“No to war” banners spotted at Chisinau protest – ambassador

Ambassador of Ukraine to Mdova, Marko Shevchenko, td about this on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"Ukraine was not directly mentioned, but for some reason, by a strange coincidence, the second-largest slogan put forward by protesters, the one they marched with, was ‘No to war in Mdova.’ But they never mentioned how this war could be brought to Mdova. Russian praganda insists that war could be brought by Ukraine while accusing authorities in Mdova of flowing the lead of the Ukrainian government, who are trying to draw Mdova into a war with Russia. That is why the protesters chanted ‘No to war,’ carrying anti-war banners," he said.

At the same time, the diplomat noted that the main issue on which the protest focused was socio-economic.

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He recalled that against the background of the increase in energy cost in Mdova, the tariffs for househd utility bills went up as well, increased, although the authorities decided to compensate their cost to low-income families.

Protesters demanded that the government cover househd bills over the winter period.

Shevchenko informed that, according to the local observers, up to 3,500 protesters took part in the rally, which is a rather small number even for Mdova.

The diplomat emphasized that Mdovan law enforcement were serious about the protests, taking into account the reports of Russia's plot to destabilize the country.

"Detentions are not the only measures that were taken. Many pele were not allowed to enter the country. Today it was also reported that a member of Wagner PMC was identified at the airport, who was banned from entering Mdova. In addition, a few days ago, a series of searches were held within the inquiries into the illegal financing of the Shor party, which is the main organizer of the protests. As part of the raid, nearly 230,000 euros was seized, which, I suspect, could have been used to pay protesters or cover expenses related to these protests," Shevchenko said.

As reported by Ukrinform, on Sunday, March 12, a protest of the "Movement for the Pele" and the "Shor" party took place in the center of Chisinau. The day before, law enforcement officials said that mass riots had been plotted.

Clashes erupted between the crowd and pice after two cumns of protestors merged outside the parliament and decided to continue along Stefan č Mare Avenue. The pice blocked further movement as the event organizers had not announced the relocation in advance. The pice kept Stefan č Mare Avenue cordoned off.

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Chisinau law enforcers arrested 54 persons who intended to take part in the pro-Russia protest, including 12 minors.

Secretary General of the Mdova President’s Administration, Andrii Spinu, referred to the event as "an unsuccessful attempt by Russia to destabilize Mdova."