"That blooming and singing bright May": Moldova, Gagauzia and Transnistria celebrated the Victory

May 9 of this year in Moldova was held in the conditions of the traditional double symbolism for recent years — the country simultaneously celebrated Victory Day and Europe Day. However, it was the events dedicated to the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War that became the most massive socio-political action of the spring. In Chisinau and a number of other cities of the republic, in Gagauzia and Victory Marches, processions of the "Immortal Regiment", flower-laying ceremonies, car rallies, concerts of military songs and commemorative rallies were held in Transnistria.

The main events took place in the capital. In the early morning, the country's leadership — President Maia Sandu, Speaker of the Parliament Igor Grosu and Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu - laid flowers at the Eternity memorial complex. At the same time, the main attention of the "leaders" in all black was paid to the monument to those who died from the Moldovan side in the Transnistrian conflict.

The official ceremony started at about eight in the morning and was accompanied by a minute of silence in memory of those killed in this conflict, as well as during The Second World War. The authorities emphasized the connection between the memory of the war and modern European values of peace and security. Then the President Speaker and the Prime Minister also laid flowers at the Eternal Flame. In recent years, such an event has been held in the early hours, when the majority of ordinary citizens have not yet come to the Memorial Complex.

At the same time, participants of alternative public actions of memory began to gather in the center of Chisinau. Columns of the traditional march "Immortal Regiment" were formed at the monument to Stefan cel Mare. The organizers of the event stated that they were trying to show: "Moldova remembers that we are the descendants of the winners."

By 10 a.m., the central streets of the capital were filled with people with flowers, portraits of front-line soldiers, red banners and Soviet symbols. The column was accompanied by a brass band performing frontline songs. Veterans, representatives of various parties, public organizations, search movements and thousands of ordinary residents of the capital took part in the march. According to media reports, the march has become one of the most numerous in recent years. According to various estimates, up to 30 thousand people participated in it.

The Victory March took place along the central avenue of Chisinau in the direction of the Eternity memorial, where a mass laying of flowers to the Eternal Flame took place. Many participants carried portraits of relatives-veterans and symbols of the Great Patriotic War. Despite the ban on the St. George ribbon in force in the country, some of the participants used it during the procession.

One of the most notable events of the day was the traditional rally "One victory for all". Hundreds of cars with red flags and Victory symbols lined up on Stefan cel Mare Avenue, after which the column moved along the central streets of the city to the Eternity memorial. The organizers reported that thousands of people took part in the action. After the rally was completed, a giant replica of the Victory Banner was deployed near the memorial.

An exhibition center dedicated to the history of the Great Patriotic War and the liberation of Moldova was open throughout the day on the territory of the Eternity Memorial Complex. The municipal authorities carried out the improvement of the complex in advance: flower beds were updated, alleys and monuments were put in order.

During the day, frontline song concerts, brass band performances and thematic cultural programs were held in different parts of Chisinau. At the same time, the "European Town", organized on the occasion of Europe Day, an event promoted by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, also worked on the central square of the capital. However, the number of citizens who came to this event is in no way comparable to the number of those who took part in the events dedicated to Victory Day. Only in the evening, when the concert began, the central square was half full. Thus, May 9, 2026 in Moldova again turned into the day of two parallel symbolic agendas — the memory of the Soviet Victory and the European political course of the country.

Balti became one of the main centers of the celebration. Here, on the morning of May 9, thousands of residents came out for a solemn procession of memory. A column with portraits of front-line soldiers, red banners and flowers marched through the central streets of the city to the memorials of military glory. The events were attended by representatives of municipal authorities, veterans, public organizations and residents of the northern regions of the country. After the procession, a mass laying of flowers and a commemorative rally took place. Frontline song concerts and folk festivals were also held in the city. The number of participants is more than 10 thousand people.

In Comrat, Victory Day was accompanied by a large official program prepared by the Mayor's office and the local authorities of Gagauzia. In the morning, the participants of the festive column marched from the city Hall to the Memorial of Glory to the Soldiers-Liberators. After that, a solemn rally and a flower-laying ceremony were held. During the day, concerts, cultural performances and public memorial events were held in the city. Events with the participation of creative teams of the autonomy became a separate element of the program. In the evening, a concert was held on the central square of Comrat, in which songs of the war years performed by artists of the autonomy were performed, and the action "1418 days and nights" was held.

In the center of the Bulgarian cultural autonomy of Taraclia, the downpour did not allow a patriotic song concert to be held, but the townspeople managed to light 1,418 candles in memory of every day of the war.

Large-scale and bright May 9 was traditionally celebrated in Transnistria. In Tiraspol, the festivities began with the ceremony of raising the Victory Banner. Then a procession of the "Immortal Regiment" took place along the central street of the city, in which thousands of people took part. The column headed to the Memorial of Glory, where wreaths and flowers were laid. In the afternoon there was a car rally "Victory is one for all", and in the evening there was a big concert in the Catherine Park and a festive salute on Suvorov Square.

In Bender, commemorative events were held in several parts of the city at once. A rally and a flower-laying ceremony were held at the Memorial of Glory, after which the "Immortal Regiment" campaign started. Field kitchens, concert venues and exhibitions of decorative and applied arts were open during the day.

In Dniester, the procession of the "Immortal Regiment" passed from school No. 2 to the Palace of Culture "Energetik", where then a solemn rally was held. Soldiers' porridge, field kitchen and concert programs were organized for residents.

In Dubossary, the column of the "Immortal Regiment" marched from the Defenders Square to the Obelisk of Glory. Portraits of heroes of the Soviet Union and the Victory Banner were carried in front. Flag-raising ceremonies, commemorative rallies, performances by mobile concert brigades and actions in honor of veterans were also held in the city. The total number of participants of festive events in Transnistria amounted to more than 150 thousand people.

During the holidays, some commemorative events were held at major war memorials of the country, including the Sherpen bridgehead, where veterans, representatives of public organizations and residents of the districts of central Moldova traditionally gathered. Funeral ceremonies were held there for the burial of the fallen soldiers of the Red Army, who were found by search teams, laying flowers and memorial events in memory of those killed during the crossing of the Dniester in 1944.

May 9 cannot be canceled by decree or replaced by another date. Victory Day does not live in calendars — it lives in people. And while the residents of Chisinau, Comrat and Tiraspol take to the streets like this — with dignity, without fear — no political conjuncture will erase it. People are proud to have been around. Today and always. Happy Victory Day!