone suddenly says that we are a "police state", they know absolutely nothing, they are just provocateurs. We have a special attitude towards people who are in places of deprivation of liberty due to the low crime rate, the low threshold for committing criminal acts, naturally. In fact, I am a supporter of this model: a person should be deprived of liberty only when he or she poses a public danger, a danger to society, to people. Yes, unfortunately, there are people who are inclined to commit crimes, who commit them. This is the case everywhere – even in the most civilized, figuratively speaking, and developed state, social system. They are everywhere. Unfortunately, there should be prisons. These people should be limited, naturally, from society. Based on this position, this understanding, we began to apply parole, amnesty acts, pardons, and gradually, gradually, the number of those serving sentences decreased. If you look at the ratio of the number of people deprived of liberty to a thousand of the population, then we have 2 times less than in Moldova, so that you also understand. We have an average European level. This is an indicator, a good indicator. What hinders the development of the state? The external factor. Unfortunately, the external factor had a very strong influence, as I have already said. The military actions on the territory of Ukraine had a very strong influence. This is a tragedy. Of course, it had a negative impact on the economic development of Pridnestrovie. This is also the economic pressure from Moldova – of course, it also has an impact. I assure you, if normal freedoms and rights were given to our economic entities, the region would be much more prosperous than it is today. I am convinced of this. All this would be reflected in pensions and salaries. There is no doubt about it. We implemented our development programs even in the conditions in which we found ourselves. Take the Capital Investment Fund. We repaired or built about six hundred facilities. These are healthcare facilities, social facilities, schools, kindergartens, correctional facilities, orphanages, housing and communal services facilities, sports grounds, parks, and so on. It's all in plain sight, basically, you can see it all with your own eyes. Of course, it is largely sequestered today, unfortunately. We are doing some work, especially in the healthcare system. But I would like more. I would like good investments in Pridnestrovie, so that people invest money here, revive enterprises, and Pridnestrovie develops further. The people definitely deserve this, and it will happen sooner or later. I have no doubt. It's just that we are going through such a historical period. At the same time, we must do everything in our power to maintain stability and development even in these conditions despite the external factor, here, inside, in Pridnestrovie.

Zinaida Kitskan, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

You touched on development programs, specifically the Capital Investment Fund. We remember very well how the fund worked, how the appearance of kindergartens, schools, and community centers in our villages changed. Work is being completed on those facilities that were started earlier this year. I would like to ask if the Capital Investment Fund is planned to work next year, and if so, what will we have?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

The Capital Investment Fund is constantly developing, of course. We have plans. It's just that the plans will be considered from the point of view of possibilities, but those facilities that have been started, they will be completed. We are talking mostly about healthcare facilities. This is the Republican Clinical Hospital: this is an infectious diseases hospital, this is a cardiology department, this is a blood transfusion station, this is a food block and a canteen, and many other small facilities on the territory. This is an infectious diseases center, including an administrative building. These are polyclinics in Slobodzeya, in Grigoriopol, a hospital in Kamenka. There is a very big problem with the ambulance station in Tiraspol. The box has been raised, it needs to be finished. Of course, we will bring these objects to mind, to the end, to implementation. New objects will already depend on budget revenues and on the elimination of those crisis phenomena that actually take place in Pridnestrovie.

Alexander Koretsky, "News of Pridnestrovie" information agency:

Vadim Nikolaevich, today you have already raised the topic of the causes of the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict, the elections in Moldova. The following question In this regard: is there a political force in Moldova today, a party with which it is possible to conduct a dialogue, restore this dialogue and solve the problems that have accumulated between Moldova and Pridnestrovie over all these years?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

God willing, that there is. I really hope so. Because I am only for the negotiation process, only for dialogue. If such appear, I will be glad. I would advise any political party to answer an elementary question. Who are they in Moldova? What kind of people are they: Moldovan, Romanian, Bessarabian? What is the history? What is the real language? Who are you? What people live in Moldova? Naturally, the factors that I have outlined can clearly say that de jure and de facto, a new Romanian people live on the territory of historical Bessarabia and modern Moldova. Because the language, history determines this. The language is Romanian, the history of the Romanians. That's it. How do people feel? In fact, of course, those who will watch will say, well, what kind of Romanians are we, we are Moldovans. No questions. I agree. There are a lot of people who live in Moldova and consider themselves Moldovans. But you still speak Romanian. No, we speak Moldovan. There is no Moldovan language. It was removed from the list of world languages. None of your leaders or parties bothered to restore it. So, unfortunately, that's how it is. First, I think, the political forces in Moldova need to figure out who they are, where they live, what kind of people they work for. Much will depend on this, and probably dialogue. I want dialogue. I am ready to talk to any party, any leader, because, as I have already said, any issues should be resolved at the negotiating table, no matter how difficult it may be. In fact, starting a war is easy. Ending it is very difficult. You are all smart, literate people, you observe the ongoing processes, and you probably understand the truth of my words in the end. Any opportunity to preserve peace must be used. All issues should be resolved only at the negotiating table. If there is a war, it must be stopped. Preserving peace is actually not an easy process. I am ready. Of course, I am ready to fight for peace by peaceful means, to prevent the escalation of tensions, war on the territory of Pridnestrovie. Of course, this will not happen here. Once again returning to the Moldovan political elites: I do not see their desire to fight with Pridnestrovie. Thank God. Of course, it is necessary to slightly adjust certain provocative channels that like to speculate, to wind up, to create an escalation in reality. They are not journalists, they are just paid people, they are doing their job. They are propagandists. They are not journalists. It is necessary to distinguish journalists from paid propagandists and individual officials, individual politicians or deputies, who are also, let's say, inclined to provoke escalation. Of course, they need to be adjusted somehow in Moldova in order to prevent global upheavals. They are absolutely not needed.

