April 1 is a significant and tragic date for the Pridnestrovian history. Militiamen in Bendery took the blow of Moldavian nationalists that day in 1992. The employees of the internal affairs bodies Grigory Echin, Anatoly Petrov and Igor Grek died. Their colleague Sergey Boyko received numerous injuries. That day, the Moldovan OPON (special operations police division) shot a bus with employees of a cotton mill and guardsmen who arrived to help militia officers. Victor Taranov, Alexander Barbakar and Sergey Bobuek are among the killed defenders.
Every year on the first April day, Bendery militia officers, relatives of the victims, city and country leaders, as well as residents and guests of Bendery come to the place of the tragedy to commemorate those whose lives were cut short by Moldavian aggressors. This year, the number of participants in the mourning ceremony is minimal. This is due to the state of emergency: the country is facing new threat, this time around the world - the spread of coronavirus. To protect citizens in these conditions means to ensure that they are at home. Gratitude to the heroes on behalf of the entire Pridnestrovian people was expressed today by the PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky. He laid flowers to the stone installed in the chapel built in 2002, where the names of the dead are carved.
