There are reports that Ukraine is also being attacked from the west.
***
When the Soviet Union broke up, 15 of what were called Soviet Socialist Republics (collections of ethnically similar provinces called oblasts) separated into countries. What we now call Russia is just one.
What was the Russia before the revolution in 1917 is considered to be an empire, because it contained captive nations that might perhaps have liked to be independent. The Soviets added more during and in the wake of World War II.
One of those new countries is Moldova. It's sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine.
Romanian is a language spoken in that part of the world. There are several dialects corresponding to medieval principalities. Most of these were conquered by the Ottoman Empire, and held captive for centuries. The character of Dracula is based on a Romanian leader who fought the Turks in the 15th century.* Moldovans speak one of those dialects.
Romania is a country cobbled together in the 19th century, as the Russians slowly disassembled the northern parts of the Ottoman Empire. In the spirit of 19th century nationalist awakening, the goal was to eventually encompass all the Romanians in their own country. Not sure of the reason, but the Russians kept what was known as Moldavia as a Romanian speaking part of their empire.
During World War I, after the Russians collapsed, the Germans occupied lots of former Russian territory, including Moldavia. After World War I, Romania, which fought on the Allied side, got to keep Moldavia and some parts of Russia too. In the early part of the next war, when Germany and the Soviets were friends, the Soviets took it back. When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, with Romanian troops as allies, they gave it back to Romania again. Not surprisingly, the Soviets took it back again after the war.
Since 1991 it's been independent. Sort of. Mostly.
***
Here's the thing. The Moldavian Socialist Republic included some land on the east side of the big river in the region, the Dniester. That area had more Russians living in it.
When the Soviet Union broke up, the people on the other side of the Dniester didn't want to join Moldova. And they fought a hot little war from 1990-2 in which the Russians finally took their side.
So for 30 years there's been this land-locked thing called Transnistria,† which no one recognizes as a country‡ (other than 3 other bits of land the Russians tore off of other countries and declared independent). But everyone has to deal with it, because it's not Moldova, and it's separated from Russia by ... you guessed it ... Ukraine.
Anyway, the Russians have troops stationed in Transnistria, and someone there is firing missiles at Ukraine too. Russian soldiers? Transnistrians? Both? I'll bet you that if there's ever a peaceful end to the current conflict, that it includes giving some of Ukraine to Transnistria so that they have an outlet onto the Black Sea.
* In Ghostbusters II, the fictional reincarnation of Prince Vigo claims many titles, include "the Sorrow of Moldavia". Who knew that bit of childhood trivia would come up in macro, right?
† Transnistria came up in this class several years ago. It's noted in some older editions of my Handbook that Moldova's GDP does not include Transnistria, which seemingly is counted by no one. A student had done an LDS mission in Moldova, which still claims Transnistria (technically, but has no effective control). The rule they were taught was to simply not cross the bridge into Transnistria. It's considered to be outlaw/gang territory for Moldovans.
‡ My son told me last week that in Transnistria they actually claim that they are the only region that didn't agree to the break up of the Soviet Union, and that this makes them all that's left of it. Gee, that view must make them really popular.
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