Alexander Lagutin, RIA News:

Vadim Nikolaevich, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in an interview recently that the Pridnestrovian settlement process requires the withdrawal of Russian troops from Pridnestrovie. She added that some geopolitical opportunity may soon arise for this. Do you foresee what kind of “some geopolitical opportunity” is? How do you generally assess the Russian military presence in Pridnestrovie today?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

We should have asked the President of Moldova to reveal what she means by “political opportunity”. I will not guess or fantasize. This is impossible. This is the first thing. Second. Let's start with how Russian peacekeepers appeared here. We return to the textbook “History of the Romanians and World History”, which states that Pridnestrovie together with Russia started a war with Moldova. But this is a lie, of course, a lie and a provocation of those historians who write this. This is not history, it is just a lie, a propaganda lie. Moldova started the war in fact. The invasion of Dubossary, the provocations in Dubossary, the invasion of Bendery are proof of that. I have already spoken about this, I will not repeat myself. The war lasted 40 days and ended with the signing of a peace agreement. Let me remind you that it was signed by President Snegur, President Yeltsin in the presence of Igor Nikolaevich Smirnov, the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. According to this agreement, peacekeepers entered the agreement. It was Russia that stopped that war. It was bad, it was a catastrophe. It lasted only 40 days thank God. You see on TV what war is. You see what is happening between Ukraine and Russia? And far from 40 days. What are the consequences. You are watching them. Here the Russian Federation stopped it then, did not allow the development of consequences, those that could well have happened here: both in Pridnestrovie and in Moldova. That is, Russia is a peacekeeper. There are still trilateral peacekeeping forces. Let me remind you that it is not only Russia that carries out a peacekeeping mission: there are peacekeepers from Pridnestrovie, there are peacekeepers from Moldova – this is a joint peacekeeping mission that protects peace on the Dniester. There are mechanisms of a peacekeeping operation. This is the Joint Control Commission, the Joint Military Command, where Ukrainian diplomats and Ukrainian servicemen are also present. That's all. No others have been created so far. Let me remind you of the history of the invasion of the city of Bendery. This is to the point that many Moldovan politicians are talking about replacing the military peacekeeping operation with a civilian mission. We observed the behavior of the so-called civilian mission on June 19, 1992. They all scattered around the city of Bendery like mice. It was difficult to gather them together later. Thank God, everyone was alive, healthy and sent, so to speak, to their countries. This is a civil mission. They did not even bother to write any report on the beginning of military actions. They self-destructed. They were scared. That's all. Here is a civil mission for you. The form of peacekeeping cannot be changed yet. By the way, according to the very concept of the negotiation process: first the status is determined, and then the issue of the presence of peacekeeping forces, military presence will be considered, and not vice versa. Therefore, there is only one chance – to preserve peace, in my opinion. It exists, and we must take advantage of it. Whoever declares the withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from the territory of Pridnestrovie today plays into the hands of belligerent sentiments after all. Someone can take advantage of this moment. Therefore, peacekeepers are the guarantor of peace in the territory of Pridnestrovie today. 

Dmitry Matveyev. First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, continuing this topic, I would like to ask a question about the activity of international mediators who participate in the negotiation process. We see that representatives of embassies and so on frequently visit Tiraspol. Do they currently have a vision of any objective resumption of dialogue with Moldova? Is there a plan on the table that is being discussed, or is this a prospect for the distant future?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Yes, there are many visits. The European Union Commission and the OSCE mission are also active, and individual ambassadors of individual states, of course, come, are present here in Pridnestrovie, conduct dialogue with me as the President, with other officials. I am glad that there is dialogue at least at some level and stage. I do not see any general consolidation, any general agreement to resume work in the "5+2" format. This is an internationally recognized platform, and not all of its participants are ready for it yet, so to speak. Let me remind you that the “5+2” format is Moldova, Pridnestrovie, Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, the OSCE and the United States of America. I suppose that the moment will come when reason will prevail and everyone will return to the platform that was. It is impossible without it. Everything else is artificial, you know. These “1+1” attempts, some negotiations between officials the working groups that exist are a continuation of the “5+2” format. That is, it kind of doesn’t exist, but the working groups kind of work. They don’t work with the same intensity, because there is no feed, there is no feed of the “5+2” format itself. All of this is fading away little by little to be honest. We return to all the problems that exist again. Of course, there are absolute cause-and-effect relationships: the lack of negotiations and problems. There must be negotiations. I am ready to sit down at the negotiating table with any Moldovan politician and discuss the problems that actually exist as I have already said. Naturally, we advocate for the resumption of the permanent meeting of the “5+2” format. 

