Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke with journalists on the holiday, following the conclusion of "The Immortal Regiment" march and the flower-laying ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet people's victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.
About the memories of his grandfather Vasily Ivanovich Krasnoselsky, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War:
I met my grandfather and spoke with him. He was stingy with reminiscences. This is generally the Generation of Victors, veterans – they are stingy with reminiscences. It was a difficult victory, to say the least. My grandfather's wounds reopened until his death – he died from injuries sustained during the war. He took part in the Jassy-Kishinev Offensive, liberating our region. He ended the war in Austria. If we put it that way, in principle, every member of our great Soviet family, the peoples of the USSR, has their own hero. Those who went missing, those who died and never returned, those who returned and rebuilt our Soviet Motherland. Therefore, we feel their heroism through ourselves, through our own emotions.
About the fact that residents of neighboring Moldova were deprived of the great holiday – Victory Day – and replaced with Europe Day:
You know, it's difficult to comment on such things. I'll start with something else. Europe Day – what's so bad about it, really? You understand, any holiday is tied to a date, to an event. Let's now figure out what event it is. It's the victory of the Red Army and the Allies in World War II. Do you understand? It's an event. So, in fact, Europe Day might not be a bad thing, but we just need to add one word, just one word, and it will be fair and correct: Day of the Liberation of Europe from German-Fascist-Nazi Ideology. Everything will fall into place then. You can celebrate both the Day of the Liberation of Europe from Nazism and Fascism and the Day of the Soviet People's Victory in the Great Patriotic War then. These two holidays are not mutually exclusive in essence. That's fine. You just need to clarify what you're celebrating. What you're celebrating is that the Red Army liberated all of Europe from Nazism and fascism, extinguished the furnaces of concentration camps where human bones were used as fuel, closed the laboratories where human experiments were conducted. The Red Army liberated all the prisoners of concentration camps. The Red Army. This is actually celebrated in Europe. Many people actually view Europe Day exactly like that – as the Day of the Liberation of Europe from Nazi-fascist ideology. The fact that it's in Moldova – well, that's their choice. Sometimes human stupidity knows no bounds. Someone commits a stupid, thoughtless act, then a second, a third – to justify the first. So, this is exactly what's happening, it seems, but never mind. I suppose tens of thousands of people will come out with St. George's ribbons and lay flowers in memory of their ancestors in Moldova today.
About the victory over Nazism in the 1940s, manifestations of revanchism, and attempts to withdraw peacekeepers from Pridnestrovie:
You see, this is a difficult question. If we talk about revanchism and say that the states didn't lose, then what force is taking revenge? Nazism and fascism. I'll say it again: Germany didn't lose the war, essentially, nor did Hungary, Bulgaria, or the other states that were satellites of Hitler and his ideology. In fact, it was the ideology of Nazism and fascism that lost. Therefore, I associate revanchism only with the possible return of ideology, but I'm not saying that it has returned outright, absolutely not. That should absolutely not be allowed. Peacekeeping is a slightly different topic for us. We're already talking about peace on the Dniester. After all, it was Nazism that reared its head back then, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, using fascist methods by and large. Peacekeepers stopped the fratricidal war between Pridnestrovie and Moldova. The peoples absolutely didn't need this war. Only Moldovan politicians needed it, to destroy, strangle, and enslave Pridnestrovie. Peacekeepers stopped it. They continue to maintain peace on the banks of the Dniester. This is important. I repeat, these statements have nothing to do with peace. Speculation and distortion of history – yes, but not with peace. We are for peace. Pridnestrovie is for peace.
About the parallel between "Soviet Red Army soldier during the Great Patriotic War and a peacekeeper today":
The parallel is clear. Absolutely correct. You can ask anyone in this line of thousands: "What does a peacekeeper mean to you?" This is peace, peace on Pridnestrovian soil.
About dignity, respect for the past, and the preservation of memory by Pridnestrovians:
You know, I always look at people. I notice how they listen to military music – songs from the war years. Whether they're happy or sad. Always with tears in their eyes. Either tears of joy or tears of sadness. It's emotion. Emotions like ours are probably unparalleled anywhere else. I'm talking about the entire post-Soviet nation, which shares common roots, ancestors, and memories. These are emotions. People express their emotions through action: through the "Immortal Regiment," through laying flowers. They thus resist the distortion of history. So how can human history, so to speak, be blocked? It's unrealistic. It's impossible. Those who try to do this will fail. May 9th is an example of this. People came out with emotion and protest against this arbitrary act of history in Tiraspol, and in all the cities and districts today. This is important to understand. I think it will remain with us for centuries.
About the "spirit of great war" looming in the world and the expansion of defense production in European countries:
We must always think about peace, have common sense, and understand that war is not a method. We must negotiate. The wars that are ongoing must be stopped. This is a fact. We must examine why they are doing it when someone rattles their weapons or declares a threat. In my opinion, they simply want to make money. The military industry is big business. Billions, trillions are invested. The economy is capitalized somewhere. It's clear that all the cars are manufactured in China, but something has to be produced. Probably shells, probably guns. How can this be justified? Well, probably with some kind of threat. What kind of threat? "Russian," "Iranian," or some other kind, you understand? They'll always find a way to profit from people's misery. That's the problem. These people have no responsibility to God, to history, to their fellow humans. They speculate, corrupt, and kill history, turning into history's killers. They generate war and ultimately bring disaster and destruction. I'm always for peace. I consider that any sane person of sound mind should strive for peace. This is what God created us for.
About Moldova's aspirations to join the European Union and the position of the Pridnestrovian people:
We have held seven referendums. We are ready to hold the eighth one. The people must have their say. Not any politician, European, Moldovan, or any other. The people must decide their own destiny.
About Victory Day:
I sincerely, with great emotion both joy and sorrow congratulate us all on the Great Victory. The victory of the victorious people in the Great Patriotic War. I am grateful to our ancestors for our peace, for the fact that we are called people, not slaves, for the fact that we speak our native language and live on our own land. Remember the heroism of your ancestors. Never forget it. Don't forget – not just on Victory Day. The future is ours. Happy Victory Day! Peace! Peace to Pridnestrovie!
