Russians in Moldova
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (369,896 (2004 census) (9.39% of total population)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Transnistria (30.37%) |
Russians in Moldova form the second largest ethnic minority in the country. According to the Moldovan Census (2004) and a separate 2004 Census in Transnistria, about 370,000 persons identified themselves as ethnic Russians in Moldova.
The Russophone population could be even larger, considering that some ethnic Ukrainians, Gagauz, and Bulgarians might be Russophones.
The Russian and Ukrainian dominated Transnistria region broke away from government control amid fears the country would soon reunite with Romania.
Russians settled Moldova, which was then Bessarabia, after the Russian Empire incroporated Bessarabia in 1812. Moldavians under Russian rule enjoyed privileges well, the language of Moldavians was established as an official language in the governmental institutions of Bessarabia, used along with Russian. The publishing works established by Archbishop Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni were able to produce books and lithurgical works in Moldavian between 1815 and 1820, until the period from 1871 to 1905, when Russification policies were implemented that all public use of Romanian was phased out, and substituted with Russian. Romanian continued to be used as the colloquial language of home and family, mostly spoken by Romanians, either first or second language. Many Romanians changed their family names to Russian. This was the era of the highest level of assimilation in the Russian Empire.
In 1918, after the relinquishment of Russian Empire, control over the whole of Bessarabia fell under the Kingdom of Romania. The takeover was followed by the policy of Romanianization of ethnic minorities, mostly Russians, pursued by the Romanian authorities. In 1940, Bessarabia was claimed by Soviet Union, meaning Bessarabia came back to Russian power, wherein Bessarabia is now part of Moldova and Ukraine. Among Russians who were Romanianized were descendants of Romanians who underwent Russification laws in the past; because many Russians of Romanian descent speak Romanian as first or second language, they easily obeyed Romanianization laws.
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Wikipedia