Nikita Kondratov, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, they said that the economic situation is difficult, and the Pridnestrovians feel it. Economic pressure from Moldova plus the echo of the gas crisis, budget revenues, taxes have fallen, and this means salaries and pensions. Public sector employees received their salaries in two stages in July, and in August the situation returned to normal. How are things, have you managed to accumulate some reserves? Will salaries and pensions be calculated manually in the future, or can we already say that the situation has improved?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

We must always tell the truth. Of course, it will be in manual mode for now. That's how it is. The situation is still far from stable, because enterprises are not working at full capacity, you understand? Here, the manual mode is envisaged to a greater extent by the Government, the Supreme Council, the President – the authorities in general. So far so good.

Olga Laznevaya, press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs:

A lot of attention is paid to the issue of improving living conditions for the population. A lot of attention is paid to safety. I would like to focus on the situation on the roads. The state has done a lot. The "Safe City" system is expanding. The media broadcast social videos. The traffic militia conduct endless raids and preventive measures. Unfortunately, the situation remains difficult. A recent fatal accident. The driver had 64 violations over the past 5 years, 25 of them for speeding. He pays the fines, but continues to violate the rules. There are such examples, there are many of them. What can discipline drivers in your opinion? Increasing the amount of fines or introducing a point system? Maybe there are other solutions?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

I will start with the meaning of making any decision. I have repeatedly stated my position: where it depends on human life, spot everything and save the life. Saved a life – you'll figure out the rest. That's about it. Therefore, any legislation that covers human safety or life should be more specific and even tough, of course. People's lives depend on it. I just remember the numbers, some statistics, about 50-60 people died on the roads of the republic per year at one time, somewhere around 15 years ago. Half of them were intoxicated, maybe even more. Speeding in many cases is also associated with the use of alcoholic beverages or drugs. The state began to fight toughly with those people who drink, so to speak, and get behind the wheel. We have really tough legislation, it even provides for imprisonment for such acts, it provides for the confiscation of a vehicle by the court and even provides for a lifelong deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle. This is in a number of individual cases when there is a fatal outcome of an accident. Traffic militia officers constantly report that they identify citizens who still get into trouble while drunk or under the influence of drugs while driving. Nevertheless, the adoption of tough measures against this category of citizens has led to the fact that in the republic, the death rate on the roads is no more than 20 people per year. Here is the answer to the question. Yes, tough, but we manage to save 30-40 people per year only thanks to this position. This is not a small number. This is not just a person. These are families, these are tragedies, these are orphans, these are wives, these are parents, and so on. Many criticized, they say, harshly. Wait a second – here is the result. Speeding is also one of the causes of death on the roads, let's say. I have also spoken about this and am speaking about it: we need to come up with a mechanism so that those who systematically violate traffic rules are also deprived of their driving license and are forced to retake exams, and take some psychological tests and so on, passing certain bureaucratic barriers to obtain the right to drive a vehicle. This is, perhaps, a point system. Although it is criticized in those countries where it already exists, nevertheless, it plays its role. If a citizen is a systematic violator of traffic rules, or more simply, the law, then appropriate measures must be taken against him. Deprive him of the right to drive a vehicle and send him to retake the exam. Maybe he forgot or does not know that the speed limit should not be exceeded, for example. Or single out a block of violations, for example, speeding. For speeding three times a year – again deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle. I suggest that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Supreme Council together with me work and come to a formula for what to do with malicious violators of traffic rules. I know such individuals (I asked for specific data – not now, a little earlier), who commit more than 100 traffic violations per year. Yes, they pay fines. So what? They treat it with disdain and consider it, as they say, their right to live like this. No. You live as you like, but do not create a threat to others.

