02/04/2026
Bessarabia, 1919
A historical region in Eastern Europe, between the Dniester and Prut rivers, with the Danube and Black Sea to the south. Key cities include Chișinău (Moldova) and Izmail (Ukraine).
It was historically controlled by Moldavia, the Ottomans, Russia, Romania, and the Soviets, with major shifts in 1812 (to Russia), 1918 (to Romania), 1940 (Soviet annexation), and WWII reconquests. Today, most is in Moldova (including Gagauzia and unrecognized Transnistria), with southern and northern parts in Ukraine.