Moldova’s young people at a crossroads – Between Russia and the EU | DW Documentary

Moldova – a small country caught between East and West, between Russia and the EU. Many young people are torn between staying and leaving, resignation and activism. On September 28, they will cast their vote for which path their country will take.

Bordered by EU-member Romania on the west and Ukraine to the north and east, Moldova is Europe’s poorest nation. Jobs are scarce, and especially the young struggle with a lack of prospects. The documentary follows three young Moldovans who respond in very different ways to the challenges their country faces more than 30 years after independence from the Soviet Union.
Ana Popa spent years abroad but made a conscious choice to return home. Determined to make a difference, she organizes protest bike rides and marches, and campaigns to strengthen civil society in Moldava.

Andrei Morari, by contrast, has become resigned towards politics. He grew up in Transnistria, a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border. Transnistria longs for independence and receives support from Russia. The conflict has remained “frozen” since a short military conflict in 1992. The divide between Transnistria and the rest of Moldova runs deep. Andrei refused military service and is therefore barred from going back to his native Transnistria. But he sees no future for himself in the capital, Chișinău, either. Distrustful of all politicians, he won’t be casting his vote at the end of September – instead, he plans to leave the country as soon as he can.
Veaceslav Sclifos, aka DJ Wenzel, wants to stay. He’s passionate about music and dreams of building a techno scene in his small hometown of Criuleni. Everyone in the area knows him as DJ Wenzel. Yet he is also struggling to make a living. His village is on the brink of extinction. Many young people have left, pushed away by the lack of jobs and uncertain futures.

The documentary captures the dilemmas facing Moldova’s youth – as well as their search for creative ways to build a future in their native country.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #moldova
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For me, the biggest
stereotype about Moldova is that it is either
pro-Russian or pro-European. There is nothing in between. I agree that for a young
person in Chișinău that doesn’t own property,
life is about survival. That’s just objectively true. As for my friends, I’d say half of them
have left for Europe. People leave to earn
money, or to study in Europe. I have quite a few issues
with the current government. I definitely wouldn’t vote
for them in the elections. Tens of thousands of Moldovans
leave their country every year. The number of emigrants
has risen to around 1.2 million in the last three decades. It is not a small number, seeing the country’s
population is less than 2.4 million. Ana Popa is an
example of the opposite. She is from Moldova but
lived in Romania and Poland. Now an activist back in Moldova, she is engaged with
many activities and projects. We are in the
center of Chișinău, between Pușhkin
and Bodoni street. Right here, they discovered
historic cobblestones. The goal is to turn this
section into a pedestrian zone. But the plans haven’t
moved forward at all. I think there’s still very
much this idea here that people who have a car are the ones who
have succeeded in life. People with a car have the
right to be anywhere in the city, anywhere they need to be. The city is really
centered on cars. Let’s take up as much
space as possible. Be visible, ride slowly, don’t rush. Cyclists have rights too.
That’s very important. We need a volunteer
to block the intersection to make sure
everyone crosses safely. Are there any volunteers
who could help with this? Three in the back.
Thank you very much! The last Friday of the month
has become synonymous with the fight for public space, for cyclists riding in the city. It’s the fight for more safety
and better understanding among people using
the roads in Chișinău. We in the Chișinău
Bicycle Alliance have been working together
for about four to five years and have gained a
substantial following. The goal is a bike
ride through the city that draws attention to those who
choose a mode of transportation other than privately owned cars. I’ve lived outside Moldova
longer than in Moldova. When I was here
on vacation in 2018, it was the first time I
felt like I could live here. Something changed in me, I realized that life here
could be interesting, and I’d probably
feel good living here. And now here I am,
seven years later, still here. Ana decided to return despite all
the challenges Moldova is facing. The former Soviet
Republic is located between Romania and Ukraine. Once famous for its
agricultural products and wine, the country went through
radical economic decline and corruption scandals
since gaining independence in 1991. The result:
Moldova‘s poverty rate is one of the highest in Europe affecting around 30
percent of the population. Including young people. Andrei moved to Chișinău
to study TV and film directing at the Academy of Music,
Theatre and Fine Arts. He lives here with his
girlfriend Katyusha and two cats. I love photography. This is a Yashica Samurai camera. It’s a half-frame SLR
camera with a zoom lens. It is one of the last
versions they released. I own the previous version, but this one does
have better optics and more features. It’s a really cool
thing that allows you, well it allows me to
bring back the dynamics of film photography. I can say that over the three
years that I’ve been here, I’ve started working much more and earning much