Igor Avrenev, TSV:

Vadim Nikolaevich, regarding the road issue – validators. The validators have been working for a month now. Can we draw some conclusions: what does the state see, what has the state received from introducing validators, what will happen next? Maybe the prices for travel on public transport will change? What will happen?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Why were validators needed at all? What is a validator? No one understands this word yet. It is just accounting, roughly speaking, for a general understanding, it is a cash register. Please, imagine that passenger transportation activities were not accounted for. That is, it was completely unclear how much money a legal entity receives for its activities and what it pays taxes on. Finally, the state came to this. This should have been done earlier, much earlier – to introduce accounting of passenger transportation. This applies to municipal transport vehicles, such as trolleybuses, buses, and private ownership – it makes no difference. Just accounting. Accounting presupposes income amounts. Income amounts presuppose taxes. Represented by the government sees after the state the results of its work, conducts an analysis, it will make a conclusion. Yes, carriers need some benefits, because they cannot handle the transportation of passengers, for example. Or maybe, on the contrary, the question of reducing routes will arise, because there are too many of these routes. Let's say there are 70 now, figuratively speaking, but it is enough to leave 40. By and large, the problem of transporting passengers is only in the passengers themselves, or rather, in their absence after all. Do you understand? If they were there – a lot of passengers, then there would be no problems. Their absence forces, let's say, to violate somewhere, to hide the amounts of income received, and so on. We need to sort this out and move on to understanding how many vehicles are needed, how they should work, on what routes, and, naturally, whether those carriers that exist need these or those tax breaks. It is precisely the validators, this accounting serves this, in order to move on to a normal understanding of things, to a normal relationship between carriers and the state. This is the goal. It will definitely be achieved.

Viktor Berezhnoy for the "Parliamentary Newspaper":

Vadim Nikolaevich, we have already raised the topic of history. What is being done in Pridnestrovie to preserve historical memory?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

A lot is being done of course. It is difficult for me to separate my activities as President from the concept of historical memory. We live, we form this historical memory today and we document it. But if we look at the physical aspects, then historical memory is expressed in monuments. A monument is memory, you feel it, right? We allocate funds for this, we repair all the monuments to the defenders of our Motherland. This also concerns the memory of the participants in the Great Patriotic War. This concerns the memory of the defenders of 1992. This concerns the memory of the defenders of the First World War and the memory of those defenders who defended the interests of the Russian Empire during the existence of the Russian Empire itself. As you can see, all the monuments have been mostly repaired, brought into proper condition, and most importantly, there is memory on these slabs – there are names, there are events, there are facts. This is the most important thing.

In addition, I have already spoken about this, there are tragedies naturally. For example, the tragedy of the Holocaust. We have opened several new monuments – specifically in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. We are carrying out major repairs in Dubossary. I have already spoken about this. September 12 is the date. It was on September 12, 1941, that the executions of unfortunate people began there, on this site. We will open an already renovated memorial. Despite the financial difficulties (they exist, of course), we are investing a lot of money there. The memorial is large, frankly speaking. We want to make sure that this place does not need to be repaired for many decades, it is made thoroughly and efficiently.

These are museums. The same museum quarter, the opening of the museums of archeology, paleontology in the Pridnestrovian State University and on the territory of the Catherine Park. The construction of the museum quarter, where history will be presented from archeology to the present day – this is the early and late Middle Ages, this is the Russian Empire on the banks of the Dniester, this is the MASSR, this is the era of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union and the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. This is important. Of course, if we are talking about tragedies, this should not be forgotten either, we have the Museum of Victims of Political Repression near the bastion of St. Vladimir, on the site of the execution of these unfortunates, where a temple was built, where the reburials took place. This is also our history. We must learn certain lessons from it. This is true. Historical memory is in this. Not just in words, but in deeds, probably. Not probably, but for sure. I can say for sure: in deeds. We confirm here with our actions the historical memory that is preserved by the entire Pridnestrovian people.

Alisa Kokhanova, the Gomin newspaper:

