#Exhibit of the Month

The work In Memoriam. In Memory of the Heroes Who Fell at the Nistru (1992) was developed within the Center for Culture and Military History and published under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the Bureau for Reintegration, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. Authors: Gheorghe Bălan, Vitalie Ciobanu, Gheorghe Cojocaru.

This work provides a retrospective of the events that led to the outbreak of the war on the Nistru, accompanied by photographs of the heroes who lost their lives in the battles to defend the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

On March 2, 1992, the political conflict in the Nistru region escalated into a true fratricidal war. Under the fabricated pretext of "defending Russia's southern borders," political adventurers from the former Soviet metropolis encouraged Transnistrian separatism by arming secessionist paramilitary groups. At the same time, thousands of mercenary Cossacks and prisoners released early from jails, along with tanks and missiles, were sent against Independent Moldova, in a desperate attempt to revive the fallen empire.

Russia's undeclared war against the Republic of Moldova left behind hundreds of dead and wounded, shattered families, and villages in ruins. More than 50,000 peaceful residents from the conflict zone were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge from the horrors of war.

For the sake of freedom and the future, Moldova's defenders faced death, enduring the hardships and humiliations of war.

During the Nistru war, 198 soldiers of the National Army and 89 personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs lost their lives, while 40 combatants went missing without a trace, and nearly 300 were left disabled.

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Events Archive

The opening of the exhibition "Mom, I don't want war!!!"

September 30, 2022

On September 30, at 12:00, in front of the National Museum of History of Moldova, was opened the exhibition "Mami, I don't want war!!!", organized in partnership with the Polish Institute from Bucharest, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Moldova and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova.

The exhibition features historical drawings by Polish children from 1946, which record their experience during World War II and the German occupation of 1939-1945, as well as contemporary drawings by Ukrainian children about the ongoing war in Ukraine and which can be found on the Mom I see war portal.

The similarity between the historical drawings and those of today is amazing. Children draw tanks, airplanes from which bombs are dropped, fires and explosions. Draw wounded and dead, ruined houses, graves. They draw themselves and their families, draw evacuation and escape. They also draw their hopes and dreams for the future. The multitude of emotions transposed in the drawings: from fear and despair to hope and faith in victory, confirms one thing - children should not suffer because of war, they deserve to be happy and loved.

During the opening, Eugen Sava, the General Director of the National Museum of History of Moldova, stated that the children's drawings are wonderful but also tragic at the same time and convey a profound message.

Tomasz Michał Kobzdej, the ambassador of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Moldova, noted that "In 1946 children show soldiers in cartoons as people who have been driven mad by nazi or communist ideologies, as monsters. There is no doubt that the wars of adults bring suffering to children. Protecting children who are victims of war is one of the priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Poland".

The Ambassador of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, Marko Shevcenko, stated that "The exhibition is both impressive and paradoxical at the same time. Despite the fact that the distance at which these drawings were made is more than 80 years - the theme is the same. Only the military symbols are different. Evil remains evil regardless of the messages promoted and it is important that everyone unites and fights back against this evil."

The exhibition "Mom, I don't want war!!!" can be seen on the fence of the National Museum of History of Moldova (31 August 1989 street, no. 121 A) between September 30 and October 31, 2022.