Moldova banned the use of the St. George ribbon, as well as the symbols “Z” and “V”. The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that these amendments do not correspond to Chisinau's statements of commitment to a neutral status .jpg” alt=”Chisinau called the ban on wearing the St. George ribbon an internal matter” />
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova called on Russia not to interfere in the internal affairs of the republic after Moscow's statements about the ban on the St. George ribbon. This was stated by the press secretary of the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, Daniel Voda, to the ProTV TV channel.
“Decision-making on the mentioned issues” sovereign right of our country. We call on the Russian side to refrain from interfering in the internal and democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova”, — he said.
On April 15, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commenting on the amendments banning military symbols in Moldova, indicated that they do not correspond to Chisinau’s statements “about the commitment to the neutral status of the republic, respect for the rights and interests of all its inhabitants, pragmatic and mutually beneficial partnership with Russia.” The diplomat also recalled restrictive measures against the Russian media, “unconditional support for the efforts of the United States and its allies to oust Russia from international organizations and bodies”, “connivance” Moldovan authorities regarding anti-Russian actions near the Russian embassy. “All this, of course, affects the situation in Moldova and the general atmosphere of Russian-Moldovan relations,” — Zakharova said. Moscow expects “common sense to prevail” and Chisinau will refrain from actions detrimental to relations with Russia.
The Moldovan Parliament adopted amendments to the Code of Offenses, prohibiting the use of the St. George ribbon, as well as the symbols “Z” and “V”. This is punishable by a fine (for citizens in the amount of 20.3 thousand to 40.6 thousand rubles, officials and legal entities up to 135 thousand rubles), or from 30 to 60 hours of community service.
As stated in the Russian Ministry of Defense, the sign Z means “For the victory”, and V— “Strength in Truth” and “The task will be completed.” Initially, these letters were applied to military equipment participating in the military operation in Ukraine, then they began to be used to express support for the military.