We have recently been experiencing a significant shortage of subject teachers in schools. How will this situation be corrected?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Yes, there is a problem. It is very significant. Answering the question, I will expand the parameters of the answer a little. They are connected with the school as such, as an institution. If we talk about Pridnestrovie, of course, we have rural schools, and there are also city schools. A third of the population, please note, lives in rural areas, and there should be a rural school. It is absolutely unacceptable to reduce the number of rural schools, but there are nuances. There are small villages where a small number of people live and a small number of children study at school: 5 people, or 10 people, or two, or three, or four. Those citizens or officials who say, even if only two people study, there must be schools, they do not understand what they are talking about. I will explain why. Because not only children must be represented there, full education must be represented there, that is, there must be teachers of mathematics, physics, history, literature, Russian language, foreign language and all other subjects that are present in the educational institution’s curriculum. We must give children not just a school, walls, we must give them a full secondary education. We began to consolidate rural schools. We did this last year. You saw how we did it. At first, we bought buses to transport children to the school center, and only then did we begin to engage in this reform. Senior classes were reduced in some schools. Elementary classes were left at the same time. That is, all schools are there. Schools operate everywhere from first to fourth grade. What is a school from first to fourth grade? It is a school with one teacher. One class – one teacher. That is, it is easier here. There is no need to look for teachers of physics, chemistry, literature, mathematics, and so on. We preserve the school as a center of attraction. In no case does anyone aim to reduce the number of schools. They are being strengthened on the contrary. Rural life is the center of traditions, the center of cultures of the peoples living here in Pridnestrovie. Schools are the center of traditions, cultures, and languages. We will preserve this. There are problems with teachers of physics, mathematics, Russian language, literature, and so on in city schools and in larger rural schools. I will not list them. We have an educational institution to solve this. This is the basic Pridnestrovian State University. The program that we launched five years ago is bearing fruit. All graduates who graduate from higher education institutions, secondary specialized educational institutions on a budgetary basis must work in state institutions, including schools. If these are higher education institutions – 3 years, if secondary specialized – 2 years. That is the order. We assign teachers to schools in this way, with this mechanism. There were no contractual relations, and they simply did not go to work in educational institutions previously if graduates graduated from a university on a budgetary basis. Other mechanisms are in place now. If a graduate violated his contract and does not go to work at a school, he is obliged to pay the state the money spent on his education. This mechanism also works. If you graduated at your own expense, that is, on an extra-budgetary basis, then go ahead and you have a free diploma, you can get a job wherever you want. But if you studied with budget funds, sorry, you have to work. This applies not only to education, it also applies to healthcare and other areas of state activity. Of course, the state should think about certain benefits for teachers, this applies to salaries, this applies to benefits, this applies to housing. This is a separate topic for discussion. We are working in this direction of course. There are certain results, but this is not enough. We need to strengthen. Ludmila Soltan, Adevarul Nistryan newspaper:

You said that we are preparing for any scenario with gas, and mentioned solid fuel boilers. We are saving. If I understand correctly, social facilities are a priority, but I will voice the question of parents who are tired of distance learning. Does the state plan to equip all schools and kindergartens with boilers so that children can study? I understand that it is expensive. Are we able to service them?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

You understand, a solid fuel boiler is not just a stove into which a conditional watchman Vasya throws firewood. It is a complex mechanism. You need to know how to operate it. If it is operated incorrectly, it will not give heat. It will simply burn out. Therefore, if we are talking about, say, some kind of power element, such as a solid fuel boiler or a liquid fuel boiler, it does not matter, specialists are needed here. They must be there. This is a team. These are night shifts. It's not that simple, but we do it. In case of a state of emergency. For example, Kamenka. They have a solid fuel boiler in their second school, the central one. They installed the very first one there. The boiler was made in the territory of Pridnestrovie, at the Elektromash plant. It is capable of heating the entire school. By the way, it works even better than when the school was heated with gas. That is, it provides a sufficient amount of heat. In certain situations, it would be better to gather students in one school for a certain period of time to study in person. For example, a kindergarten in the city of Kamenka. The kindergarten is also equipped with a solid fuel boiler, and its capacity allows all children from Kamenka to be accepted into this kindergarten. This is the solution to the problem. Naturally, it is not only impractical, but physically impossible to provide all schools, of which there are 160, with boilers. We are quite capable of creating training centers equipped with heat. Which is what we are doing.

Irina Rusnak, TSV:

There was a question about energy security. I wanted to return to this topic, since it worries most of the residents of our country. Is it possible to talk about any prospects for the development of this situation at the moment? What will it be like, what awaits us, is it already clear? We have talked about general education institutions, hospitals, but nevertheless. Do we have a plan "B" in case of negative scenarios? You said that we are counting on positive ones, but nevertheless.

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

We have a plan "A", "B", and "C". Different events, different consequences can happen. In general, the topic of alternative electricity cannot be resolved in a year or in six months. These are long-term plans. If you have noticed, our domestic investors are mastering the topic of investing in renewable electricity now – electric panels, generating electricity through sunlight. This is also a large program. The program requires certain investments. All this is very relevant, promising and within our capabilities in my opinion. But not in a year, of course. We will move towards this and, perhaps, we will come to the point where the sun will generate, say, 50% of the need of Pridnestrovie for electricity. God willing. Of course, we work with colleagues from the Russian Federation, we work with Moldovagaz, we work with Moldovan officials. This is all combined to ensure that gas does not stop coming here – for the needs of enterprises, for the needs of the population, and for the needs of electricity generation. I have not yet heard statements from officials who make decisions that this will be stopped. On the contrary, there are positive views on maintaining the balance in Pridnestrovie in terms of energy supply. This is also a lot of work. This work is not shown in the media, but it is carried out almost every day, I assure you.

