MEMORIAL OF ȘERPENI

40 km east of Chișinău, on the banks of the Dniestr, this memorial of historical and national importance was erected in memory of the soldiers of the Red Army who died during the operation "Iași-Chișinău" of 20-29 August 1944. This operation aimed at taking the Moldovan capital and then Iași and the rest of Romania from German and Romanian troops. The monument commemorating the battle of Șerpeni is located on a small part of the front which was 8 km wide and 3 km deep. During the battle the Soviet troops had to establish a bridgehead at Șerpeni in order to allow the crossing of the river and to advance on the Chișinău. The memorial was inaugurated on 22 August 2004, in the presence of many veterans from Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A 2 lei stamp representing the site was issued in 2004 to celebrate the event. The site consists of an altar erected in an open chapel, a central square where an eternal flame burns, a stele and a high bell tower composed of two large pillars and surmounted by a cross. On granite plaques are engraved the 11,000 names of the fallen soldiers. In 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 the remains of Soviet soldiers killed during the operation "Iași-Chișinău" were buried there in ceremonies attended by officials including the Moldovan President, the Russian Minister of Defence, the Russian Ambassador, the Belarusian Ambassador and veterans of the conflict.