A group of priests of Saint Teodora de la Sihla Church of Chisinau officiated at a service in memory of the victims of the first deportation wave of June 13, 1941 near the commemorative stone placed in the square of the Chisinau Railway Terminal. The service was followed by a meeting that involved officials, relatives and friends of those commemorated, IPN reports.

Archpriest Ioan Ciuntu, of Saint Teodora de la Sihla Church, urged the people not to forget the historical past. “We should no way forget about the victims of those times. We should come here with our children and grandchildren to remember them,” he stated.

Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca promised that the works to set up the monument to deportees that is to be brought from Minsk will be finished in the near future.

The leader of the PLDM Vlad Filat said the deportations of the Stalinist regime are among the most tragic events in the history of our people. “This day is part of our nation and history,” said the former Premier.

Valentina Sturza, head of the Association of Former Deportees and Political Detainees, said that some of the Bessarabians didn’t survive those difficult times. “This day brings back harsh memoires to us all,” she stated.

Deportee Petru Florea said he lost both of his parents in Kazakhstan, who couldn’t endure those sufferings.

Deportee Constantin Pruten said that those harsh times and the hard work left marks for the entire life. “We were hungry and didn’t have what to wear. Many friends and relatives of ours died there. I pray to God to rest their souls,” he said.

On June 13, it is 72 years of the first wave of Stalinist deportations. According to statistics, 12,000 people were deported from Bessarabia on the night of June 13, 1941. The deportation victims say the number is much higher.