more compared to 2022. But the standard of
living and quality of life are steadily declining
for many reasons, primarily economic. And, honestly, I have
very grim expectations for the coming years,
especially for next winter. And when it comes to
electricity, for example, this winter, the
electricity rates doubled. Plus, rent and food
prices are changing. And gradually
inflation is going up. This is the last
photograph I printed. It’s a photo I took during
the railway workers’ strike. It has, ‘Give us back
the money we earned!’ written on it. Clearly, a cry from the heart. Would you like some water? No, I’m just hot. The girl said that they
were very expensive. But she took them to some
workshop near her house, and they ended up
covered in brown nail polish. Oh, no! We were asked to
restore the texture and the threads because
they were just a mess. I studied to be a
clothing designer and I was trained on
the job to restore clothing. The work itself is
great and I do love it, but it’s quite
stressful and difficult. You see, we work
with expensive brands like Chanel and Dior. And if we ruin them, we
have to take responsibility. And actually, there
is a lot of work, but I wouldn’t say
there’s good work here. The salaries are very low,
especially for seamstresses. When it comes to designers, all the good positions
are already taken. And it’s not people with
an education or talent that get those jobs,
it’s people with money. Life in Chișinău is hard, but it’s no easier in
the rest of the country. Hundreds of Moldovan villages are likely to disappear
in the next few decades. The absence of
well-paid jobs elsewhere drove this man to
the Moldovan capital. He goes by his
performing name, Wenzel. He was born and
raised in Criuleni, a small town on the
banks of the Dniester River. When I am in Chișinău, I work at a carpet
cleaning company. I collect them dirty
and deliver them clean, throughout the city
and outside the city, in the villages of Băcioi,
Sireți, Puhoi, and Grătiești. I moved to Chișinău so
that I could study and work at the same time. I’d say Chișinău feels
more like an industrial area where things are produced
and money is made. There aren’t many places
to hang out or to relax, unlike in the more rural areas. I’ve been fishing since I
was about 10 years old. My father and my
grandfather taught me. We come here often. And I actually caught
my biggest fish here, it was almost five kilos. There aren’t many people around. Everyone leaves for the city. You rarely see teenagers
like me on the street. As for my friends, I’d say half of them
have left for Europe. My best friend is in Berlin now. Another best
friend is in Chișinău. Another one in Italy… So, we are spread
all over Europe. People leave to earn
money, or to study in Europe. Although Moldova
gained independence from the Soviet Union
more than 30 years ago, Russia’s strong influence
in the country remains. Some Moldovans are
nostalgic about the past, celebrating anniversaries
like the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. But they are also striving
for greater EU integration. Europe has brought
us prosperity. The EU has
transformed my country. It has helped our
industry modernize, and it helped our honey
and wine producers find new markets. It is a community
based on diversity, and it is community which
protects national identity. And with you,
Europe will be richer. Many Moldavans hope
that EU membership will bring higher
wages and a better life. Russia and
pro-Russian politicians are trying to prevent Moldova’s
integration into the EU. The upcoming parliamentary
elections on September 28th will be a test of whose
influence is greater. Ana has been politically
active on many local, national, and international issues. We are here at Queer Café, which is part of Casa Zemstvei. it’s been an important venue
for alternative culture in Chișinău. Tonight, we have
a ROR rehearsal. Rhythm of Resistance. A rehearsal of activist
drummers from Chișinău who have been
participating in and supporting the protest movement
in Chișinău and beyond. We’re connected by
values that we, as ROR, support and stand for. For example, for
several years now, we’ve supported the
Feminist March on March 8 with the beat of our drums. And we’ve also
supported Moldova Pride with our music for
more than five years. I gave up getting frustrated when every protest didn’t
result in immediate change. And, the way I see it,
maybe I’m an idealist, but I think that simply
expressing opinions and ideas in public spaces is in
itself, an important act. At the same time, we
have battles that we’ve won and we’ve had success stories. Moldova is a
relatively small country, and Chișinău is a city
where power is within reach. You can go straight
to the building where the decision-makers are. This has often led to
dialogue with representatives and little victories. For example, we’re still
operating in Casa Zemstvei. This is what drives
us to move forward and not become indifferent. For Moldovans, these
are turbulent times. The 2024 referendum on
anchoring EU accession in the Moldovan constitution
won by a very narrow margin, showing a deep division
among the population. There were examples
of Russian interference – voting corruption,
propaganda, and fake news. The tense relationship between
Moldova and Russia is divisive – even among family members. Because of politics, I think people often
forget to be human. They often get into arguments because of differing
opinions, like, “Why are you like
this and not like that?” Or “Why do you side with Russia? Or vice versa, “Why
do you support Europe?” I’d really love to
travel around Europe. Especially since my
