The post-Soviet small state has neglected its army for thirty years. However, the Ukraine war calls old certainties into question. The situation is also changing in the Transnistrian conflict.
The Moldovan Armed Forces are said to be more than an honor guard. In the picture a soldier at the World War II memorial in Chisinau.
What Moldovan Defense Minister Anatol Nosatii said in a television program last week would hardly have made waves in Switzerland. In Moldova, however, it is an expression of a far-reaching change of heart. “Neutrality means having a strong and well-equipped army that can protect its people,” Nosatii said. “In the event of an attack, the armed forces will defend the country to the best of their ability.”