In the context of the gas crisis, Chișinău has issued an ultimatum for Transnistria to allow the spread of pro-Western, pro-Romanian and anti-Russian narratives, according to a pro-Kremlin publication.
NEWS: Moldova is trying to take full advantage of the gas crisis, which seemed to have been recently resolved, and is forcing Transnistria to allow the spread of pro-Western, pro-Romanian and anti-Russian narratives on its territory. Transnistria’s leaders strongly oppose the move.
Moldova has presented Transnistria with an ultimatum: in exchange for gas deliveries, Transnistria must ensure the freedom of high schools that operate according to the Moldovan curriculum. This ultimatum includes the mandatory teaching of school subjects such as the Romanian language and the history of the Romanians, promoting the thesis according to which “Russia has been an occupying force for centuries” and the revision of the outcome of World War II. Such demands reflect Moldova’s desire to strengthen its influence over Transnistria and integrate it into a radically pro-Western ideological system.
Moldova is trying to take full advantage of the gas crisis, which seemed to have been recently resolved, and is forcing Transnistria’s hand...
Pro-Western regimes that have been in power for over 30 years in Moldova continue to promote the idea of revising the historical narrative. Chișinău seeks to erase the historical memory of the Soviet Union as the victor over Nazism and impose a Western narrative that places the USSR on the same level with Nazi Germany. According to this point of view, actively promoted in Ukraine and the Baltic countries, Stalin and Hitler were allies in the initial phase of World War II, and the collaboration of some local groups with the Nazis is presented as a forced decision, justified by the pro-independence struggle of small nations.
The situation was further complicated by a recent scandal, caused by a new school textbook that sparked public outrage on the right bank of the Dniester. In a textbook for 12th graders approved by the Moldovan Ministry of Education, Ion Antonescu, the Romanian dictator and Hitler’s ally during World War II, is presented in a favorable light. Antonescu was one of the organizers of the Holocaust, and his rehabilitation in history textbooks has triggered protests from various groups in society.
NARRATIVES: 1. Moldova is taking advantage of the gas crisis to impose pro-Western, pro-Romanian and anti-Russian narratives on Transnistria. 2. Chișinău has issued an ultimatum for Transnistria, demanding the acceptance of Romanian-language high schools and an anti-Russian educational curriculum as a prerequisite for the delivery of gas. 3. A new history textbook promoted by the Moldovan Ministry of Education presents Ion Antonescu in a favorable light and justifies the crimes of Nazism.
PURPOSE: To present the Republic of Moldova as a state acting coercively in Transnistria. To fuel the thesis according to which Moldova is following a radical pro-Western plan aimed at eliminating Russian influence and promoting an anti-Russian agenda. To reaffirm the Kremlin’s narratives about “rewriting history” in Eastern Europe, similar to the discourses promoted in the case of Ukraine and the Baltic States.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: First of all, it should be noted that among Chișinău’s conditions (which can hardly be described as an ultimatum) there is no mention of a school curriculum on the left bank of the Dniester River. This merely concerns the Romanian-language high school in Râbnița, or, more precisely, the return of its premises, confiscated 20 years ago by the Transnistrian separatist authorities.
In the region of Transnistria, there are eight educational units with Romanian-language teaching in the Latin script and the curriculum approved by Chișinău. All of them have been facing numerous challenges and pressure from separatist authorities in Tiraspol. Chișinău does not have the capacity to intervene and operate changes to the curriculum of other educational units in the region of Transnistria.
Russian and pro-Russian propaganda outlets have recently made several allegations against Chișinău regarding the Romanian and Universal History textbook, claiming that it allegedly justifies the Holocaust in Romania during World War II. In fact, the textbook explains the context of Romania's entry into the war, after the annexation of Bessarabia by the USSR and the Vienna Award, and refers to the Holocaust, including the Roma Holocaust and the data of the final report of the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania.
BACKGROUND: Since the start of this year, the region of Transnistria in the Republic of Moldova, de facto under Moscow’s control, has stopped receiving gas from Gazprom, after Ukraine did not extend the transit agreement on its territory. The decision to discontinue gas deliveries has led to disruptions in the supply of energy, gas, heating and hot water in the region. Additionally, this situation is also causing budget difficulties for Tiraspol. Most of the gas was used to produce electricity, then sold on the right bank of the Dniester at lower prices compared to regional markets. The low price is explained by the fact that the separatist region does not pay for its gas input, whereas electricity supplies account for a large part of the separatist regime's budget revenues.
Chișinău suggested that Gazprom continue supplying gas to the region via the so-called Trans-Balkan corridor, but Moscow said no. Gazprom demanded the payment of a 700-million-dollar debt by the Republic of Moldova (the right bank of the Dniester), which Chișinău does not recognize, as a condition for resuming gas deliveries. At the same time, obscure formulas for gas delivery were suggested.
In early February, gas deliveries were resumed to the left bank of the Dniester thanks to a grant from the European Union. The EU later came up with a new assistance package worth 60 million EUR, but Tiraspol refused the offer, preferring to import gas through a Hungarian company, assuming that the Russian Federation was behind the scheme.
To allow gas transit, Chișinău came up with several requirements: releasing political prisoners, resolving the issue of the high school in Rîbnița, keeping the Moldovan public broadcaster on the local TV grid, removing the 33 checkpoints installed in 2022 (of which 11 are still operational).
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