President of Moldova Maia Sandu. Archival photoMOSCOW, May 4. Senator Alexei Pushkov said on Telegram that Moldovan President Maia Sandu changed her rhetoric regarding the celebration of Victory Day, looking at the experience of neighboring Ukraine. Earlier, the leader of Moldova recorded a video message in which she promised the people of the country hold the celebration of Victory Day, and also called on citizens «not to sow hatred and division.» Sandu's words were heard against the backdrop of the scandal with the ban on the St. George ribbon, which Chisinau equated with a «symbol of war», and the president herself said that this attribute has a place «in the trash can of history.» The opposition challenged the ban in the Constitutional Court. The leadership of the Gagauz autonomy of Moldova and Transnistria criticized the position of Chisinau and do not intend to introduce such a ban on their territory. the ban on the St. George ribbon and the symbols V and Z came into force. The St. George ribbon consists of three black and two orange stripes, it is used in many military awards of the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation. At the beginning of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, this symbol was used by militia fighters and volunteers who fought on the side of the DPR and LPR against the Ukrainian security forces. The Latin letters Z and V are painted on the sides of Russian military equipment participating in the military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. In Russia, the letter Z has already become an unofficial symbol of support for the operation.
