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The Government in Chișinău is marking Europe Day on May 9 instead of Victory Day in order to divide Moldovan society, pro-Kremlin media writes, labeling “revanchist” those who refuse to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory against Nazi Germany.
NEWS: For the first time after the proclamation of independence, Moldovan authorities decided against officially celebrating Victory Day. The center of the Moldovan capital-city, the starting point for the May 9 traditional march to the Eternitate memorial complex, is this year shamelessly hosting festivities for another holiday - Europe Day.
[...] The organization of mass celebrations marking Europe Day on May 9 is necessary to divide society again, to set some people against each other, political scientist Alexandr Korinenko argues.
Moldovan authorities want to put the spotlight on “proper” Moldovans, who will euphorically receive cheap European flags and leaflets with the EU flag, instead of “improper” ones - those who will go to honor the memory of victorious soldiers. Besides, we have many people who honor Victory Day, but also advocate for European integration. To them, the authorities say: it’s time for you to decide: either you are in the camp of Europeans, or you want to celebrate Victory Day with “Kremlin agents” (politnavigator.net).
The government considers May 9 as Europe Day and reserved the Grand National Assembly Square in Chișinău for this celebration. “It turned out that the guest of honor who is expected to arrive on May 9 to celebrate the betrayal of memory, Europe Day, will be the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn”, the head of the “Pobeda” (Victory) National Committee Alexei Petrovici [who is in charge of organizing the May 9 actions] said. He will give a moving speech in front of the Moldovan crowds. This is not the first time that a Hahn comes our way. During the Great Patriotic War, Luftwaffe Major Hans Hahn also “agitated” crowds in favor of European integration, but not peacefully. He was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The fascist pilot shot down 66 aircraft over British skies alone. The ace's brilliant career was cut short by Lieutenant Major Pavel Grazhdaninov, who shot down Hahn over Demyansk in 1943. I hope it is now clear why Hahn's descendants fight so zealously for May 9. They need this day to revenge the defeat of their ancestors. (evedomosti.md)
For the sake of old times, the current government now writes a different kind of history, in which it prefers to present the multinational Moldovan nation as a victim (constant oppressions, repressions, hunger strikes, deportations, insults, humiliations), suffering because of an external enemy, which they hold accountable for all that. But in fact, the Moldovan people are a victorious people! And, as A. Petrovici mentioned in the discussion with Noi.md, if there will be no public understanding, if the authorities don’t display a dignified attitude towards the events of 1941-1945 and textbooks don’t truthfully reflect them, it will be impossible to talk about the future and about the formation of national identity. (Noi.md)
NARRATIVES: 1. The Government in Chișinău has banned the celebration of Victory Day in WWII on May 9, thus siding with the Nazis and dividing society. 2. The European Union and its leaders support Nazism.
BACKGROUND: May 9 used to be marked in the former USSR as Victory Day, on account that it was on this day that World War II ended, even though it officially ended with the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. In Europe, the war had ended on May 8, when Nazi Germany lay down arms, but by then, it was already May 9 in Moscow. Not only did the USSR have its own date for ending the war, but also a separate date for its start. Soviet historiography promoted the idea that the war started on June 22, 1941, when the USSR was attacked, not in 1939, when Nazi Germany and the USSR (allies at the time) attacked Poland. Many Moldovan citizens still believe the same thing. In addition, the role of the USSR in the victory over Nazism was overstated, diminishing the role played by other countries such as Great Britain and the USA.
In the former USSR, May 9 became an opportunity to display the military might of the Soviet Union, with millions of people mobilized in Red Square in central Moscow and in every settlement across the USSR. The same thing happened in the former Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, annexed by the USSR in June 1940.
In the first two decades after the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence, May 9 continued to be celebrated as Victory Day, including concerts and parades. Starting 2010, Moldova also started celebrating Europe Day. However, this date was often marked by political disputes, especially surrounding the Great National Assembly Square - the largest open space in the center of Chișinău, which is also steeped in symbolism, since it was here that the great manifestations of the 1990s led to the proclamation of independence, on August 27, 1991.
At one point, the Liberal Party announced that it had reserved the Square, in addition to several other venues in central Chișinău, for 100 years, around May 9, in order to mark Europe Day on this day. On the other hand, the Socialists announced that they had reserved the Square from May 9 until 2025. However, in 2018 the square was given to the Democratic Party to organize a concert, also marking Europe Day and Victory Day.
In fact, also during the PDM Cabinet, in 2016, on May 9, an exhibition of military equipment from the US army was organized in the Square, which caused the displeasure of the pro-Russian parties.
This year, Europe Day was organized in the Great National Assembly Square, but pro-Russian organizations and parties carried out their traditional actions devoted to Victory Day.
PURPOSE: To link the European Union and the pro-European administration in Moldova with fascism and to stir turmoil in Moldovan society.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: First of all, the claim that Chișinău authorities decided not to officially mark “Victory Day” for the first time is false. On the morning of May 9, the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the Moldovan Parliament Speaker, Igor Grosu, and the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, attended a solemn ceremony commemorating the heroes of World War II.
No one banned the celebration of the victory over fascism on May 9 in the Republic of Moldova, and the Government spokesperson, Daniel Vodă, specified that both events are observed. “On May 9, we commemorate the fallen heroes of World War II and celebrate the victory over Nazism and fascism, and the peace that swept Europe after this victory, the peace that served as the foundation of a united and prosperous Europe”, the Moldovan official stated.
Trying to associate the EU and its leaders with fascism and the German military of World War II is a gross attempt at manipulation. In the particular case of the European Commissioner, Austria’s Johannes Hahn, there is no evidence of him being in any way linked with the German military pilot Hans Hahn.
The Schuman Declaration, delivered on May 9, 1950, is considered the cornerstone of the European Union, created to ensure unity and avoid a new war on the European continent. The EU membership of WWII belligerent states - Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, is evidence that there are no more revanchist tendencies with respect to World War II, as pro-Russian propagandists claim.
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