After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin sent virtually identical messages to the Moldovan veterans on May 9th. The Kremlin leader wrote to them about the “glorious victory” in a “great war”, wishing them health and many years.
In 2022, shortly after Russia had invaded Ukraine, Vladimir Putin directly addressed Maia Sandu and asked her to convey congratulations to the veterans.
From 2023, Putin began to address the Moldovan citizens directly. Typically, his message was published by the Russian embassy in Chisinau. In the message, the Kremlin leader spoke about the “duty to preserve the tradition of friendship between peoples, left by grandparents and fathers.”
In 2024, the text was slightly adapted, mentioning the common history of Russia and Moldova. The address requested that the distortion of history not be allowed.
In 2025 and 2026, Putin’s messages, with slight edits, were practically similar.
It is curious that, in recent years, Vladimir Putin has had messages specially adapted for Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, in the context of these states’ pro-European ambitions. This fact was expressly mentioned by the Kremlin press service when statements were issued regarding the congratulatory messages addressed.