The Republic of Moldova

Moldova is a democratic European nation, with a fascinating history, a unique identity, a rich mélange of cultures and peoples, as well as an acute role in international politics.

Geographically, the small nation is situated between Romania and Ukraine. The Prut River marks the country's western frontier, while Moldova's internationally-recognized border with Ukraine stretches across the Dniester River. Moldova is landlocked, but a port on the Danube River provides access to the Black Sea.

Since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992, Moldova has been caught between the autocratic Russian-sphere and the Western democracies. In this geopolitical maelstrom, Moldova has oscillated between building a stronger democratic system and empowering autocratic forces. Today, leaders have worked to improve Moldova's democratic institutions and to curb the power of oligarchs. The still unresolved conflict with the Russian-backed Transnistrian region continues to hamper Moldova.

In economic terms, Moldova is largely agrarian. During Soviet times, the republic was considered the USSR's "flourishing orchard", producing fruits, vegetables, and especially wine. Despite frequently labeled as Europe's poorest nation, Moldova has made great strides since the 1990's to reform its economy. 

Fast Facts

Demographics

Government

The People of Moldova

Gagauzia

The Gagauz are an ethnically Turkic and religiously Eastern Orthodox minority located largely in the southern regions of Moldova. Fearing the suppression of their native Turkic language in an independent Moldovan republic, the Gagauz declared an independence republic in August 1991. This republic was peacefully reintegrated  into Moldova inn 1994 as the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (ATUG). In addition to using their native Gagauz language, many Gagauz people tend to favor Russian over Romanian. 

Transnistria

Transnistria is a pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova. Although internationally recognized as a part of Moldova Transnistria --officially the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic-- has maintained de-facto independence since its self-proclaimed independence in 1990. Despite being labeled as a "Frozen Conflict", the Moldovan-Transnistrian dispute has been very active. Russian influence has increasingly played a role in Transnistrian politics, Chisinau and Tiraspol have had tense disputes over Transnistrian energy production, and a series of mysterious bombings and shootings rocked Transnistria in Summer 2022.

Transnistria operates as a de facto state. The government issues its own currency (the Transnistrian Ruble), provides public services and utilities, and has a standing military. Elections are held for president and the Supreme Soviet (parliament), but they are not considered to be free and fair.

Transnistria houses an ethnically diverse population.

As of 2021:

Since 2015, ethnic Russians make up a plurality of the population of Transnistria. Russian is used as the de facto official language, although Ukrainian and Moldovan (essentially Romanian in the Cyrillic alphabet) are also official state languages. 

Since Transnistria is an unrecognized state, most residents have at least one other passport, often from Moldova, Romania, Russia, or Ukraine.  The region's population has been declining for a decade, with many migrating to these more economically viable countries.

Read more about the history of Transnistria here!

Between Moscow and Brussels

Especially in recent years, Moldovan politics has become sharply divided between pro-EU and pro-Russia forces. While urban centers, like Chisinau, tend to support alignment with the EU, rural areas, Transnistria, and Gagauzia largely back neutrality or orientation toward Moscow.

Since her election in 2020, President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) have embarked on a liberal agenda, aimed at bringing Moldovan democracy in line with Western norms. In particular, Sandu has sought to tackle rampant corruption. Sandu has also advocated for Moldova's integration with the West. Under her leadership, Moldova was granted candidate status by the EU on June 23, 2022.

Further, Sandu, Gavrilita, and Grosu have shunned Moldova's historic ties with Russia. The Moldovan leaders have strongly and repeatedly condemned Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Despite still being a member of the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Moldova has chosen not to participate in the organization since Sandu's election. Yet, significant support for Russia still exists within this former Soviet republic.

In contrast, former President Igor Dodon advanced a pro-Russian agenda during his time in office. As president, Dodon fostered friendly relations with Moscow and stood in the way of democratic reforms.

Although Dodon lost reelection by 15% percentage points, he nonetheless received nearly 700,000 votes, indicating significant support for this positions. Recently, politicians and activists in Gagauzia have become the leading opponents to Sandu's pro-Western position. Dodon's Party of Socialists makes up the current opposition bloc of the parliament. In May 2022, Dodon was arrested on corruption charges.