Patriarch Kirill Gundiaev, Patriarch of Moscow, awarded Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, the Order of Prince Daniil of Moscow, Second Class, “for his contribution to the development of church state relations.”

Krasnoselsky reported this on 19 February on his Telegram channel, according to Newsmaker.md.

The award was presented to Krasnoselsky by Archbishop Savva of Tiraspol and Dubossary of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The head of the unrecognized Transnistria said that “the future of Tiraspol is inseparable from the Russian Orthodox Church.”

He noted that over 35 years the number of churches in the republic has increased from four to about 140. New churches continue to be built.

“Our people deserve the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church should be proud of the Transnistrian people. There is no desecration, no persecution, no division among believers. On the contrary, there is understanding, there is harmony, there is love,” Krasnoselsky emphasized.

Recall that the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, abbreviated PMR or Transnistria, is a self proclaimed state in Eastern Europe on the territory of Transnistria, which the international community recognizes as part of Moldova.

The so called “independence” of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic was proclaimed on 25 August 1991, after which a short armed conflict began between separatists and Russian troops on one side and Moldovan forces on the other, ending in the de facto victory of the separatists with Russian participation.

The Russian Federation does not officially recognize the sovereignty of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, but at an unofficial level provides it with military, economic, political, and diplomatic support.

Earlier we wrote about this here.

And here.