00:00This is Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova,
00:03a small country in Eastern Europe wedged between EU member state Romania in the west and Ukraine in the east.
00:10On August 27, 2025, Moldova will mark 34 years of independence from the Soviet Union.
00:17But this year, Moldova's Independence Day will not just be a commemoration of a key event in the country's history.
00:24It will also be hugely significant in terms of current international politics
00:28because it comes just weeks before crucial parliamentary elections in Moldova
00:33and against the backdrop of Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine.
00:37The history of this tiny European country is just as complicated as it's present.
00:44Before Moldova became an independent country on August 27, 1991,
00:49control of the country had shifted repeatedly between Romania and Russia.
00:54In 1990, a year before Moldova officially declared independence from the Soviet Union,
00:59the region of Transnistria, a thin strip of land stretching along Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine,
01:05broke away from Moldova.
01:07Transnistria rejected Chisinau's pro-independence, pro-Romanian path
01:12and wanted to remain part of the USSR.
01:15After Moldova declared independence, the conflict between Moldova and the pro-Russian breakaway region erupted into open fighting,
01:23with Russian troops, who had been stationed in Transnistria since Soviet times, supporting the separatists.
01:29The war ended with a ceasefire in July 1992, but the frozen conflict persists to this day,
01:36with Russian troops still stationed in the region.
01:39Transnistria is now controlled by pro-Russian separatists, but internationally recognized as part of Moldova.
01:46The close ties between Moscow and the breakaway region have given Russia strong political leverage over Moldova for many years.
01:54The Russian Federation has used in all these years the Transnistria region to vulnerable the Republic of Moldova
02:03and to put their feet on the course of European integration and adhering to the values of the Western world.
02:13But more than three decades after gaining independence, Moldova remains in a kind of political limbo between East and West.
02:21Its population is split between pro-Russians and pro-Europeans.
02:25So, with Russia waging war in neighboring Ukraine and Russian troops still stationed in Transnistria,
02:31how great is the Russian threat to Moldova?
02:34It all depends on the interests of the people who are running Russia, right?
02:41When there would be people who are interested in cooperation.
02:46It could be a bridge.
02:48But when it is like now that the people who are running in the Kremlin, then there is a possibility that Transnistria may be used for not positive interests, right?
03:08So, it all depends on what kind of people are running Russia and right now it is not very, as we all know, very positive.
03:18But both Moldova's government and President Maya Sandu are strongly pro-European.
03:24Their main goal is to bring the country closer to the European Union by introducing reforms, fighting corruption and strengthening the country's democratic institutions.
03:33But this strategy faces constant challenges, with the country's pro-Russian opposition pushing back strongly and the war in neighboring Ukraine piling on extra pressure.
03:44The upcoming parliamentary election, which is due to take place on September 28, could decide whether the country stays on its pro-European path or drifts back into Moscow's orbit.
03:56Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine three years ago, the war in Ukraine has highlighted Moldova's geostrategic significance.
04:04The country has sheltered hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees while facing repeated Russian attempts at interference and disinformation.
04:13Although not yet a member of the EU, Moldova is seen by Europe as a buffer state in the defense of European values and security.
04:21That's why German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will attend this year's Independence Day celebrations in Chisinau.
04:32Their presence will send out a powerful message that Moldova is not alone and that its independence is vital for the stability of the entire region.
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