15 years later Pridnestrovie still grieves its war dead

Here, a guardsman who was crippled in 1992 mourns the loss of friends who gave their lives in the war for independence

BENDER (Tiraspol Times) - In Bender, Tiraspol and other cities throughout the length of Pridnestrovie, Tuesday was a day of grief and mourning.

Fifteen years ago, on 19 June 1992, Moldovan troops attacked Bender, the second largest city of an unrecognized country which at the time had already been de facto independent for nearly two full years.

Shooting everything that moved, Moldovan soldiers killed hundreds of Bender-residents in the first few days of fighting. A subsequent investigation by the 1993 International Tribunal found Moldova guilty of serious violations of the Geneva Conventions relating to Victims of War, such as rape and torture of civilians and intentional killings of civilians, including women and children.

Over the course of 40 days of trying to hold Bender, 489 people died on PMR's side, among them 132 civilians, five of them children. A total of 1,240 people were wounded in Bender alone.

In the 1992 war as a whole, Pridnestrovie had 809 fatalities. Moldovan losses have not been released, but are estimated at around 200, bringing the total loss of lives in the war to just over 1,000.

Ceremony of remembrance

The ceremony to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Bender tragedy started at 9 a.m., the press service of Pridnestrovie's parliament reports, with cabinet members and legislators meeting for a commemorative ceremony.

A requiem meeting began in the central square of Bender near the building of the city administration. In 1992, on this very day, the building was under siege by Moldovan forces who targeted it as a dangerous symbol of local self-government.

" - June 19 symbolizes the defense of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic," said Bender Mayor Vyacheslav Kogut. "In those tragic moments the residents of this city showed what real heroism means."

In his speech, Pridnestrovie's president Igor Smirnov called for peace and asked Moldova to honestly come face to face with the reality of its past.

" - 15 years have passed, but everyone remembers when the Pridnestrovian land was swept by a wave of acts of terrorism, arrests, provocations and murders," said the Head of State. "The Government of Moldova still gives no unbiased estimation of the Bendery tragedy. Instead, it glorifies those who committed atrocities on our land, it doesn’t admit its guilt for inciting the armed conflict, and it hasn't compensated us for the damage caused during an act of aggression. The peaceful dialogue is still in crisis."

Need for international recognition

Speaking in Bender on Tuesday, opposition leader and head of Parliament Yevgeny Shevchuk said that the wounds from 1992 won't heal until Pridnestrovie achieves international recognition as a free and sovereign state.

" - The pain over the loss is still acute until the hopes of Pridnestrovie’s defenders come true: Wellbeing and prosperity for their families and recognition of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Our holy duty is to make their hopes come true and to prevent another war," said Shevchuk, a local-born ethnic Ukrainian.

After the requiem meeting the column of people marched to the Memorial of Glory to lay flowers at graves of those who died while fighting for Pridnestrovie's freedom. Similar acts were carried out in Tiraspol and other cities of Pridnestrovie where residents died under the Moldovan attacks.

All ethnic groups participated in the events, with a large number of ethnic Moldovans taking their place among the defenders of Pridnestrovie. The first three victims in the war included two ethnic Moldovans who fought for PMR independence, as well as one ethnic Ukrainian. All three were killed by Moldovan troops opposed to PMR independence.

The unrecognized country - which is informally known as Transnistria - declared independence on 2 September 1990. Its independence was never accepted by neighboring Moldova, leading to a 1992 war when Moldova tried unsuccessfully to enforce its territorial claim.

A minute of silence was observed throughout all cities and workplaces to honor the memory of the fallen. (Photos: PMR News)

See also:
» Human rights groups confirm Moldova massacres in 1992 conflict
» Bender Mayor interviewed about War of Independence

Remembered: The names of more than 800 locals who died for PMR's independence.



Tiraspol's eternal flame and flowers in the memory of the victims.



Tiraspol Mayor Victor Kostyrko (right) brings flowers to honor past friends who died for freedom.



Members of PMR's Moldovan minority joined in the mourning, too.



Flowers to remember the victims killed by Moldova in the 1992 invasion.