The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has paid tribute to the Moldovans who fell in the war in Afghanistan. “We bow before their sacrifice and the suffering of the families who waited for them in vain or welcomed them home forever changed,” Maia Sandu wrote in a message on social media, IPN reports.

According to the head of state, 36 years have passed since the end of the war, but many of those who were sent to fight there still have not escaped this trauma.

“Over 12,500 Moldovans were thrown into a battle that was not theirs. 301 never returned. Hundreds more came back with wounds that do not heal, be they physical or emotional,” the president wrote.

Maia Sandu expressed regret that history is repeating itself, as death and destruction are now seen at the country’s border.

“Many lives are torn apart in an unjust, unprovoked war waged by Russia against Ukraine. War brings only suffering. Let us preserve peace and not remain indifferent to the tragedy unfolding right next to us,” Maia Sandu stated.

On February 15, 1989, Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan after 10 years of war.