One day after issuing a presidential decree forbidding his country’s participation in NATO wargames on constitutional grounds, Moldovan President Igor Dodon has announced he intends to punish the soldiers after the Defense Ministry revealed they left to join the wargames anyhow.
The Moldovan constitution requires them to remain neutral, and Dodon said that precluded involvement in the wargames in Ukraine. Despite the ban, NATO invited 57 troops, and that’s how many showed up.
Dodon’s first step is figuring out who those 57 guys are, and he’s ordered checks on all of the nation’s Army units to try to figure out who’s missing.
It appears this marks a split within the Moldovan cabinet, as the Defense Ministry confirmed the troops left, and didn’t appear to be upset at all about it. They also presumably would have access to a list of who left, but are making the president go through the problem of investigating it.
Just came to see if anyone with some on the ground knowledge has given some context to this squib….
Moldova has been split for a while along basically two issues. Romania sees Moldova as its territory, and Moldovans that favor that solution are pro “Europe”, meaning pro-NATO, as a means of keeping Russian businesses and commerce out. When Transdnyestria split from Moldova and declared independence — it was because the region never trusted good intentions of EU/NATO. But for a while, entire Moldova was split along the lines of trust-NATO-trust-Romania and do not trust NATO-stay independent from Romania-keep relationship with Russia. It went back and forth each election, but the typical Western networks of Soros liberals, Russia haters, and politicians hungry for cash resulted in a new trend. Prople became utterly disenchanted by the fake dream of EU, and saw their living standards fall. They saw through Ukrainian games of blocking Transdnyestria supplies, and saw through NATO advisors getting their favorites promoted, and shch standard stuff seen in Mintenegro, Macedonia Bisnia and Serbia. The changed public mood resulted in the presidential elections that brought to power a person who promised to change that. He is for Moldova’s military neutrality, that is, no belonging to military blocks, and for opening up trade and investments to the East, Russia and Asia. He aattended the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, and was a participant in a panel of speakers featuring Putin and Modi. Needless to say, Empire struck back. The President knows what he is doing. He is not so much searching for the names of thise that left, but will focus on the military command, and see how it resonates in public. Public cares about economy, not NATO wars and war games. Public knows that the investments from Russia and China will not be coming if there is an unfriendly atmosphere in the country. Remains to be seen what is next. I expect Macedonian scenario, with a Macron/Zaev type plastic creature standing in Soros podiums, demanding end of “corruption”, and “European values”, as if anyone knows what it means. But the dvents will be fun, a combination of rkck concerts featuring popular bands (money first), giant screens, plenty of clever sligans and props, perhaps a new style bandanas,backpacks, tents. And plenty of food and drink. Great for students to earn some cash “helping with the organization”, and building potential career. But the halcoon days of such attraction are gone. Moldova saw Maidan up cllose, and saw results.
The truth is, even if politicians in Moldova manage to curb this president, the mood of the country will not change. Eventually, unless voting is banned — eventually an Erdogan or Orban type politician will be elected, with a parlament to match. But in Moldova, issue of joining Romania remains. I am sensing that it has lost some appeal, as life in Romania just like in Bulgaria is trully bad, compared to their past communist lives. They are now remembered as lost paradise. And it is possible that the life under Western IMF dictated economy is making people compare life Russia with their own. This will be the process of national introspection. But for us, we know we are paying for all the stage management in many countries, buying politicians, buying media to prop up our designs. If we only can get back the money spent on getting tjny Montenegro njoin NATO. With the total army numbering less then an average US high school.
But keeping in mind, that NATO or EU no longer can control countries that like Turkey or Hungary charted independant economic policy. And the more they are pressured to give up their economic interests in the name if belonging to the bunker called West, the more they see the self-serving nature of imperial design. At this point, even successes turn into ever deeper failures — as the promises for better life wuicklybturn into disappointment. At this point — opponents of EU/NATO proponents are in better position. They are not promising anything, but an opportunity to shake the controls imposed upon them — drom banking to debt fueled imports — and seek independant economy turned to the fastest growing economies of Asia. They know that Hungary paid off IMF, and is free to trade with China, take Russian credit for the development of additional nuclear electric power plant, etc. And they see neighboring Ukraine in ashes.