Emanuela Zampa

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Moldova Waiting

The Hotel “Național” in Chișinău, Moldova, was part of the Soviet hotel chain “Intourist” until 1992. Shortly after the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its façade was painted with the flag and the words “NO WAR”. Chișinău, Moldova, March 18, 2022.
The Hotel “Național” in Chișinău, Moldova, was part of the Soviet hotel chain “Intourist” until 1992. Shortly after the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its façade was painted with the flag and the words “NO WAR”. Chișinău, Moldova, March 18, 2022.

In the international arena shaped by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Moldova becomes a key point of observation through the presence of refugees. A former Soviet Socialist Republic, it is one of the poorest countries in Europe, landlocked between Ukraine and Romania. A flat rural landscape of vineyards and small villages, and a capital that looks west: Chișinău. A country of 2.5 million people which, according to UNHCR data, has received over 700,000 refugees since the beginning of the Russian invasion. They arrive mainly at the southern border of Palanca, just an hour from Odesa, and are quickly channelled towards the capital or onward to other European destinations. Although most transit is brief and facilitated by NGOs and institutions, and few remain in the country, the strain on Moldova is significant, and the humanitarian response is shaped by the fear of being next. Across the country, refugees are hosted in private homes, transit centres and temporary facilities, while Moldovans, aware of the fragility of their state, continue to offer support despite deep uncertainty about the future.

