Moldovan Awakening: Budjak on Schedule?

While Ukrainians are holding back Russian aggression, one of the neighboring republics has decided to freshen up the region’s map a little on the geopolitical horizon. Moldovan politician Inga Furtune (a surname that seems rather symbolic) has drawn inspiration from the old traditions of territorial rebranding and proposed that Moldova should reclaim Budjak—the southern part of Ukraine’s Odesa region.

Budjak is a place where Moldovan and Bulgarian villages sit alongside Ukrainian steppes, and where, at least in theory, Georgian wine could mingle with Danube fish. Over the past 200 years, however, the region has changed hands more than once, switching its “registration” about as often as Moldovan politicians change their political views.

Furtune has apparently decided to seize the moment, while Ukraine is preoccupied with matters far more serious than its neighbors’ wish lists. Against the backdrop of war with Russia, such statements are not just odd—they are strikingly tactless. One might think that someone in Chișinău has confused nostalgia for historic lands with a New Year’s sale: “Hurry up and reclaim Budjak—before it’s too late!”

The logic behind such proposals is questionable: if every neighbor starts remembering where their borders were in the 19th century, by next spring Europe could see the return of principalities, counties, and perhaps a couple of new kingdoms.

There has been no official response from Kyiv so far. Apparently, Ukrainian authorities, unlike some colleagues to the south, prefer to focus on truly important matters rather than diplomatic brainteasers in the “back to the past” style.

While Chișinău is engaged in historical gymnastics, people in Odesa region continue making plans for life, not territorial sports. And, judging by the current situation, the dreams of certain Moldovan politicians will remain a topic for local talk shows only—where fantasies are not taxed.