Moldova is a neighbor of Ukraine. Both countries were part of the former Soviet Union. Moldova has ‘only’ 2.6 million inhabitants, but last weekend the 400,000th refugees from Ukraine entered the country.
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‘Strong neighbor feeling’
That puts the country in a difficult position. Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. Ten percent of the population lives below the poverty line and has difficulty affording food or shelter for themselves. Despite this, the willingness to help the refugees is enormous, says Dutch aid worker Stefanie Cozaru.
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Stefanie, who lives in Moldova herself, says: ”People here give everything, even if it means they have nothing left themselves”. According to her, this has to do with the country’s ‘hospitable culture’ and the ‘strong neighborly feeling’ towards the Ukrainian people.
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European support
To help poverty-stricken Moldova with the influx of refugees, the European Union has already provided more than 200 million euros pledged aid to the country. The Netherlands previously allocated half a million euros to help with the initial reception of refugees in the country.
Stefanie says that ‘fortunately’ humanitarian aid for Moldova has started a few weeks ago. “Last week, for example, we welcomed four full trucks from the Netherlands. We then divide the items here among all the places where refugees are received.”
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Russian influence
Yet, in addition to the hospitable culture, there is also another reason, according to Stefanie, why Moldova is trying so well to help Ukrainian refugees.
Moldova and Ukraine have in common that they were both part of the Soviet Union as neighbors. And just like Ukraine, Russia believes that Moldova should also be part of ‘Greater Russia’. In the country itself, there is one region where Russia already has a lot of influence: Transnistria.
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After the fall of the Soviet Union, Transnistria declared independence. Moldova has still completely lost its grip on the region, partly thanks to the Russian military that is massively present in the area.
‘We could have been just as good’
“The region really only exists thanks to support from Russia,” says Eastern Europe expert Michael Kemper. Kemper: “The Moldovan government has long tried to annex the region, but since Russia invaded Ukraine, they are more anxious. don’t want to provoke Russia, because the country has an army of nothing.”
Stefanie says that at the beginning of the war tensions rose among the inhabitants of Moldova. Partly because in Russian eyes Moldova should actually be part of their country. That also gave an extra feeling of support towards the Ukrainian refugees, says the Dutchman. “People here had the feeling: we might as well have been that.”
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‘No time for fear’
And suppose Russia would invade Moldova. Then the country seems to have little chance. Moldova is not a member of NATO and therefore cannot count on military support. Yet Kemper expects that there will not be a Russian invasion here.
“There are currently no signs that Russia is planning this. They seem to be concentrating more on the area east of Ukraine.”
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And the Moldavian people are also much less afraid of a Russian invasion than they were a few weeks ago, says Stefanie. “You notice that Moldovans draw hope from the fact that Russia is having such a hard time in Ukraine.”
In addition, work in the poverty-stricken country cannot come to a standstill. Stefanie: ”Now that spring has arrived, we have to work on the land again. Otherwise there is simply no food here in the winter.” Stefanie has always worked herself. Where she first distributed food to elderly people, she now helps the many refugees who have arrived in Moldova.
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It shows that Stefanie herself is at least not yet concerned with what she would do if the Russians invade her country. “You can’t say that yet. And what should I do? My husband is Moldovan, maybe he should stay. Should I leave him and our foster children then?”
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