Moldova–Russia relations
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Moldova–Russia relations are the
bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
between the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
and the
Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, two
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
an,
post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
, ex-
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
countries. Russian support for the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (
Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
) and a substantial Russian military presence therein strained Moldovan relations with Russia. Russo-Moldovan relations became a main focus of foreign policy for
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
after the
collapse of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
. During the war of Transnistria, Russia gave formal and informal support to Moldovan secessionist, direct intervention of Russian 14th Guards Army stationed in Moldova on behalf of the secessionist side resulted in end to fighting and the emergence of the internationally unrecognized entity of
Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
.


History

Following its victory in the Russo-Turkish War 1806–1812, the Russian empire annexed
Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') 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 Be ...
from the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. This historical region, which was originally part of the
Principality of Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...
, constitutes most of the territory of modern Moldova. In the early 20th century, Bessarabia briefly gained independence from Russia as the
Moldavian Democratic Republic The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; ro, Republica Democratică Moldovenească, ), also known as the Moldavian Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–Novembe ...
. In 1918 it entered into a union with the Kingdom of Romania, with whom it shares the same language and ethnicity. It was ceded by Romania to the Soviet Union in 1940. This led to the establishment of the
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ro, Republica Sovietică Socialistă Moldovenească, Moldovan Cyrillic: ) was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 ...
. Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.svg, Flag of the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
(1954–1991) Flag of Moldavian SSR.svg, Flag of the
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ro, Republica Sovietică Socialistă Moldovenească, Moldovan Cyrillic: ) was one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1940 to 1991. The republic was formed on 2 August 1940 ...
(1952–1990)
Following the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, Moldavian SSR (renamed to SSR Moldova) then declared its independence from the USSR on August 27, 1991.


Current relations

Russo-Moldovan relations became a main focus of foreign policy for newly established
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
. During the war of Transnistria, Russia gave formal and informal support to Moldovan secessionist, direct intervention of Russian 14th Guards Army stationed in Moldova on behalf of the secessionist side resulted in end to fighting and the emergence of the internationally unrecognized entity of
Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
. Russian-brokered ceasefire, cemented the status quo, and left two separate groups of Russian military forces remained in Moldova: a small peacekeeping regiment, which is part of the
Joint Control Commission The Joint Control Commission ( ro, Comisia Unificată de Control, COC; russian: Объединенная контрольная комиссия, ОКК) is a tri-lateral peacekeeping force and joint military command structure from Moldova, Transni ...
, and the 14th Army, which was tasked with guarding a large Soviet ammunition depot in
Cobasna Cobasna (Moldovan Cyrillic: Кобасна; , ''Kovbasna''; , ''Kolbasnaya'') is a commune in northern Transnistria, Moldova that is composed of three villages: Cobasna, Cobasna station, and Suhaia Rîbnița. It is controlled by the self-proclaim ...
on Transnistria-controlled territory. Evacuation of this depot was eventually stalled and Russian military presence in Moldova continues to this day, against the will of the Moldovan Government. Following 1997 Moscow memorandum, Russia and Moldova signed an agreement on military co-operation. In 1999, an agreement on economic co-operation was signed and Russia committed itself to withdraw its troops and weapons from Moldova by the end of 2002, which didn't happen. Relations between Moldova and Russia deteriorated in November 2003 over a Russian proposal for the solution of the
Transnistria conflict The Transnistria conflict ( ro, Conflictul din Transnistria; russian: Приднестровский конфликт, Pridnestrovskiy konflikt) is an ongoing frozen conflict between Moldova and the unrecognized state of Transnistria. Its m ...
, which Moldovan authorities refused to accept. In 2006, a diplomatic conflict resulted in the Russian ban of Moldovan wines, damaging the wine industry of Moldova considerably, as Russia remained the largest importer of Moldovan wines by far. On September 8, 2015, after a Russian
military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...
attended at a military parade celebrating the proclamation of Transnistria the Moldovan government called it an "unfriendly" action on Moscow's part and suspended military relations with the Russian Federation. On July 21, 2017, Moldovan parliament passed a declaration asking calling for the removal of Russian troops, weapons, and military equipment from the Transnistria region. After the
Constitutional Court of Moldova The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova () represents the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, autonomous and independent from the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The task of the Constitu ...
ruled that the "stationing of any military troops or bases on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, managed and controlled by foreign states, is unconstitutional." In the 10 years that followed, the Moldovan parliament became dominated by pro-European parties who sought to move the country away from Russian influence and to move closer to
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU). In December 2016,
Igor Dodon Igor Dodon (; born 18 February 1975) is a Moldovan politician who previously served as the president of Moldova from 23 December 2016 to 24 December 2020. He currently serves as the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova. H ...
, the leader of the
Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Partidul Socialiștilor din Republica Moldova; russian: Партия социалистов Республики Молдова, Partya sotsialistov Respubliki Moldova, PSRM) is a democra ...
, was elected to the presidency with a pro-Russian platform, and a promise to identify with the former
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
. Since becoming president, he has visited the
Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
numerous times on state and working visits, having visited the country over a dozen times by January 2019. He was, however, defeated in the
2020 Moldovan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 1 November. The fourth direct elections since independence in 1991, voters had the possibility to either elect a new president or re-elect the incumbent Igor Dodon. Because no candidate received a ma ...
by
Maia Sandu Maia Sandu (; born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician who has been the President of Moldova since 24 December 2020. She is the former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and former Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 un ...
, who became the new President of Moldova. During the worldwide
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Russia helped Moldova with its vaccination campaign with 71,000
Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V (russian: Спутник V, the brand name from RDIF) or Gam-COVID-Vac (russian: Гам-КОВИД-Вак, the name under which it is legally registered and produced) is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by ...
units twice, once on 24 April 2021 and another on 30 April 2021. Vaccination with this vaccine officially started in Moldova on 4 May 2021. However, these deliveries provoked many controversies, first because former Moldovan President Dodon was accused of inflating the number of vaccine units Russia gave to Moldova, later because Russia gave vaccine doses to
Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
without the intermediation of the Moldovan authorities as had been done previously with donations from other countries, and lastly because it was claimed Russia had given Moldova vaccine units that were supposed to go to
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
but which the country rejected later.


