Trans-Dniester to offer Russian citizenship

TIRASPOL, Moldova - Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Lebed, commander of Russia's 14th Army in Moldova, addressed a group of workers of the Kirov munitions factory here, claiming that his country would soon open a consular mission in the city. According to Basapress reports of January 5 and 6, he stated that the mission would grant Russian citizenship to local residents who desired it.

Gen. Lebed noted that Moldovans make up 40 percent of the "Dniester Republic's" population (without mentioning that Ukrainians make up another 28 percent) and contended that many of them seek access to the Russian Federation. He claimed that geographical distance presented no obstacles to this.

The Russian commander also announced that the army and local authorities intend to open a military chair to train officers for the Russian forces at the University of Tiraspol. The university was recently de-Moldovanized and converted to a Russian institution.

In the same speech, Gen. Lebed suggested that the dismantled monument to Feliks Dzerzhinsky in Moscow be replaced by one to U.S. President George Bush, and called the U.S. ambassador to Moldova, Mary Pendleton, "a mediocre woman" for having rejected his invitations to visit the "Dniester Republic."

In a related development, Gen. Lebed held a press conference on January 11 with officials of the "Dniester" Security Ministry. Col. Vladimir Gorbov, formerly of the Moldavian SSR's KGB, confirmed previous public admissions that Soviet KGB officers formerly active in the Baltic states were now serving with the region's secret police.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 17, 1993, No. 3, Vol. LXI

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