Moldova: Information on whether there are Cossacks from Russia fighting in the Dniester region for the ethnic Russians and whether they are being paid "per person killed"
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MDA13228 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Moldova: Information on whether there are Cossacks from Russia fighting in the Dniester region for the ethnic Russians and whether they are being paid "per person killed", 1 February 1993, MDA13228, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab821c.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Sources currently available to the DIRB indicate that Cossack forces from Russia were fighting for the self-proclaimed Dniester Republic in Moldova in 1992 (Forward 17 Apr. 1992; Reuters 9 March 1992; Memorial 1992, 8; Radio Free Europe 17 Jan. 1992, 12). Please see the attached documents for further details. There is no information currently available to the DIRB, however, which indicates whether the Cossacks have withdrawn from the region.
Some sources note that the Cossacks are being compensated for their presence in the Dniester region. The Russian human rights organization Memorial reported that "[a]ccording to the cossacks, the BSCA [Black Sea Cossacks Army] privates were paid salaries of 1.500 rubles monthly" (1992, 8). Reuters reports that Cossack volunteers are "paid, armed and housed by the Dnestr [Dniester Republic] leadership" (9 Mar. 1992). A Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Report notes that "[t]he 'Dniester republic' authorities are offering homes and plots of land to Russian Cossacks willing to take up residence there" (17 Jan. 1992, 12). There is no documentation currently available to the DIRB specific to whether Cossacks are paid "per person killed."
Additional information on this topic is not currently available to the DIRB.
References
Forward. 17 April 1992. Walter Ruby. "Letter from Moldova: Caught in the Crossfire."
Memorial Human Rights Centre. 1992. "Large-scale and Gross Violations of Human Rights...in and around the City of Bendery (June-July 1992)."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 January 1992. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 3. Vladimir Socor. "Creeping Putsch in Eastern Moldova."
Reuters. 9 March 1992. Vanora Bennett. "Cossacks March Out of History Into Moldova Conflict." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Forward. 17 April 1992. Walter Ruby. "Letter from Moldova: Caught in the Crossfire."
Memorial Human Rights Centre. 1992. "Large-scale and Gross Violations of Human Rights...in and around the City of Bendery (June-July 1992)."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 17 January 1992. RFE/RL Research Report [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 3. Vladimir Socor. "Creeping Putsch in Eastern Moldova."
Reuters. 9 March 1992. Vanora Bennett. "Cossacks March Out of History Into Moldova Conflict." (NEXIS)