 
The hall of Hotel Chișinău, entirely rented to accommodate Ukrainian refugees of Jewish origin. Volunteers from “rural areas of Israel” describe an emergency relief programme supporting relocation to Israel. Chișinău, Moldova, March 25, 2022.
The hall of Hotel Chișinău, entirely rented to accommodate Ukrainian refugees of Jewish origin. Volunteers from “rural areas of Israel” describe an emergency relief programme supporting relocation to Israel. Chișinău, Moldova, March 25, 2022.
The room of a military facility in the center of Chișinău prepared for the arrival of several buses from the border carrying refugees. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
The room of a military facility in the center of Chișinău prepared for the arrival of several buses from the border carrying refugees. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
Angela and Levon cannot get married. They are Armenians and were already refugees in Ukraine, having fled the Nagorno-Karabakh war, which has continued intermittently since the 1990s. Levon no longer holds an Armenian passport and has been declared stateless; he still shows his Soviet-era document among his papers. For this reason, they cannot marry. They are staying in a military facility used to host refugees, with their dog and her trained parrot, until the situation stabilises. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
Angela and Levon cannot get married. They are Armenians and were already refugees in Ukraine, having fled the Nagorno-Karabakh war, which has continued intermittently since the 1990s. Levon no longer holds an Armenian passport and has been declared stateless; he still shows his Soviet-era document among his papers. For this reason, they cannot marry. They are staying in a military facility used to host refugees, with their dog and her trained parrot, until the situation stabilises. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
Belongings of refugees arriving from the border, seen inside a military facility in Chișinău, as a symbol of the universal condition of displacement. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
Belongings of refugees arriving from the border, seen inside a military facility in Chișinău, as a symbol of the universal condition of displacement. Chișinău, Moldova, March 21, 2022.
As a global pandemic is still unfolding, the threat of military aggression reaches Moldexpo. The site, still marked by its previous use, had already been converted into a makeshift Covid facility. The partitioned spaces now offer refugees some privacy. Some stay only a few days; others do not know where to go. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
As a global pandemic is still unfolding, the threat of military aggression reaches Moldexpo. The site, still marked by its previous use, had already been converted into a makeshift Covid facility. The partitioned spaces now offer refugees some privacy. Some stay only a few days; others do not know where to go. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
At the International Exhibition Centre MoldExpo, already repurposed as a Covid-19 center during the pandemic, is once more reconverted in refugee center, were World Food Program, UNHCR and IOM/OIM work together with local authorities to grant basic and urgent help for refugees. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
At the International Exhibition Centre MoldExpo, already repurposed as a Covid-19 center during the pandemic, is once more reconverted in refugee center, were World Food Program, UNHCR and IOM/OIM work together with local authorities to grant basic and urgent help for refugees. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
Medical facility for the romani refugees at the Chisinau sports center. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
Medical facility for the romani refugees at the Chisinau sports center. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
All romani refugees, mostly coming from the settlements near the northern border between Ukraine and Moldova, have been hosted in the Chisinau public Sports Center, in oder to "keep the community together" as they tell us during the visit. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
All romani refugees, mostly coming from the settlements near the northern border between Ukraine and Moldova, have been hosted in the Chisinau public Sports Center, in oder to "keep the community together" as they tell us during the visit. Chisinau, Moldova, 18 March 2022.
The camp set up by the Moldovan authorities near the Palanca border is empty at the time of my visit. The refugee flow peaked in the first weeks of the conflict, then dropped sharply, with some cases of return towards areas retaken by Russian forces. UNHCR reports 739,438 crossings from Ukraine into Moldova, 371,718 returns, and 102,103 people remaining in Moldova (last update: 1 Jan 2023). Palanca, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
The camp set up by the Moldovan authorities near the Palanca border is empty at the time of my visit. The refugee flow peaked in the first weeks of the conflict, then dropped sharply, with some cases of return towards areas retaken by Russian forces. UNHCR reports 739,438 crossings from Ukraine into Moldova, 371,718 returns, and 102,103 people remaining in Moldova (last update: 1 Jan 2023). Palanca, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
A Ukrainian woman looks out of a bus departing for Bucharest, Romania. From Palanca, refugees were quickly channelled through a cross-border system of redistribution across European countries, based both on individual choice and available capacity in host nations. Palanca, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
A Ukrainian woman looks out of a bus departing for Bucharest, Romania. From Palanca, refugees were quickly channelled through a cross-border system of redistribution across European countries, based both on individual choice and available capacity in host nations. Palanca, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
Alexei, Marina and their six children are a family of Ukrainian refugees who have found hospitality in the home of Vicislav, a Moldovan farmer. Saiti, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
Alexei, Marina and their six children are a family of Ukrainian refugees who have found hospitality in the home of Vicislav, a Moldovan farmer. Saiti, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
Vicislav, a Moldovan farmer who opened his house to shelter refugees, shares with us and the refugees he’s hosting some homemade food, including wine and cheese. Saiti, Moldova, March 19, 2022.
Vicislav, a Moldovan farmer who opened his house to shelter refugees, shares with us and the refugees he’s hosting some homemade food, including wine and cheese. Saiti, Moldova, March 19, 2022.
Anja, Angela and Artiom are hosted by Ivon, a moldovan farmer. Anja’s husband is a truck driver working in Europe, but once his contract ends he plans to return to the country to fight. Saiti, Moldova, March 2022.
Anja, Angela and Artiom are hosted by Ivon, a moldovan farmer. Anja’s husband is a truck driver working in Europe, but once his contract ends he plans to return to the country to fight. Saiti, Moldova, March 2022.
Ivon prepares his room after his guests are set fo the night. Ivon lives alone in the house he has recently finished building, while his wife works in Tel-Aviv as a domestic help. Since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine Ivon has hosted more than 20 refugees passing through his village. Saiti, Moldova, March 19, 2022.
Ivon prepares his room after his guests are set fo the night. Ivon lives alone in the house he has recently finished building, while his wife works in Tel-Aviv as a domestic help. Since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine Ivon has hosted more than 20 refugees passing through his village. Saiti, Moldova, March 19, 2022.
The Dniester River at Tudora, near the southeast border. On the other side, Ukraine. The same river, further north, marks the border between Moldova and the Russophile and unrecognized separatist state of Transnistria, where entry to journalists and photographer is forbidden since the conflict started. Tudora, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
The Dniester River at Tudora, near the southeast border. On the other side, Ukraine. The same river, further north, marks the border between Moldova and the Russophile and unrecognized separatist state of Transnistria, where entry to journalists and photographer is forbidden since the conflict started. Tudora, Moldova, 19 March 2022.
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