ChișinăuChișinău (ˌkɪʃᵻˈnaʊ , USalsoˌkiːʃiːˈnaʊ ; kiʃiˈnəw), formerly known as Kishinev (Кишинёв) (ˈkɪʃᵻnɒf,_-nɛf , USalso-nɛv ), is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc, a tributary of the Dniester. According to the results of the 2014 census, the city proper had a population of 532,513, while the population of the Municipality of Chișinău (which includes the city itself and other nearby communities) was 700,000.
BulgariansBulgarians (Bǎlgari, ˈbɤɫɡɐri) are a nation and Eastern South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighboring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, while in North Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Albania and Greece they exist as historical communities. Bulgars Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars.
BessarabiaBessarabia (ˌbɛsəˈreɪbiə; Besarabiya; Basarabia; Bessarabiia) is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Ukrainian Budjak region covering the southern coastal region and part of the Ukrainian Chernivtsi Oblast covering a small area in the north.
DniesterThe Dniester (ˈniːstər ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Ukrainian territory again. The name Dniester derives from Sarmatian dānu nazdya "the close river." (The Dnieper, also of Sarmatian origin, derives from the opposite meaning, "the river on the far side".
MoldovaMoldova (mɒlˈdoʊvə , UKˈmɒldəvə ; molˈdova), officially the Republic of Moldova (Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. The country spans a total of 33,483 km2 (13,067 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 2.5 million as of January 2023. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine.
South OssetiaSouth Ossetia (ɒˈsɛtiə , ɒˈsiːʃə ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated population of just over 56,500 people (2022), who live in an area of , with 33,000 living in the capital city, Tskhinvali. As of 2023, only Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria recognise South Ossetia as a sovereign state. The Georgian government and nearly all United Nations member states consider South Ossetia a sovereign territory of Georgia occupied by Russia.
OdesaOdesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its influence on cinema, literature, and the arts.
GagauziaGagauzia or Gagauz-Yeri, officially the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (ATUG), is an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova. Its autonomy is ethnically motivated by the predominance in the region of the Gagauz people, who are primarily Orthodox Turkic-speaking people. At the end of World War I, all of the territory of Gagauzia became part of the Kingdom of Romania, before being carved up into the Soviet Union in June 1940. From 1941 to 1944 it was again part of Romania, after which it was incorporated into the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
DonbasThe Donbas or Donbass (UKdɒnˈbɑːs, USˈdɒnbɑːs,_dVnˈbæs; Донба́с donˈbɑs; Донба́сс dɐnˈbas) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word Donbas is a portmanteau formed from "Donets Basin", an abbreviation of "Donets Coal Basin" (Donetskyi vuhilnyi basein; Donetskii ugolnyi bassein). The name of the coal basin is a reference to the Donets Ridge; the latter is associated with the Donets river.
Frozen conflictIn international relations, a frozen conflict is a situation in which active armed conflict has been brought to an end, but no peace treaty or other political framework resolves the conflict to the satisfaction of the combatants. Therefore, legally the conflict can start again at any moment, creating an environment of insecurity and instability. The term has been commonly used for post-Soviet conflicts, but it has also often been applied to other extended and unresolved territorial disputes.
