'Deserter' Who Alleged Abuse In Transdniester Returns And Recants

Alexandru Rjavitin fled from forced service in a paramilitary unit in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniester, saying he had endured brutal beatings and extortion. When he returned to visit his family in December 2019, he disappeared without explanation. Then Rjavitin reappeared on Transdniestrian TV, apparently serving with his old unit and retracting his charges of abuse.