friend moved to Germany. He really wants me to visit. I’d like to go to Germany for
some music events as well. I actually organize events
like that here, just for music. I got into music because
my father introduced it to me when I was little. He played me some
old music from his time, from when he used to
run a disco in Cruileni. So I bought my
own mixing console. I really wanted to
learn how to DJ. And so, I started teaching
myself in the basement. I got to the point where
I started my own project, mixing records. Everyone knows me as Wenzel, the guy who mixes from CDs. For a while, I’ve
been thinking about organizing an event in Criuleni. Hopefully in the next few weeks, if I can find the perfect venue. Criuleni, Wenzel’s hometown, lies on the border
with Transnistria. This small region in
the east of Moldova wants to be independent,
something Russia supports. Since a brief war in 1992, the conflict has been
considered ‘frozen’. Transnistria considers
itself a small country. Most of us don’t really
consider it to be a country. In the past there were,
let’s say, different visions. People hated each other, they had all this hatred
towards one another and argued from one
riverbank to the other – even adults, even
the fishing community. It was funny at times, but nowadays I don’t
really notice it anymore, this hatred towards each other. I have friends from
Transnistria too, and we all agree that life
in Moldova is much better. According to
UN-recognized borders, Transnistria is a
part of Moldova, but many Transnistrians
don’t feel connected to Moldovan politics. Andrei was born and raised in
the Transnistrian city of Bender. As an observer, I don’t see any
political force today that represents my
interests, my sentiments or my wishes. And so, I’d say
that as of today, there is no premise
for radical change. Hello, sunshine! You
bought cotton pads. You asked me for some, remember? The Prosecutor General’s Office has issued a
warrant for Plahotniuc from the Democratic Party. The main charge
brought against him is that he was involved
in stealing 1 billion dollars. So, he stole it. Why isn’t he in the Canaries? I don’t know. Rumor has it he was hiding
somewhere in Latin America, and recently his Mexican
passport even surfaced. Apparently, the
Mexicans claim it’s fake, but he flew to Dubai
and stopped in Greece. And Greece is part of
the Interpol convention, so they arrested him. You can vote, or not
vote, it doesn’t matter, you’re still left to deal with
your problems on your own. Unfortunately, I don’t
see any possible solutions to this problem,
except to move away. Andrei is on the
way to visit his family. He refused to comply with
mandatory army service in Transnistria, so
returning home carries risks. Due to security concerns,
we are not showing his family. This is the first
time in my life that I am walking
along this road. But for about 20 years, my grandmother
Valentina Dmitrievna used to walk along it to
the neighboring village. She worked there as a saleswoman in a department store. And that’s how she
used to go to work, on this path exactly. And now I am walking along it because I can no longer
walk along the paved road that goes through my
hometown of Bender because they’ve
sent me a summons. This also means that I can’t
show up at my own home. Well, at least I’ll get to
see the familiar landscape from a different angle. Transnistrian isn’t
really a nationality, it’s more like a
cultural identity. But I can’t call myself
Moldovan either, because I don’t
know the language, I don’t know the culture at all. I grew up in a completely
different atmosphere. I would probably say
that, actually, I’m Russian. In spite of the disillusion,
frustration, and fear, some young Moldovans refuse to see the current
situation in black and white or look at their country’s
future pessimistically. They’re actively participating in making their country
a better place to live. Recently, I realized I have a list
of about eight different projects that I want to
implement in Moldova, and I need to put them on paper and think about
which one to start with. A few years ago, when
I returned to Moldova I started noticing that
we have a lot of mosaics that are very
beautiful and unique. They’re all over. And so, quite spontaneously, my friends and I
started mapping them, marking all the mosaics
we know and found. Mosaics are quite a
controversial topic in Moldova, because they date
back to the Soviet era and are often considered
propaganda art. But I think what we’ve
tried to do with our project is to draw attention
to the aesthetic as well as the artistic
value of these mosaics. It’s very hard to try to
criticize the EU in Moldova, because you’re immediately
labeled as pro-Russian, which is not the case. But to me, it’s also
clear that Russia is trying to use various
methods to influence the situation in Moldova,
including elections here. Not just this year, but
also in previous ones. I’d like to believe that what
happens after the fall elections won’t turn out to
be a huge disaster. On the other hand,
you can’t ignore cases, including Georgia,
where things escalated into a very authoritarian
state in a relatively short time. And it’s very similar to the
policies carried out in Russia. Whatever happens
in the elections, I’ll stay here and
continue my activism. And yes, I definitely
see my future here. My future in Moldova?
I can see it. On September 28, 2025, Moldova holds important
parliamentary elections. Young Moldovans will
help decide the future of their country and its
pro-European integration. Their dreams of a
better future often hover between the desire to leave and the will to make
a change at home.