Two marches on the occasion of Victory Day – the “Memory March” staged by the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and the “Immortal Regiment March” mounted by the Șor Party – were held in Chisinau on May 9. Both of the marches stopped at the “Eternity” Memorial Complex, where the traditional ceremony to lay flowers to the Eternal Flame and at the monuments of heroes killed in World War II was staged. In both of the cases, the participants carried the flag of the Republic of Moldova, the red Victory flag, portraits of heroes and the ribbon of Saint George, IPN reports.
The “Memory March” involved leaders and members of the PSRM. “May 9 was, is and will be Victory Day in Moldova. At the same time, it is a peace day. We are against war, no matter where it takes place, as it is a tragedy for any nation,” stated Igor Dodon, ex-President of the Republic of Moldova and executive secretary of the Party of Socialists.
The leader of the PSRM wore the ribbon of Saint George at chest, as a symbol of pace, as he said. He assured that if someone is fined for wearing the ribbon of Saint George, the Socialists will challenge the fine in court, given the decision taken recently by the Constitutional Court. “The police promised to fine all those who will wear the ribbon of Saint George today. We are not afraid of this. Today we wear the ribbon as a symbol of victory and peace. I know that police reports were drawn up against some of the participants right during the march. The Party of Socialists decided to launch a “hotline” for these persons tomorrow. Our jurists prepared all the documents for no one to be fined,” stated Igor Dodon.
Victory Day was also celebrated by the team and sympathizers of the Șor Party through the ”Immortal Regiment March” and laying of flowers. The marchers initially came together at the intersection of Ștefan cel Mare Blvd and Ismail St so as to go to the “Eternity” Memorial Complex. A military helicopter appeared above, generating the marchers’ dissatisfaction. The police noted that the helicopter was taking part in a joint exercise of the Moldovan and Polish police that completed the training on Victory Day.
Senior state officials laid flowers at the “Eternity” Memorial Complex to commemorate those over 50 million people who died in World War II and the heroes who sacrificed themselves and defended the right to life with their own life. “On May 9, we honor our grandparents and great-grandparents who paid the heavy price of war to defend their families, nation, dignity. They sacrificed themselves for life to triumph, for the war to never enter their homes again as none of those who experienced the war want such a tragedy for their children and grandchildren,” said President Maia Sandu.
She noted that Russia’s war against Ukraine showed how important peace is. The war brings only death, suffering and destruction. No person who loves the family and the country can support crime. Those who start wars value neither the honor of the heroes who died when defending the country nor human life. “Regrettably, today we have people, including in the Republic of Moldova, who use this day to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine and this is dishonor brought on the people who died for peace,” stated President Sandu.
Together with his team, mayor general Ion Ceban also laid flowers at the “Eternity” Memorial Complex. “We came to commemorate all those who died in this war. Hundreds of thousands of Moldovans and of people of other nationalities died here, on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The lesson that the children and grownups should learn is that there is nothing more important than peace,” stated the mayor.
An exhibition titled “History through Events and Personalities” was mounted not far from the “Eternity” Memorial Complex. This consists of 20 stands and 12 of these present pages from the history of Chisinau from June 1941 until May 1945, while eight stands exhibit biographies of soldiers and officers buried at the “Eternity” Memorial Complex. According to statistics provided by the Chisinau City Hall, about 900 persons were buried at the Memorial.