Olga Marchuk, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, there are about five state programs in Pridnestrovie for the treatment and prevention of various diseases – HIV, oncology, cardiovascular diseases. Many of our patients are treated abroad at the expense of our budget under state programs. Please tell me, will the current unstable economic situation somehow affect the provision of these services? And will these programs be extended?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Of course, the economic situation affects everything. This is understandable. As for healthcare, this is people's lives. Human life is at the forefront: do everything to save a person's life, the rest is probably secondary. That is why these programs work. With this or that funding, but they work. Who do we treat abroad? Those whom we cannot cure in the conditions of Pridnestrovie, if there is not enough capacity, specialists and equipment, among other things. In my opinion, about 5000 people have received treatment abroad since 2018. Please consider that this could be every life saved. 5000 people. Of these five thousand, a little over two thousand are people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. We perform these operations in Chisinau, we perform them successfully and continue to do so. This year, we have performed more than 200 such operations, despite budget difficulties. The next area is hip joints, knee joints. Many operations were performed in Moldova under the relevant agreements. We pay for them. Pridnestrovie pays for it. Moldova does not do this for free. This is understandable, this is natural, this is normal. You have to pay money for everything. Hip and knee joint replacements have already been fully mastered by our surgeons at the Republican Clinical Hospital. Hundreds of such operations have already been successfully performed in Tiraspol. Of course, we will already be directing funds to our specialists, to purchase the appropriate joints, to conduct the appropriate operations, to improve the qualifications of these doctors. What we cannot do, we will continue to do in the territory of the near and far abroad. We are talking about cancer patients and isolated cases of diseases that cannot be treated in the territory of Pridnestrovie to a greater extent.

Zinaida Kitskan, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, you have already touched upon educational institutions, kindergartens, schools. Here is a specific question about Bendery, namely, about several kindergartens that have suspended operations, and a school in Lipcany. What is the reason for this decision? Is this a demographic problem or what? Parents are asking.

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

I am familiar with this problem, of course. I have received relevant applications from citizens. I will repeat once again that citizens who write to the President can be sure that I review all mail. I spoke with the head of the state administration. The problem is more demographic. You understand, the city of Bendery used to have 140 thousand people. There are about 75-80 thousand now. Something like that. The number of schools and kindergartens cannot be maintained at the same level. We get situations when there are 20 children and 25 service personnel in a kindergarten. This is not economically feasible. There is a half-empty kindergarten literally next door at the same time. No one is talking about throwing these children out on the street and depriving them of the right to attend kindergarten. In no case. We are talking about consolidating these kindergartens, going in this direction. That is, the kindergarten has simply outlived its usefulness, because there are simply no children there. The school is the same. The same reason. The same problem.

Dmitry Matveyev, First Pridnestrovian TV Channel:

Vadim Nikolaevich, Pridnestrovie again faced a wave of fraudulent calls just yesterday. There was some kind of record number of them. Probably, it was possible to extinguish this yesterday with the help of the media and so on, but this phenomenon continues, and the residents of Pridnestrovie one way or another still fall for their bait. The same is connected with the problem of involving young people in the so-called dealer work of distributing drugs. Work is underway in this regard, but I would like to clarify: what are the results at the moment and is it possible to cope with this problem?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR: 

Let's start with the calls from fraudsters. We know very well where these fraud centers are located – on the territory of Moldova. The territory of Moldova is a difficult segment for us to access. We are forced to fight those who come directly to Pridnestrovie in order to fraudulently steal money from gullible citizens. Who is used? Basically, citizens of Moldova – young people who are told the following story: Pridnestrovie – to Tiraspol, to Bendery, somewhere else, there is no police there, there is nothing there, do not be afraid, just go, take the money, bring it, and everything will be fine. Who falls for this? Some fall for it because they come. They come – we detain them. Naturally, a criminal case is opened for fraud. The person is deprived of freedom or another measure of influence is applied to this citizen from the point of view of judicial practice, a court decision. Not only Pridnestrovie is subject to these fraudulent attacks. Probably, this is a disease of the entire post-Soviet space. Of course, we must engage in the fight against these fraudsters. Naturally, we must engage in the appropriate propaganda, that is, bring information to people so that they do not become victims of such fraudulent divorces. This is one component. The second component is the distribution of drugs on the Internet. As for the fight against illegal drug trafficking, this has always been given increased attention in Pridnestrovie. I worked as the Minister of Internal Affairs, I was also the Chief of militia, and I know all this from the inside. The fight is a fight, but we must also engage in prevention. We must engage in very serious prevention. There was a teachers' conference on August 22. I gave some information there and recommended that our teachers also delve deeper into this work and conduct appropriate work with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prevent these crimes. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will conduct a series of lectures, as they did before. I gave instructions that everyone who is a listener of these lectures (these are children from 15 to 18 years old such a cross-section of those who can already be involved in this criminal activity) sign that he listened to the lecture and knows the measures of responsibility for these acts. If he is a minor, he is under 18 years old, his parents sign for him. Such registration logs will appear in Pridnestrovie. It should not be just a lecture in vain. What do I personally encounter? They document a minor. What did he do? He is 16 years old. There are real examples, I will not tell names, they are not needed. Moreover, criminal cases are being investigated. He himself went online. He himself found those who distribute drugs on the Internet. He himself expressed a desire to participate in this. He himself negotiated for earnings and carried out their instructions on the caches, where he was detained by militia officers. You should also understand: this is a complex crime, it is hidden, latent, it is not easy to document. The strictest measures are applied to him when such a dealer is detained. This includes restriction of freedom and, ultimately, deprivation of freedom. Everyone should know this. We make reports, the Ministry of Internal Affairs deals with this. We interview those children, minors, who are convicted and are in places of deprivation of liberty. Not only minors, but in general. They say: yes, they made a mistake. This is bad. This is all shown and told. To say that therefore they say that we did not know that it was so harsh... There is a court verdict. The court makes a decision. According to the court verdict for drug trafficking, 23 years, do you understand? Remember the story with this so-called political prisoner who ended up on the lists? Moldova called him a political prisoner. He received 23 years of imprisonment for drug trafficking – hard synthetics. We went to meet him halfway, handed him over to the Moldovan police. He was also wanted in Moldova for similar crimes. There he was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment. That is, he moved from one prison to another – from Pridnestrovie to Moldova. But the Moldovan authorities called him a political prisoner. No one understood why he was a political prisoner, but the fact took place. He was simply hiding in Pridnestrovie, lived in the Slobodzeya district for almost a year and returned to his criminal trade. He sold drugs to Pridnestrovian citizens, for which he was detained and convicted, but we returned him to Moldova, and he continues to serve his sentence there. Illegal drug trafficking is the scourge of the entire world, in my opinion. Here in Pridnestrovie, we also find the strength and means to fight this criminal act, understanding that, of course, this crime lies as a foundation in many other things in the social behavior of the population, the people who are engaged in this, and it affects other crime, its spread. Fortunately, if we compare the figures for prosecution for non-medical drug use, for illegal drug trafficking, of course, they are per thousand of the population is several times less than in neighboring countries. This is the result of the prevention and the fight that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, other law enforcement agencies, and the state as a whole are waging.

