Stoianoglo: One Third of the Population Speaks Russian, 60% of ATM Requests Are in Russian

Alexandr Stoianoglo, a MP from the Alternativa bloc, declared “an unprecedented level of Russophobia in the country”. According to the politician, at least a third of the population speaks Russian every day and associates their identity with it. “60% of ATM requests are in Russian. This is a fact that cannot be ignored. Society is once again divided along ethnic lines: the Gagauz people are inexplicably perceived as ‘separatists’, other nationalities are declared ‘disloyal’. This is a dead end. Such logic must be abandoned. The country needs an idea that unites. It can be European integration, in a format where everyone has their place, and national minorities receive real guarantees: the right to study in their native language and the right to study Russian. This right cannot be taken away. The state’s policy on learning the official language is a separate issue. It should not become an instrument of pressure and division of people,” Alexandr Stoianoglo said. It should be noted that during the last census in Moldova, 49.2% of the country’s residents stated that their native language was Moldovan, 31.3% were native to Romanian, 11.1% to Russian, 3.8% to Gagauz, 2.9% to Ukrainian, 1.2% to Bulgarian, 0.3% to Roma, 0.2% to others.