March 28, 2023

Moldova Speaks Romanian


Moldova Speaks Romanian
Moldovan President Maia Sandu kissing her country's flag. Visegrad24, Twitter.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced last week that Romanian will be declared the national language of Moldova.

Analysts believe the action was aimed at Moscow, after suspicions arose that the Kremlin had fueled anti-government protests as part of a potential coup attempt. Sandu said, "We speak in Romanian, an official language of the European Union."  

Moldova and Romania are close culturally, historically, and linguistically, with many residents holding dual citizenship — including Sandu herself. Since Moldova's independence from the USSR, the country has drifted away from its Russian-Soviet legacy. However, the Moscow-backed breakaway region of Transnistria has kept the Cyrillic script, a nod to its alliance with Russia. The rest of Moldova uses the Romanian Latin script. In 2013, a Moldovan court ruled in favor of a law that replaced the Moldovan language with Romanian in the country's constitution.

The country accelerated the process of distancing itself from Russia after electing its current pro-West president in 2020. When Russia invaded Ukraine, anxiety grew around what might happen to Moldova and Transnistria, as the country is not a member of NATO or the EU. The Moldovan president expressed solidarity with the Transnistrian leadership after Transnistria appeared to be under threat of invasion from Russia in April 2022, improving a relationship ruined after the Transnistrian war in 1992.

The Russian press has reported that the linguistic move is part of a Moldovan reunification plan with Romania — a NATO and EU member — that would supposedly take place by 2030. Yet reunification is unlikely to happen any time soon.

 

You Might Also Like

We Have Land Enough

We Have Land Enough

How the situation in Russia looks from a village in the very remote and very Far East.
War, Made Nuclear
  • March 06, 2023

War, Made Nuclear

Russia is developing a new type of military strategy to account for the use of nuclear weapons.
Not That Way
  • February 26, 2023

Not That Way

Vladimir Putin revoked a 2012 decree aimed at economic integration with the EU and supporting Moldovan sovereignty.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955