The Soviet entry into Bessarabia in 1940, based on the secret protocol for the division of spheres of influence signed with Nazi Germany, resulted in the decapitation of the Bessarabian elite. This opinion was expressed by expert Igor Botan during a public debate on the topic “The Double Tragedy of the Refugees of 1940 and 1944,” organized by the IPN news agency. According to the expert, the threat of russian aggression is one that cannot be ignored, with the Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, aiming to restore the Soviet Union and reclaim Russia’s imperial grandeur.
Igor Botan explained that the Soviet arrival in Bessarabia in 1940 triggered a massive wave of refugees and led to the destruction of the Bessarabian intellectual elite. According to the expert, the statement in the Soviet ultimatum of June 26, 1940, addressed to Romania, claiming that Bessarabia was largely populated by ukrainians, was a false argument.
“Bessarabia, being an agrarian, rural province, people believed in God, and the first victim of the so-called ‘liberation’ was that people were deprived of their faith. Priests were among those who suffered from this so-called ‘liberation.’ There was also the Soviet claim that people in Bessarabia were Soviet. An absurd claim. After the Bolshevik coup of November 7, 1917, elections were held for the Constituent Assembly of Russia, and in Bessarabia, only 8% voted for the Bolsheviks. Their claim that Bessarabia had been Bolshevized or Sovietized is a falsehood. It was simply a pretext for entering Bessarabia according to the secret protocol dividing the spheres of influence. The Soviet entry into Bessarabia left deep scars. The elite was decapitated,” said Igor Botan, the expert of the project.
Igor Botan also mentioned that the war in Ukraine is a war in which the Kremlin leader seeks to restore the Soviet Union. According to the expert, there have been numerous statements by Vladimir Putin preparing public opinion for attempts to recapture lost territories.
“For example, there was the statement about the geopolitical disaster caused by the dissolution of the Soviet Union, then the claim that the dissolution of the USSR was not legal. Later, concrete statements followed regarding the restoration of the imperial chain, with Putin considering himself the fourth link in this chain, starting with Ivan III, who declared himself tsar in Russia. The second link was the Romanov dynasty, the third was the communist, Soviet era, and now Putin claims he has reached the fourth link in the restoration of the Empire,” Igor Botan said.
Igor Botan emphasized that the threat of Russian aggression still looms over the countries of the former Soviet bloc, as Russia continues to ignore international treaties, pursuing its primary goal of restoring the USSR.
“We’ve seen what Putin’s regime does to international law. We were all stunned the night he attacked Ukraine when he referred to Article 1 of the UN Charter, claiming that by attacking Ukraine, he was defending the Russian Federation, and this aggression was a defense of Russia. We cannot remain indifferent to these things. There are articles by Putin’s supporters stating that the goal of this aggression is to destabilize the post-Soviet space. For everyone to understand the mechanism: Russia is an authoritarian, dictatorial regime, all power is controlled by one leader, and the goal is the restoration of the Soviet Union,” emphasized the expert.
The public debate on the “Double Tragedy of the Refugees of 1940 and 1944” is part of the debate cycle “Development of Political Culture through Public Debates.” This cycle is organized by the IPN Agency with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
