Head of State’s message on 85 years since deportations

The head of state conveyed a commemorative message on the 85th anniversary of the first wave of Stalinist deportations of 12–13 June 1941, emphasizing that these events represent one of the most painful tragedies in the country’s history and that the memory of the victims must be preserved as part of building a democratic future.

According to her, tens of thousands of innocent people were torn from their homes, entire families were broken apart, and countless lives were shattered by the repressions of the Soviet regime.

“Eighty-five years ago, on 12 and 13 June 1941, the Stalinist regime launched the first wave of deportations, one of the greatest tragedies in our history. Tens of thousands of innocent people were torn from their homes — entire families broken apart and countless destinies shattered by a system that tried to suppress our national being,” the message reads.

The head of state stressed that society has the responsibility to preserve the memory of the victims and to defend the fundamental values for which they suffered.

“In their memory, we have the duty to defend the values for which these people paid a terrible price: freedom, identity, and the right to live without fear. Because a nation that knows its history is stronger and harder to divide,” she added.

At the same time, the official called on citizens to reflect on the past and to visit the wagon exhibition “State terror in Soviet Moldova. Scale, victims and perpetrators”, organized in Chişinău and Bălţi from 12 June to 6 July.

“Commemorating the deportations is both about the past and about the democratic future we are building together. By knowing and speaking the truth, we honor the memory of all those forced to leave their native places, and we can prevent the spread of lies by those who deny or falsify the horrors of the Soviet era,” the message further notes.

On the night of 12 to 13 June 1941, 18,392 people were taken from their homes and deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan, within a repressive operation organized by the Soviet regime against the population of the territories annexed by the USSR following the Ribbentrop–Molotov Pact.