A politician from Moldova claims the territory of Odesa region

Victoria Furtune, a politician from the group of fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, has announced her desire to return Bujak, a historical and geographical region that is south of the modern Odesa region, to Moldova.

A video of her public speech was posted by one of the Telegram news channels of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, Yevropeiskaia Pravda reported.

The politician said that Moldova should demand a revision of the borders and the return of Budzak in order to have access to the sea.

"We are crippled by the borders drawn to the line. We were deprived of access to the sea because of Bujak, and without access to the sea, Moldova is like a lion on a leash. I know how to return the Bujak today, and it is more important than ever. ", Furtune said.

She argued that Moldova could demand a revision of the borders, as "there is not a single international treaty ratified by Moldova where it recognizes the loss of Bujak."

"We no longer want a small, submissive Moldova - we want a great Moldova... We need to return everything that was stolen from us - our name, history, language, access to the sea," the politician said.

In the past, Victoria Furtune was a prosecutor.

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As a result of the Crimean War of 1853-1856, which ended in Russia's defeat, the Treaty of Paris was signed. According to it, the lands of Izmail and the southern part of Cahul counties (more than 12,000 square kilometers with a population of about 200,000 people) were transferred to the Principality of Moldova. Initially, the Moldovan-Romanian administration abolished the old territorial and administrative structure. Instead of the Izmail district, the Izmail and Cahul cinutas were formed, which were divided into communes. In 1859, local schools were replaced by Romanian schools, where learning the state language became compulsory.

Before annexing Bujak in 1812, the Russian administration almost completely destroyed the Ottoman-Tatar economic system and trade ties there, which led to mass emigration to the Ottoman Porte.

In September 2024, Radio Liberty published an article "The Island of Bessarabia" or a Territorial Exclave. A New Threat to Ukraine's National Security". In it, the publication argued that the situation in the south of Odesa region, known as Bessarabia or Budzhak, is becoming an increasing threat to national security.

Кирило Бойко