Moldova: An Overview

Summary:

Moldova is one of three post-Soviet states—together with Ukraine and Georgia—that seeks greater integration with the West in the face of Russian resistance and territorial occupation. Many Members of Congress have long supported Moldova’s democratic trajectory and territorial integrity and have called on Russia to withdraw its military forces from Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria. In June 2022, the European Union (EU) officially granted Moldova (and Ukraine) EU candidate status (although the accession process is lengthy and does not guarantee
membership).

Russia’s 2022 war against Ukraine has created new security, economic, and social concerns for Moldova. Moldovan officials and many observers have expressed concern that Russia could seek to attack and occupy all of Moldova if Russian armed forces were to seize control of nearby areas of southern Ukraine, including the port city of Odesa. With a resident population of under 3 million, Moldova hosts more than 80,000 refugees from Ukraine as of August 2022; more than half a million people have entered Moldova from Ukraine since the start of the war.

Further Information:

This In Focus was first published in October 2018 and it has been updated several times over the years. The latest update was published in August 2022. All updates can be checked on the Primary Source link provided below.

• Primary Source