It was summer predawn hour. The peaceful day of June 22 did not come in 1941. War came at 3.58 instead of that. Pridnestrovians remember 82 years later, exactly this minute the tragedy, which claimed tens of millions of lives. About twenty thousand inhabitants of the Pridnestrovian land died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945.
Funeral and commemorative events are being held in different parts of the republic today. The traditional event "The Candle of Memory" gathered Tiraspol residents and guests of the city at the Memorial of Glory in the capital. The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky arrived to honor the memory of those who died during the years of the dominance of fascism and Nazism. The President laid flowers at the Eternal Flame, monuments, graves of the defenders of the Fatherland. Memorial lamps illuminated the memorial complex, symbolizing the undying memory of those who did not survive the worst of the wars, and of the feat of the Soviet soldier who returned peaceful life. The warmth of hope, the light of faith and the flame of love for the Motherland in every candle flame.
The PMR President Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke about the symbolism and significance of today's event while talking to journalists. He noted that he considers June 22, 1941 the most tragic date in the history of mankind, which changed the fate of millions of people and entire states. The PMR President emphasized that the biggest mistake was attempts to negotiate with Nazism and fascism. He mentioned the key historical events that preceded the start of the war: the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939. “There are causal links between these two documents. This is the moment of an attempt to negotiate with Nazism and fascism. What it led to – history has shown. This implies the questions of people's memory and forgiveness. Our Christian duty tells us to forgive. This is right. The people must be forgiven. People need to be forgiven. Those who attacked are also victims – victims of ideology. What can't be forgiven? Nazism and fascism. Not then, not today”, Vadim Krasnoselsky expressed confidence, recalling later fascist and Nazi manifestations and their consequences.
“Today's event is an indicator of people's memory, the fact that the people have not forgotten, that they remember, honor their history, their ancestors and know perfectly well who won the Great Patriotic War, what were the victims, what was the price of victory. Everything is in order with the head, with the people's memory and conscience in Pridnestrovie, in this small state. We honor our heroes, respect our ancestors, and we will not forget our history. Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. These are completely different things. We must remember, we must honor,” the PMR President summed up.
