Gagauzia: Moldova's overwhelmingly pro-Russian region

"Gagauzia wants to beryllium a person of Russia," says Valentina, a middle-aged pistillate with Ukrainian roots. Valentina is sorting receipts connected a parkland seat successful Comrat, the superior of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia successful confederate Moldova.

Like 95% of voters successful Gagauzia, she voted "no" successful the referendum connected October 20, rejecting the connection to anchor Moldova's ambition to articulation the European Union successful the country's constitution.

This was a grounds rejection of the European Union. Even successful the pro-Russian breakaway portion of Transnistria, wherever Russian troops person been stationed for implicit 30 years, implicit 1 3rd of the electorate voted successful favour of the EU.

When asked what she knows astir the European Union, Valentina is evasive: "I'm not funny successful politics," she says.

Run-off statesmanlike election

On November 3, voters successful Moldova volition spell to the polls again for the run-off successful the country's statesmanlike election. Valentina says that she intends to ballot for Alexandr Stoianoglo, the hostile of Moldova's pro-European incumbent president, Maia Sandu.

Stoianoglo has the backing of the pro-Russian Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). He boycotted the EU referendum by simply not taking the referendum ballot offered to him astatine the polling station.

'People successful Bulgaria don't person it immoderate amended than we do'

Valentina tells DW that she has visited an EU subordinate state, Bulgaria, but was not impressed. "They don't person it immoderate amended than we do," she says. "I saw radical selling tomatoes and melons connected the roadside, conscionable similar us."

Her ain children are successful Russia, similar galore different radical from Gagauzia, she says.

Valentina has Ukrainian roots. She says she could ne'er person imagined that "brother" Russia would ever combat against Ukraine. But successful her eyes, Ukraine and the USA are liable for the warfare successful Moldova's eastbound neighbor. This is precisely the enactment taken by Russian propaganda, which is precise prevalent successful Gagauzia.

Russian media successful Gagauzia

A precise precocious fig of radical present get their quality from Russian media, among different things due to the fact that they talk mostly Russian.

The Gagauz are a Turkic, Christian Orthodox taste radical successful confederate Moldova, a erstwhile Soviet republic.

Valentina (pictured here) has Ukrainian roots, but says that Russia is not to blasted for the warfare thereImage: Elena Covalenco

Because of a argumentation of Russification during the Soviet period, astir Gagauz radical talk neither the Gagauz language, nor Romanian, the authoritative connection of the Republic of Moldova.

Pro-Russia ballot successful 2014 referendum

In 2014, the enactment of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia organized a pseudo referendum, asking voters whether the Republic of Moldova should articulation the EU oregon the Eurasian Economic Union nether Russia's leadership.

Back then, nary little than 97% of the Gagauz electorate voted against the EU, conscionable 2% much than connected October 20.

The 2014 referendum was restricted to Gagauzia, was amerciable and was not recognized by the authorities successful the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. This year's referendum, connected the different hand, was ineligible and took spot close crossed Moldova.

The power of Lenin and the EU

To this day, implicit 30 years aft the illness of Communism, a statue of Lenin, the laminitis of the Soviet Union, inactive stands extracurricular the determination authorities gathering successful Comrat — a changeless reminder of the country's Soviet past.

This is successful stark opposition to the signs extracurricular the bureau of the politician and successful the metropolis parkland that outline the galore section projects that person been completed with the fiscal assistance of the European Union.

This pensioner, whose children unrecorded successful England, was disappointed by the effect of the EU referendum successful GagauziaImage: Elena Covalenco

When asked if they cognize what infrastructure projects were funded with EU money, astir passers-by conscionable motion their shoulders. In caller years, the EU — and successful peculiar neighboring EU subordinate authorities Romania — has pumped millions of euros into Gagauzia's infrastructure.

'Victims of Russian propaganda'

In the halfway of Comrat, a pensioner is waiting for a minibus that is going to England. Her children unrecorded there, and she wants to nonstop them a parcel. She is 1 of the precise fewer radical successful Gagauzia who voted successful favour of the EU successful the referendum.

"Many radical present are victims of Russian propaganda. They find it hard to fto spell of their emotion of Russia. But I ever inquire them: Why are you against the European Union erstwhile the preschools, schools and roads person been repaired with EU money? Many of them person children who enactment successful the EU oregon person adjacent earned wealth determination themselves, person travel backmost and built a location here, but inactive they ballot against the EU path," she says.

She is disquieted astir the future: "I americium acrophobic that a warfare volition interruption retired again if we spell backmost nether Russia's thumb. If Ukraine had fallen, warfare would agelong since person reached us. Europe won't bring america war."

'They're each homosexuals successful the EU!'

One elegantly dressed pistillate successful her aboriginal twenties admits that she didn't adjacent spell to the polling station. "I don't privation to articulation the EU either," she tells DW. "I've been determination and I tin archer you that the system determination is getting weaker and weaker, conscionable similar successful the Republic of Moldova."

She goes connected to accidental that some her parents worked successful EU subordinate states; her parent has joined determination for the 2nd time.

The stallholders connected the marketplace successful Comrat are opening to battalion up for the day. They look irritated by questions astir the referendum oregon the election.

This banner shows infrastructure and operation projects successful Gagauzia that person been funded by the EU and different Western institutionsImage: Violeta Colesnic/DW

"They're each homosexuals successful the EU," says 1 pistillate who is selling cucumbers and tomatoes.

'Don't you cognize however bully the Russians are?'

Another antheral tells america that helium doesn't adjacent cognize what the result of the archetypal circular of the statesmanlike predetermination was. He besides says helium was not alert that determination is simply a run-off connected Sunday. He says helium voted "no" successful the referendum, but can't explicate why.

One pistillate who is selling nutrient connected the borderline of the marketplace and is complaining to her workfellow astir the debased pensions successful Moldova, says that she likes Russia due to the fact that she had 2 operations determination and determination is nary corruption there.

"Why don't you privation to spell to Russia too?" she asks. "Don't you cognize however bully the Russians are?"

When asked wherefore Russia invaded Ukraine, she answers with a torrent of anti-Ukrainian propaganda. When she yet finishes, a antheral who overheard what she said joins in. But it is conscionable much of the same: He excessively is convinced of Russia's magnanimity.

This nonfiction was primitively published successful Romanian.