Vasile Cijevschi Vasile Cijevschi ( also credited as Cijevski or Tchizhevsky ; October 17 , 1881 – July 14 , 1931 ) was a Bessarabia n and Romania n politician , administrator and writer . Originally a career officer in the Russian Empire , he was active within the ethnic Romanian political movement during the Russian Revolution , and later within the Moldavian Democratic Republic . Cijevschi helped organize the Republic ' s defense against leftist insurrection , and contributed to the Bessarabian – Romanian union of 1918 . He is chiefly remembered as a supporter of Bessarabian identity within Romania and as an early critic of Romanian centralism . Biography . Cijevschi was a native of Zaim village , at the geographical center of the Bessarabian Governorate . His early career was in the Russian Cavalry , where he reached the rank of " Rotmistr " ( Captain ) . He was involved in the Russo - Japanese War , when he also received academic training in Oriental studies and prepared for a career in Russian diplomacy . He was no longer in active service after the February Revolution of 1917 , by which time he had become interested in political matters . In April , Cijevschi was registered as one of six Bessarabian envoys to the Congress of Russian Peoples of the Ukrainian People ' s Republic , where he prospected the emancipation of Romanians living under nominal Ukrainian rule . The National Moldavian Party elected him as one of the chief delegates . By September 1917 , Cijevschi was also involved with the Moldavian Congress of Chişinău , which called for Bessarabian autonomy within the Russian Republic . This institution elected Cijevschi as Commissar for Bessarabia , but , despite the efforts of Bessarabian lobbyists , his appointment was never sanctioned by the Russian Army Command in Mogilev . Shortly after the October Revolution , Cijevschi helped establish the All - Russian Congress of Moldavian Soldiers , functioning as the first legislative and executive body of Bessarabian autonomists . He was elected President of that Congress , with Ştefan Holban serving as his secretary . They both signed their names to a Congress proclamation on self - determination , which became legal precedent in the Moldavian Democratic Republic . Following the legislative election of 1917 , Cijevschi became a representative of Bender in the Bessarabian regional assembly ( " Sfatul Ţării " ) . Within this legislature , he presided upon an all - Romanian faction , the " Moldavian Bloc " , which rivaled other ethnic community parties . In November , the Republic appointed Cijevski Commissar of Bessarabian troops , which were enrolled against Bolshevik agitation . He applied his own philosophy in this respect : instead of creating an all - Romanian military structure , he gave a significant share to members of all ethnic communities . The undertrained republican army could not deal with the raids carried out by Russian deserters , and Cijevschi resigned his position on December 22 . He returned to the legislative assembly , this time involved in debates with ethnic minority delegates over the adoption of Romanian as the Republic ' s official language . His " Sfatul Ţării " campaigning helped swing the vote in favor of union with Romania , as proclaimed by the legislative body on April 9 , 1918 . Cijevski also initiated the election of Constantin Stere , the Bessarabian émigré , as honorary deputy for Soroca . However , once the Romanian administration took over , introducing centralizing legislation and De - Russification , Cijevschi supported a return to regional autonomy . With Nicolae Alexandri , Ion Păscăluţă , Vasile Ghenzul , and several other " Sfatul " members , he issued a formal protest against the state of siege and demanded the reintroduction of Russia ' s Civil Code . Their memorandum was welcomed by the White émigré communities , who took it as proof that Bessarabia was still loyal to the defunct Russian Empire . Cijevschi ' s parliamentary mandate expired on November 27 , 1918 , after which he withdrew from national politics . Still involved with the Moldavian Veterans ' Association , and employed for a while by the Chişinău Community Bank , he worked mainly as a civil servant for the Mayor of Chişinău , supervising the local schools . His activity was primarily focused on the Art Academy , which he helped refurbish . Under his watch , the school employed educators who were frowned upon in Romania for their alleged communist sympathies . He dabbled in fiction writing : the short story " Unei prietene " ( " To a Lady Friend " ) was published by " Viaţa Basarabiei " magazine in 1934 . During the 1920s Cijevski rallied with the People ' s Party , and edited its regional Russian - language newspaper , " Nashe Slovo " ( " Our Word " ) . He was later involved as head editor of two other publications , " Gazeta - Lei " , " Bessarabskaya Mysl " and Onisifor Ghibu ' s " România Nouă " . He died on July 14 , 1931 , and was buried at the " Armenesc " Central Cemetery , Chişinău . Cijevschi was posthumously honored at the 20th anniversary of Bessarabian autonomy in 1937 . His native village of Zaim is now home to a Vasile Cijevschi Public Library .