Natalia Kozhukhar, Radio 1:

A lot of attention was paid to the issues of educational development at the recent pedagogical forum. In particular, the new Concept of educating schoolchildren in the spirit of patriotism, in the spirit of preserving historical and cultural heritage. This is precisely the emphasis now, because in an unstable world we find the foundation of stability in properly educated youth?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR: 

Let's start with the youth. I often communicate with the youth, including those in this room, and I will say that there are very good youth in Pridnestrovie. Please, do not believe those who say that the youth today is not what it used to be. This is not true. All the problems in the world are not generated by the youth. It was not the youth that destroyed the Russian Empire, it was not the youth that destroyed the Soviet Union, it is not the youth that generates wars. The youth are the victims of the actions of the older generation, who then say that the youth today is not what it used to be. No, the youth is the product, roughly speaking, that you yourselves created with your upbringing. That is what you brought up, that is what you got. If the youth is not what it used to be, then you are not what it used to be. I am personally happy with the youth. I love our youth. We have good youth in Pridnestrovie. The youth is decent. The fact that something happens somewhere, well, it happens everywhere. We are all people. In general, I see a response from the youth. They should not be forced to engage in patriotic education, they are being educated patriotically themselves. We just need to explain to people why this is so. Because the Pridnestrovian people, as I have already said, are workers and defenders. That's all. When people are imbued with this, they themselves want to participate in this process, understand the essence of the Pridnestrovian people, further form the Pridnestrovian people, strengthen the Pridnestrovian people. This year was declared the Year of the Pridnestrovian People. We held a lot of events, published many teaching aids dedicated specifically to the Pridnestrovian people, and will continue to publish them. We have not held them all. In the process of implementing events dedicated to the Year of the Pridnestrovian People, I as President and my colleagues saw a desire to continue this work. Therefore, the next year 2026 will also be declared the Year of the Pridnestrovian People.

Ekaterina Poshelyuk, press service of the PMR Defense Ministry:

Continuing with the topic raised. You are the successor of a military dynasty. A system of complete military education was created in our republic (and this is also an achievement) on your initiative: the Suvorov Military College, the Military Institute, and so on. What qualities does this education system allow to cultivate in every man, in every person as part of our people – worker, defender and winner?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

