Moldovan parliament adopts declaration condemning Russian Federation for cross-border contamination of Dniester River

The parliament today adopted a declaration condemning the Russian Federation for the cross-border contamination of the Dniester River and the damage caused to the security of water supply and public health of the population of Moldova.

The declaration notes that the Dniester River is the main source of drinking water for Moldova and its contamination is a direct consequence of the armed attack carried out by the Russian Federation.

"Russia was fully aware of the characteristics of the targeted critical infrastructure and of the inevitable nature of the resulting environmental catastrophe. It is the only state which, contrary to international law and its own commitments, defies the territorial integrity of Moldova and the constitutional provisions on neutrality, undermining the rule of law and the European path through hybrid attacks," the document reads.

In the context, the parliament firmly condemns "the criminal actions of the Russian Federation which, ignoring universally recognized principles and norms of international law, continues to commit the crime of aggression, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including massive attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, directly affecting the civilian population."

The legislature also condemns the falsehoods propagated in connection with this environmental tragedy and urges citizens to get information only from reliable  sources.

"The responsible institutions are urged to take measures to reduce the impact of pollution, including by mobilizing additional resources from the state reserve, and to ensure objective and prompt informing of citizens about the evolution of the situation. Gratitude is expressed to the Romanian for its support and unconditional assistance in managing and mitigating the effects of the discharge of pollutants into the Dniester River, and the readiness of the European Commission to provide support through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism is welcomed," the document notes.

The Moldovan parliament called on the international community and national parliaments and governments "to exert pressure on the Russian Federation to stop attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, which directly affect the civilian population of Ukraine and Moldova, and to compel the aggressor state to accept the conditions necessary to ensure a lasting and just peace in Ukraine."

The document was adopted with the votes of 63 MPs from the factions: Action and Solidarity Party, Alternative, Democracy at Home and Our Party. Another 13 MPs from the factions of Moldovan Party of Socialists the Party of Communists voted against supporting the declaration. They stressed that it had not been documented that the spill of oil substances into the Dniester River had occurred specifically as a result of the Russian Federation’s attack.

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder today presented a detailed report in the parliament’s plenum on the pollution of the Dniester River. He noted that responsibility for the incident lied with the Russian Federation, which had attacked Ukraine’s infrastructure.

In his report, the official said that the oil substances that reached the water continued to have effects on the environment and on public health. He pointed out that the authorities were preparing additional studies to assess the short- and medium-term impact.

More localities from north Moldova, including the Balti municipality and the districts of Soroca, Sangerei and Floresti, were left without drinking water for several days following the pollution of the Dniester River with oil substances. The pollution of the Dniester occurred as a result of the attack on the Dniester Hydropower Complex in Ukraine, on the night of March 6 to 7, when the explosions caused discharges of technical oils and petroleum products into the water.