2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 25 February 2022, during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, the Moldovan
chemical tanker A chemical tanker is a type of tanker ship designed to transport chemicals in bulk. As defined in MARPOL Annex II, chemical tanker means a ship constructed or adapted for carrying in bulk any liquid product listed in chapter 17 of the Internat ...
, which was navigating through the Black Sea at the time, was shelled by Russian military forces. In light of the invasion of Ukraine, the government of Moldova banned the Russian military symbols V and Z on 7 April 2022. Pro-Russian parties in Moldova protested the ban on the nationalist symbols, accusing the Moldovan government of erasing their history. Furthermore, it was reported that ethnic Russians in Moldova vandalised the World War II following this decision. The spokeswoman for the
Russian Foreign Ministry The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...
,
Maria Zakharova Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (russian: Мария Владимировна Захарова; born 24 December 1975) is the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Spokesw ...
, and Russian senator Aleksey Pushkov condemned the Moldovan government's ban on the nationalist symbols. Later, on 22 April, the Russian
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Rustam Minnekayev said that one of the objectives of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was to establish a land corridor with occupied Transnistria, claiming that there was "evidence that the Russian-speaking population is being oppressed" in the region without giving further detail on the issue. Following this, a series of explosions of unknown authorship occurred in Transnistria. They may have been a
false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
operation by Russia or Transnistria. Then, in May 2022, the Russian hacking group
Killnet Killnet is a pro-Russia hacker group known for its DoS (denial of service) and DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks towards government institutions and private companies in several countries during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Th ...
attacked several websites of official institutions in Moldova. In August 2022, Russia banned the import of most agricultural products from Moldova, after Russia claimed that they contained "dangerous quarantine objects". However, it is speculated that the real reason for the ban is because Moldova asked for an extension on payment for its August supply of natural gas from Russia. Russia has a history of using trade as a weapon in disputes over energy and energy payments. On 30 September, after the annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine and the
Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts On 30 September 2022, Russia, amid an ongoing invasion of Ukraine, unilaterally declared its annexation of areas in and around four Ukrainian oblasts – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. The boundaries of the areas to be annexed an ...
, Sandu declared that the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine had "dramatically affected" relations between Moldova and Russia. On 10 October, amid a series of Russian missile strikes over Ukrainian cities, the Moldovan
Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration The Ministry of Foreign Affairs () is one of the fourteen ministries of the Government of Moldova. Pre-history The ministry was established on 1 February 1944, as the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Moldavian SSR. It would lat ...
Nicu Popescu Nicolae "Nicu" Popescu (born 25 April 1981, ) is a Moldovan author and diplomat serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova in the Sandu Cabinet from June to November 2019. Until and after his appointment, he was ...
announced that three Russian missiles had breached Moldovan airspace. Popescu strongly condemned this and said that Russia's ambassador to Moldova had been summoned as a result of this incident. Later, on 31 October, Russia launched a new wave of missile strikes over Ukraine. One of the Russian missiles was taken down by a Ukrainian air defence system and crashed into
Naslavcea Naslavcea is a village in Ocnița District and the northernmost point in Moldova. The village, situated along the Dniester river that separates Moldova and Ukraine, has an ethnic Ukrainian majority. 2022 Russian missile incident On 31 October ...
, a village within the territory of Moldova. Although windows of some residential buildings on the village were shattered, no casualties were reported. Moldovan authorities strongly condemned this new wave of Russian strikes. On 5 December, as a result of another Russian wave of attacks against Ukraine, a missile fell near the city of
Briceni Briceni (, uk, Брича́ни, yi, בריטשאן, Britshan, pl, Bryczany) is a city in northern Moldova. It is the seat of Briceni District. Demographics At the 2004 census, the city had a population of 8,765. At the 1930 census, there ...
within Moldova's territory. On 14 January 2023, due to yet another wave of missile strikes, another missile fell into the Moldovan village of Larga, violating Moldova's airspace.