I will start with the fact that I consider myself a military man. The fact that my fate turned out this way, and I began to work in the internal affairs agencies, this happened as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. I received a basic military education and consider myself, in essence, a military man. I understand what the army is. I understand its problems. I understand how these problems can be solved, how the education of a young fighter should be built. This is important. Of course, the army is very useful for young people. I assure you, even in this room I can say who served and who did not. It is obvious, you understand? I am not criticizing anyone in any way. It just happened that way, but nevertheless. Today's Pridnestrovian army is a school of life. Let's get back to conscription. Those people who criticize conscription do not understand that they are depriving themselves of their own defenders. Only by doing conscription can a young man acquire survival skills in modern conditions and in a modern war. The fact that he marches there is actually called discipline. He is taught how to dig a trench, set up a firing point correctly, shoot correctly from a firearm, a pistol, a machine gun, a tank, a cannon. The most important thing is to preserve yourself in the conditions of a modern war. No one will teach you this anywhere, only in the armed forces here, in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. No one, anywhere. You won't learn this from any internet or, so to speak, stories until you do it yourself. Therefore, our task is not just to recruit young people into the armed forces, where they serve a year in the line and then leave. No, absolutely not. The task is to teach people how to survive in modern conditions, in the conditions of modern combat. To teach new technologies, among other things. To be a defender of your homeland, your family, and ultimately yourself. How else? You need to preserve yourself in order to defend your homeland later. That's about it. We are now seeing an increased interest among young people in serving in the PMR Armed Forces. Increased interest. Including among girls, who also find themselves there. They like it. Because it is protection. How else? Look, there are wars all around, really tough wars, brutal, frankly speaking, with the use of everything possible to kill a person. Therefore, we must teach people to preserve themselves. That is what the army is. At the same time, we have completely eliminated hazing in the armed forces. When big generals told me that this was a social phenomenon, I didn’t believe it. This is not a social phenomenon, but a failure of commanders. There is no hazing in the Armed Forces of the PMR. That’s it. An education system has been built in the Suvorov School, where about three hundred guys are trained and then join the armed forces. There is a Military Institute, a completely new institute with new opportunities. All this is part of the foundation of training, preparation of the defender of the Fatherland. Not to mention patriotic education. Everything is in order there. That's about it. The same applies to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is the cadet corps. I can't help but mention it. The Tiraspol Law Institute – there are also good prospects there. This is a separate topic. In Pridnestrovie, we have a system of training personnel called "defender of the Fatherland", "defender of the people" that works and functions. We are ready for any challenges, including the most negative ones. The Pridnestrovian people are not an aggressor I say again. We have not threatened anyone. We have a good future. Pridnestrovie, one hundred percent, will gain independence thanks to its work on this point. Of course, I want to express my deep gratitude to all the defenders of the Fatherland who serve every day. Here we are, conducting a dialogue, and they are on guard duty, conducting exercises, doing combat work, catching criminals, guarding certain objects. This is very important. We can't do without them.

Viktor Berezhnoy the Parliamentary Newspaper:

Vadim Nikolaevich, next week Pridnestrovie will turn 35. An anniversary parade will be held on the main square in Tiraspol. What other events are planned in the republic in honor of this date? What would you like to say, wish the Pridnestrovians on these holidays?

Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the PMR:

Traditionally, there are many events. A military parade without equipment. This is a military parade of personnel – precisely those units that stand in defense of our statehood. I will tell you this, this was a message from the units themselves, from their commanders, from the personnel, from the people who want to see their defenders on Republic Day. It is beautiful. It is right. It is good. This is the first thing.

We hold various events: ceremonial meetings, award ceremonies, concerts, and the opening of the museum part – not the entire museum, but its part concerning the history of Pridnestrovie and the Soviet Union. Festive fireworks and general festivities. Traditionally, courtyards in Tiraspol will be represented by all cities and districts. The people deserve it. The people should work and rest. This is normal.

As for the wishes to the Pridnestrovian people. The Pridnestrovian people, as we have already said, have a rich history. There are both victorious and tragic pages. The Pridnestrovian people have lived through both difficult and challenging times. The Pridnestrovian people deserve stability, to be confident in the future. Do our people deserve this? I think so. They deserve it with their history, their respect for memory, for history, for their neighbors, they deserve stability, peace, confidence in the future. Of course, peace – there is no way without peace. I want to wish the Pridnestrovian people not to give in to all sorts of provocations. I want to wish them health, prosperity, well-being. So that love for one's neighbor does not go to second place, no. It should be put first. I have always said: it is enough for him to make another person happy for a person to be happy. His wife, his children, his loved ones, his relatives, his parents. This must be done. That is it basically. Other people with official functions, responsibilities should serve the people and help, so to speak, this process. Which is what we do. But, as for each citizen, I wish for love in the heart, love for one's neighbor. Of course, recognition of our rights, our freedoms, our statehood, territoriality. The people absolutely deserve this. Our Pridnestrovian people are a united people who have proven that they are workers, not aggressors, who have proven that they can develop the state, and not exploit it, within the framework of their interests. They have the right to do so. Our Pridnestrovian people have every right to their independence and recognition. This will happen, I have no doubt about it. The world will only become better if Pridnestrovie is recognized as an independent state tomorrow. I think Moldova will do it sooner or later. Pragmatic and understanding leaders will come and recognize statehood of Pridnestrovie and then the whole world will recognize Pridnestrovie.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, I wish you happiness, prosperity, health, good mood, positivity and a clear understanding that Pridnestrovie exists, the Pridnestrovian people exist, and we have the right to freedom, to life and to recognition. Thank you very much.