On November 24, Comrat hosted a nongovernmental rally where participants declared themselves “masters here” and banned ministers from visiting ATU Gagauzia. The event also revived the idea of “recreating the Republic of Gagauzia,” according to IPN‘s correspondent in Comrat.
The rally responded to recent searches involving Bashkan deputy Ilia Uzun and the detention of Bashkan’s adviser, Mikhail Vlah. Participants framed these actions as “a fight against the opposition” and “repression” of the Gagauz people.
Mikhail Vlah himself organized the rally, bussing in attendees. Several hundred people gathered, and separatist statements were made during the event. Ivan Bessarab, an activist from Congaz allied with Eugenia Gutsul’s team, called for revisiting the idea of forming the Republic of Gagauzia.
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“We should not have abandoned the creation of the Republic (Gagauzia). Today, together with you, I will urge the Bashkan, the People’s Assembly, and the Congress of Deputies at all levels to return to this issue,” Bessarab stated.
Participants recalled the 2014 “referendum,” unrecognized by Chisinau, where Gagauzians voted for an eastern development course for Moldova. Mikhail Vlah claimed the 2014 results remain relevant, stating, “The Gagauz people reaffirmed their position and voted 95% against the EU absorbing our dear Moldova.”
Vlah further alleged that in the autumn elections, 97% of Gagauzia’s electorate opposed the current government, accusing it of humiliating the Gagauz people. He asserted that Gagauzians oppose severing ties with Russia.
Ilia Uzun, addressing the recent searches, claimed he faced persecution for criticizing the government. “I work honestly and within the law, but every government in Chisinau tries to subdue me because they don’t like when I speak the truth,” he said.
Organizers declared that no minister from Chisinau should visit ATU Gagauzia. They adopted a resolution calling for a special session of the People’s Assembly to condemn the Moldovan authorities’ actions.
The rally followed controversial incidents involving Mikhail Vlah. On November 8, Vlah posted on Facebook that Maia Sandu and Igor Dodon “must be killed” («нужно убивать»). Police detained him for 72 hours. Vlah later claimed it was a typo, stating he meant “remove” («убирать»).
On November 21, police conducted searches at Ilia Uzun’s home and gas stations owned by his wife. Authorities seized oil products and money, whose origins the company administrator could not explain. Police also found that some gas stations operated without a license.