Russian historians congratulate Moldova on liberation of August 24, 1944

Moldova was freed from the Romanian-Fascist occupation on August 24, 1944 during the Iasi-Chisinau operation, Russian historians said in a video Chisinau – Moscow conference on Tuesday, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the conference, Moldovan and Russian historians denied that the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact signed on August 23, 1939 had negative consequences and criticized Acting President Mihai Ghimpu's decree that designated June 28, 1940 as the Soviet Occupation Day. The decree was later invalidated by the Constitutional Court. Alexandr Diukov, the head of the Russian foundation “Historical Memory”, said that by his decree, Mihai Ghimpu challenged the legitimacy of the Moldova state. “The contemporary Moldova is a successor of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic. There was no Soviet occupation on June 28, 1940 as the nonaggression treaty signed by Ribbentrop and Molotov did not envision this,” Diukov said. Another Russian historian, Iury Nikiforov, of the Academy of Sciences of Russia, said the Moldovan politicians use history to confuse the people. He congratulated the Moldovan people on the liberation from the Romanian-Fascist occupation. Doctor of History Piotr Shornikov from Chisinau said the term “pact” was introduced by the falsifiers of history as two powers signed a nonaggression treaty on August 23, 1939. The historians also spoke about the teaching of the History of Romanians subject in the Moldovan schools. “Is there any other state that studies the history of the neighboring country?” Piotr Shonikov asked. Sergiu Nazaria, the head of the Association of Historians and Politologists “Pro Moldova”, said the young people in Moldova study the history wanted by Mihai Ghimpu. “They are not well informed. There are few persons who study the objective historical arguments. Thus, they study an invented history,” said Nazaria. According to Roman Tomberg, expert of the Russian Strategic Culture Foundation, it is not right that the Moldovan young people are taught that they are Romanians and that Russia has a negative influence on Moldova. Other Moldovan historians said the second period of Soviet occupation began after the events of the summer of 1944 and lasted until Moldova proclaimed its independence. On December 24, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, including MPs of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, condemned the secret Soviet-German protocol of 1939.