Moldova troops fly national flag in Transnistria buffer zone
Moldovan soldiers serving in the Joint Peacekeeping Forces (JPF) are now wearing Moldovan national flag patches on their uniforms in the Security Zone along the Nistru river. The Security Zone news portal reported the change on Sunday, 22 March, after its editorial team received field photographs showing the insignia.
The commander of Moldova's military contingent within the Joint Control Commission (JCC) confirmed the authenticity of the images but provided no details on the order authorising the change or under what authority the decision was made.
The move comes days after several veterans' organisations from the 1992 Transnistrian War urged Chișinău authorities to restore Moldovan soldiers' right to display national symbols in the Security Zone. Their petition, addressed to multiple government bodies, cited a 1993 JCC decision that had required Moldovan troops to wear only neutral "MP" (Military Peacekeepers) patches — while Russian troops were permitted to display national insignia.
The petition's signatories described the situation as "a serious and humiliating discrepancy," noting that Moldovan soldiers had been unable to display their country's symbols even on Moldovan territory.
Background: The Joint Peacekeeping Forces were established after the 1992 Transnistrian War under an agreement signed between Moldova and Russia. The force comprises military contingents from Moldova, Russia and the Transnistrian region and conducts peacekeeping operations in the Security Zone along the Nistru river. Its activities are overseen by the Tripartite Joint Control Commission (JCC).
Translation by Iurie Tataru