Transnistria

Transnistria, a ''de facto'' independent region of Moldova, is supported by Russia, although Russia has not recognised Transnistria. There have been proposals in Transnistria for joining the Russian Federation.


State visits

In March 2017, Prime Minister
Pavel Filip Pavel Filip (born 10 April 1966, Pănășești, Strășeni) is an engineer and politician from the Republic of Moldova. In 2001–2008 he was the director of the Joint-stock company "Bucuria" and in 2008–2011, general manager of Tutun-CTC joint ...
ordered a ban of official visits by government officials to Russia. This ban was lifted by Prime Minister
Maia Sandu Maia Sandu (; born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician who has been the President of Moldova since 24 December 2020. She is the former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and former Prime Minister of Moldova from 8 June 2019 un ...
in June 2019.


Visits of Russian leaders to Moldova

* President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
(June 2000) * Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
(November 2008) * President
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
(October 2009) President Dodon floated a potential visit by Putin in August 2019, however it did not eventuate.


Visits of Moldovan leaders to Russia

* President
Petru Lucinschi Petru Lucinschi (; born 27 January 1940) is a former Moldovan politician who was Moldova's second President (1997–2001). Biography Early life and education Petru Lucinschi was born on 27 January 1940 in Rădulenii Vechi village, Soroc ...
(July 2000) * President
Vladimir Voronin Vladimir Voronin (; born 25 May 1941) is a Soviet and Moldovan politician. He was the third president of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) since 1994. He ...
(September 2001) * President
Vladimir Voronin Vladimir Voronin (; born 25 May 1941) is a Soviet and Moldovan politician. He was the third president of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the First Secretary of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) since 1994. He ...
(June 2009) * President
Igor Dodon Igor Dodon (; born 18 February 1975) is a Moldovan politician who previously served as the president of Moldova from 23 December 2016 to 24 December 2020. He currently serves as the leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova. H ...
(January 2017) * President Igor Dodon (May 2017) * President Igor Dodon (May 2020)


See also

*
Dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
*
Greater Russia Russian irredentism refers to irredentist claims to parts of the former Russian Empire or the former Soviet Union made for Russia. It seeks to incorporate Russians outside of Russian borders into the current Russian state. The 2014 annexation ...
*
Moldova–European Union relations Relations between the European Union (EU) and Moldova are currently shaped via the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), an EU foreign policy instrument dealing with countries bordering its member states. Moldova has strong ties to EU member sta ...
*
Romania–Russia relations Romania–Russia relations are the foreign relations between Romania and Russia. Romania has an embassy in Moscow and consulates-general in Rostov-on-Don and Saint Petersburg. Russia has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Con ...
*
Transnistria conflict The Transnistria conflict ( ro, Conflictul din Transnistria; russian: Приднестровский конфликт, Pridnestrovskiy konflikt) is an ongoing frozen conflict between Moldova and the unrecognized state of Transnistria. Its m ...
* 2022–2023 Moldovan energy crisis


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moldova-Russia relations
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
Bilateral relations of Russia