Dozens of persons, including teachers, parents and students from the Romanian-language high schools in Transnistria and lycees in Chisinau, as well as representatives of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Moldova, picketed on Wednesday the Russian Embassy headquarters in Chisinau.

They protested against "violation of rights of children from Romanian-language schools on the left bank of the Nistru river," as well as against "policy of Moscow which supports the Transnistrian regime." The participants in picket demanded Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop Tiraspol leader Smirnov because they want to study, asked the politicians and criminals not to rally the children in dirty affairs.

Helsinki Committee/Moldova chairman Stefan Uratu told the meeting that "the Russian Federation is the only country which could solve the problems faced by the Latin-spelling schools in Transnistria."

There were no immediate official comments from the Russian Embassy to demands of protestors.

Repairs at the Romanian-language lycee in Tiraspol, which the Transnistrian militia stormed last July, began on Monday. The local administration refuses however to resume the water and power supplies to the lycee. The students from this institution study at Romanian-language lycees in neighbourhood until finishing of repairs.