[Info-Prim Neo article from the series “20 years of the start of the war. When should we expect peace?”] General in reserve Nicolae Petrica was the commander of the Cocieri bridge head during the Nistru war. Currently, he heads the Military Department of the Technical University of Moldova. For a period, he held the post of head of the National Army General Staff. When the war started, he was 47 and was doing his military service at the tankmen’s school in Circik, Uzbekistan. He remembers those events with pain, but considers that they strengthened his character. [He was sent to the front immediately after he returned home] “I was at the tankmen’s school in Uzbekistan, when Colonel Bubulici phoned me and told me that it was war. He made an invitation to me and I left alone, without my wife and the two children. They found out that I was at the front later, from the TV. My wife worked at a military hospital and knows to shoot, while the children have military studies so that they reacted calmly to everything,” said Nicolae Petrica. He was named head of the Cocieri bridge head and experienced then contradictory emotions as he had to order firing at the own people. “It was hard, but the second day we were attacked by the forces of the 14th Army of Russia together with the guard members and we had to defend ourselves. We destroyed armored vehicles. There were bodies and we told our opponents to take them. But they attacked us again in a day. We then lost officer Ion Iurascu,” said Nicolae Petrica. [Transnistrians accepted compromises, but ours did not] The former commander related that he contacted the enemies and discussed a possible compromise so as to stop fighting. “We met and signed a decision, which said that Moldova was united and there was no Transnistria. It also said that the fighting should be stopped immediately, the Transnistrian region should be granted economic autonomy, the war vehicles were to be withdrawn and the peace guaranteed. This statement was sent to Smirnov, Maracuta and Caraman (the then leaders of the Separatist regime – e.n.), and to Snegur and the Government of Moldova. The Transaction side reacted, but the Moldovan authorities took no measure and made no order,” said Nicolae Petrica. [We were fighting, while in Chisinau there was music and holiday] “After May 17, 1992, the newly formed army took over the war. There appeared the artillery that was borrowed from Romania. There were Soviet munitions, but they weren’t enough. For comparison: the enemies launched by about 180 shells a day, while we 15-30. We were fighting, while in Chisinau there was music and holiday. Only one MP came to the front - Vasile Zgardan. Other lawmakers came when it was already quiet,” said the former commander. [Young men were motivated by military discipline and a glass of wine] According to Nicolae Petrica, the young men were motivated by military discipline and a glass of wine, for courage. “They knew that every day could be the last day. Many young people were rebellious and fiery, but the war is an art where discipline is needed. The decisions are taken by the commander, while the others must think how to fulfill them better,” he stated. The soldiers did not lack food products or medicines, as the then MP Valeriu Matei took care of this. They were brought clothes, footwear, food products and fuel. [Poor management and inexperience of President led to tragedy] Nicolae Petrica said that it is not right when somebody wanted to come to power as soon as possible, but is unprepared for this. Many ordinary people were used in the agony of the events that followed the proclamation of independence. “When they came to power, the lawmakers weren’t ready for what followed. They did not know what they had to do and did not have an action plan. After the dissolution of the USSR, the Russians lost many territories and evidently tried to keep those that they could keep, including Transnistria, which they will always keep. They need a military base here. Russia will never pull out its armed forces from Transnistria. There are two great powers in the world – the U.S. and Russia. They will always be very active in this respect,” said the former commander. He also said that even if the U.S. keeps its troops on other territories, it pays rent. “The Russians have a military base in Transnistria and should pay for it, or can give us gas free or at lower prices,” stated the general. “The people’s tragedy was due to our administration. Mircea Snegur wasn’t ready to become President. The MPs weren’t united. The Government wasn’t prepared for the war either. But the people can’t be destroyed!” said Nicolae Petrica. He stressed that the civil war is the worst thing that can happen. “Any war is a curse, but the civil war is the worst curse as brother kills brother. The relatives met in Cocieri and complained that they had to fire at each other because they received orders. The people were used, but they weren’t to blame,” he said. [Sovereignty was declared in a hurry!] Nicolae Petrica considers that the authorities declared the sovereignty in a hurry, but first they should have followed attentively the actions of the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which in fact led to the dismemberment of the USSR. “We followed the example of the Baltic Countries, but territorially they were in the Soviet Union, while with the though in the West long ago. They had fewer armed forces. Ours did everything nosily. They said they did not need an army, but suffered more losses. When the Russians were driven away, the cars and tractors disappeared overnight,” he said with regret. “That’s why I said that the authorities weren’t ready for such actions. If they hadn’t hurried to drive the Russians away, they would have used all the important channels and we would have had more possibilities now. Thus, we now suffer the consequences.” The head of the Military Department of the Technical University of Moldova said that he teaches the students not to solve their problems using the people’s blood and if they don’t know how to do something, they should step aside and allow others to do it better. [Cristina Vlah, Info-Prim Neo]