It was a Russian-Moldovan war, Campaign Journals

[Info-Prim Neo article from the series “20 years of the start of the war. When should we expect peace?”] Repeat from February 9 When the Nistru war began, publicist Alexandru Schendrea, division head at the weekly “Vocea Poporului” (“People’s Voice”), was 36. In the evening of March 30, 1992, at about 10pm, he received the mobilization summons. The courier told him he was to accompany him to the Centru Military Commissariat at that very moment. The next morning, he was already at the Ministry of Defense, where, after being equipped, he was told that he will be platoon commander. [Directly to the front from the fields] Many reservists were mobilized that day, remembered Alexandru Schendrea. “A part of them, who enjoyed the protection of relations, were allowed to go home. Those who remained, during a week had been taught tactics lessons by a Cossack. Even if our policemen and volunteers had been fighting against members of the guards and Cossacks supported by Russia’s armed forces for a month, he taught us to fight Turkish armies. Afterward, we were deployed at a military base called “Beriozka”, in a forest near Cruglic, Criuleni, together with the military units of which we were in charge. All the reservists of our platoon were from Floresti district. They were of approximately the same age as I. Most of them did their military service, but mainly in construction units and did not know what infantry was and how to handle a gun,” said the former commander. During several days, Alexandru Schendrea’s platoon had dug trenches and learned how to protect themselves better. “Every evening, the reservists were to sew white collars at the tunic, but most of my men had the hands beaten and were unable to keep the needle, not speaking about correctly pulling the trigger and hitting the target,” said Alexandru Schendrea. [Fear penetrated everyone’s heart] On May 13, 1992, the battalions deployed at “Beriozka” were ordered to go to Cosnita. “After we announced the reservists that we will set off at midnight, anxiety and hesitation arouse in the barracks. The eyes of many soldiers showed they did not want to leave the base. It was for the first time that the fear penetrated their hearts,” the former platoon commander remembered. The battalion of which the platoon headed by Alexandru Schendrea formed part went to the second front line that was further from the epicenter of the warfare. “The Alazan shells fired by the separatists often reached our trenches. The whistling of bullets continued throughout the night and the fear did not allow us to rest at least for a while. The day of May 19 was the most terrible one. Tanks and troops of the 14th Army came to the separatists’ aid that day. Before the hostilities started, all the commanders were called to the battalion’s command center. We were told to prepare for fighting. The separatists were to launch the attack at 5am, but we decided to begin fighting two hours earlier.” [First losses] Alexandru Schendrea said there was unusual quietness that night. The reservists waited for orders. The battle started at the planned hour and continued until 11am. “There was a high dike in front of the second front line, where we used to have meals when there was no fighting. Behind the dike, reservists Petru Bordea and Sandu Zdragus dug a deep hollow in order to be better protected from bullets. During the battle, a mine exploded near the dike and Sandu was seriously hurt in the leg. Petru died on the spot. Many reserves were killed in that battle in Cosnita,” related the former commander. There was panic in the afternoon in the battalion. Campaign commander Stefan Albu told the combatants to leave the battlefield. “I was his deputy and had to comply, but I didn’t. I gathered together the reservists and told them I will remain on the battlefield, but those who wanted could go away,” said Alexandru Schendrea. Only 47 of the about 450 reservists of the mine launcher detachment and battalion remained. Most of them, 17, were from Schendrea’s platoon. They later found out that neither the battleground commander nor the battalion commander was on the spot that night. “We compiled the list of those who remained on positions. I still keep it. After the deserters left, we prepared again for fighting. We distributed the munitions. It was for the first time that the combatants received F1 grenades. They accepted to take them even if they heard that the grenades were old and rusty and could explode in the hands. We were at a distance of 50 meters from each other, but we were lucky as the next night was quiet,” said the publicist. [Information was coming only from the separatists] Alexandru Schendrea said the only source of information on the front was a transistor that received only the radio station Mayak. “That morning, we came together near the transistor to listen to the news. I will keep in mind the first news story my whole life. “Yesterday, indignant at the actions of the Moldovan administration, about 300 police officers of the special police detachment left the battlefield,” said the radio presenter. It was true that about 300 combatants left the positions, but they weren’t members of the special police brigade, but reservists mobilized from the fields,” he stated. Alexandru Schendrea did not tell his parents that he was at the front. “Only my brother Anton knew that I was in Cosnita. Neither my parents nor my sister Iulea knew it and I asked my wife to tell nobody as my mother would be unable to sleep,” he said. [I was injured on the eve of my birthday] On the eve of his birthday, on May 26,1992, Alexandru Schendrea was wounded. “We were on the front line and a major accompanied by two young men in military uniforms came to our trenches towards evening. The major asked me in Russian to lend him the transistor. He said they agreed with the separatists to fix a telephone connection by cable so that they did not fire at each other with and without purpose. I discussed with him for a long time. He spoke in Russian, I in Romanian. I gave them the transistor, but asked them to take me with them. It was about 10pm when an explosion occurred near me. I felt something warm in the right side of the abdomen. I touched it and it was ok. I touched my face and saw that I was bleeding,” said the former commander. The next day, Alexandru Schendrea was taken to Hospital No. 3 in Chisinau. While waiting to be examined by the oculist, he heard on Radio National that three combatants died one day earlier when a mine exploded. “I immediately phoned the radio station and asked where they took that information from. They told me it was taken from a news agency. Later, I found out that the news story was written by the press service of a ministry and nobody died in that explosion. The young man who stepped onto the mine, Ion Cebotari from Orhei, remained without a leg,” said the publicist. He stated he found out that the war was over also from Radio National. “I knew that Moldova and Russia were holding talks. When I heard that the two Presidents, Mircea Snegur and Boris Yeltsin, signed the convention on the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict, I realized that they finally admitted that the Nistru war was a war between two countries,” said Alexandru Schendrea. The Nistru war ended on July 21, 1992. [Irina Turcanu, Info-Prim Neo]