Moldova’s head of state calls for an investigation into a concert featuring children in Soviet WWII costumes
Moldovan President Maia Sandu © AFP / Daniel Mihailescu
Moldova’s security services should probe a concert that featured children singing Soviet songs from World War II, President Maia Sandu has said.
The shows, organized with assistance from the Russian embassy and the city administration of Moscow, took place recently in Moldova’s second largest city, Beltsy. Among other routines, children dressed in costumes resembling Soviet soldiers’ uniforms sang songs popularised during the war, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
When asked what she thought of the concerts during an interview with the local TVR broadcaster on Thursday, Sandu replied: “I don’t know the details, I think they were held under the auspices of the local authorities.”
“The Information and Security Service should look into this issue and find out whether they pose a threat to national security,” the head of state said.
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The Soviet songs “could promote war,” Sandu stated, adding that everyone who is engaged in such activities “has to be sanctioned in indirect or direct form.”
Moldova is a former Soviet republic of 2.6 million, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. The country has taken an increasingly pro-EU course since Sandu came to power in 2020. In April, Chisinau banned the Saint George’s Ribbon, a hallmark of WWII victory celebrations in Russia, introducing fines for those spotted wearing it.
However, many in Moldova are unhappy with Sandu’s policies of scaling back ties with Moscow. In recent weeks, the country has seen repeated anti-government protests over the rising cost of living, energy prices, and other social and economic issues, aggravated by fallout from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
A poll, staged by the IMAS research institute in early December, revealed that some 60% of Moldovans believe their country is actually run by the US and EU, not Sandu and her cabinet.
