While my birth certificate says USSR, I was born in Moldova. That's what my Canadian passport also says. When people asked me where I'm from, for most of my life I would say "Russia" just because I'd get the strangest look if I tell them "Moldova". Only people from that part of the world even know Moldova exists. Thank you Mark for shining a light on this tiny poor nation.

@roderickcampbell2105

2 жыл бұрын

I wish you well Leon. I've known about Moldova. I believe I will know more.

@PewGoBoomLife

2 жыл бұрын

Ahh good ol history and it’s effects! Moldova is Romanian territory taken by Russian because of bullshit wars!

@ColinH1973

2 жыл бұрын

@@roderickcampbell2105 Hear hear, Roderick.

@nilszivtins1477

2 жыл бұрын

Don’t back down Leon by saying you’re from Russia! Take pride and educate people that you’re from Moldova!!

@brainwashingdetergent4128

2 жыл бұрын

Well ill tell you like I told the Ukrainians gtfo while you can dont stay dont act like you can fight Russian cruise missiles get out.

Moldavians and Romanians speak the exact same language. They are basically the same people. Actually, a huge part of today's Romania is also called Moldova. Thank you so much for the video! Really appreciate your work.

@christianpethukov8155

2 жыл бұрын

Doesn't Romania have an issue with the country of Moldova sharing a name with one of the Romanian regions?

@alexpaun7384

2 жыл бұрын

No.

@megahunterkiller

2 жыл бұрын

I like chocolate.

@vladibalan

2 жыл бұрын

@@christianpethukov8155 romanian moldovans call the one beyond the Prut "bessarabians" for differentiation. At least the romanian moldovans in my family's town. Usually romanians use "moldovan" for the romanian ones and "moldovans from beyond the Prut" for the ones from the Republic of M.

@duybear4023

2 жыл бұрын

Will Romania come to their aid if Russia invades?

There were very large groups of ethnic Germans living in Bessarabia. Part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was that these Germans would be resettled to Germany. My father was born in Besserabia near Peterstal, and they were resettled near Bremen.

@nnggghhaa3709

2 жыл бұрын

idkw would germans want them back when those germans already fled germany on their own will

@Bayard1503

2 жыл бұрын

@@nnggghhaa3709 Fled Germany?? Germanic people had spread all throughout Europe before there even was a Germany. They moved in search of more farmable land, Eastern Europe was not as densely populated after many centuries of brutal migrations so, it was only logical.... Feudal Europe wasn't Nationalistic. Hell, if you go back to the 3rd century, the Gothic invasions the brought the Roman Empire to its knees came from present day Ukraine.

@oni2662

2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting, did your father and your grandfathers spoke german before get resettled? Do you know why you ancestors settled there in first places?

@oni2662

2 жыл бұрын

@@nnggghhaa3709 They did not fled they settled in different parts of Europe even in Russia.

@Rocketsong

2 жыл бұрын

@@oni2662 There were large German speaking enclaves. These settlements were mostly founded during the time of Peter the Great, or Catherine. The Germans who settled there were prommised semi-autonomy, and that they coild keep their language and religion. What Russia got were more farmers. They spoke plattsdeutch, with a bit of Schwabish, and a few russian loan words. Largest settlements were in Besserabia, and near Odessa. Many of them imagrated to the US post war, and settles either in the California central valley or in South Dakota.

My family is from Moldova, a small village in the south called Iserlia. It's such a forgotten part of the world, but is becoming increasingly relevant lately (although for very sad reasons, unfortunately.)

@oktavian2471

2 жыл бұрын

Salut fratele! Noi te așteptăm în ospeție.

@doncarlodivargas5497

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately even Ukraine i think, at least until a couple of weeks ago, we where actually talking about it in the office yesterday, I think the period with the Soviet Union made the countries and the history of the east Europe very distant for us in the west, but now, even if the war is a disaster the area is on everybody's lips, and we learn a lot now

Hearing Mark Felton talk about an ongoing war is just… what a time to be alive

@boondocker7964

2 жыл бұрын

We are living through interesting times.

@davidcarter1013

2 жыл бұрын

This guy is a great teacher,i like how he's blending the historical into the contemporary.

@als1023

2 жыл бұрын

same, just amazed as long time member of this channel.

@stuartlawsonbeattie1411

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidcarter1013 there is no blend, he just knows exactly what is going on and how to translate that. 10/10 Mr Felton.

@oni2662

2 жыл бұрын

Hope this will not evolve into a full war in Europe

I've heard the idea kicked around of Moldova being willing to incorporate itself into Romania, even if it's just temporarily. That would essentially make the region of Moldova instantly NATO territory, which would greatly complicate things for Russia.

@vladibalan

2 жыл бұрын

Romania is a part of EU so I suspect all EU members would have to approve. Even if moldovans want this (they didn't until now), I doubt mr Orban of Hungary would approve (he's a friend of Putin).

@pirate4460

2 жыл бұрын

I think part of the reason that transnistria is attempting secession is because they were concerned about Moldova joining Romania, so that would be a strange self fulfilling prophecy if Moldova joined Romania after all.

@daviddoran3673

2 жыл бұрын

Why?? If neighbours don't threaten Russia what's the problem?

@ThighErda

2 жыл бұрын

@@daviddoran3673 bro. ukraine didn't even threaten russia. and the russian battle plans lukashenko (a russian ally) was dumb enough to leak, shows a arrow going into moldova.

@LuvBorderCollies

2 жыл бұрын

Stalin deliberately made a mess of the ethnic regions in the Soviet Union, in an effort to control them. We are still dealing with the mess he made from injecting Russians into other people's territory. Putin is a big fan of Stalin so we should not be surprised by any bizarre or totally evil act of his.

I was in Romania in 2000 on a training mission with the U.S. Army. There were Moldovan troops there back then. It may have been a single company, but we were helping to train them.

@madden12

2 жыл бұрын

Republic of Moldova is a country East of Romania but also Moldova is a regiom in East Romania. They used to be part of a big country called Moldova. The west part is now part of Romania and the East is an Independent Country. The people inside those region speak Romanian, but with small variations, considerining that the Moldova country is close to Russia, they have russian speakers and they study that in school.

@madden12

2 жыл бұрын

Since 2000 Romania became more "westernized" but Moldova stayed under the corruption of Russian puppets. Recently things changed for Moldova too and their president is a woman with European values

@brav0wing

2 жыл бұрын

@@madden12 As if Romania isn't under the corruption of the U.S puppets.

@2003gratziani

2 жыл бұрын

They didn't stole your goods? This country is recognized as full with burgers and rapists. Every day news are full with this guy's murders, accidents and killings.

@madden12

2 жыл бұрын

@@2003gratziani Burglars? or mcdonalds burgers? Also which country are you talking about?

More informative and detailed than MSM.

Thanks for making videos on this. I actually trust your information a lot more than others. Hope to see more!

@M167A1

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Dr Felton always does a nice professional presentation, something that is often lacking these days no matter who is talking.

@Fjodor.Tabularasa

2 жыл бұрын

Fake news Mark Felton again. Beyond me how people can take this Goebbels admirer seriously. He is a white supremacist that only highlights white suffering but never shows the crimes against Yemeni kids, 200k dead ones due to the war in the past 7 years. The war is fought out with UK/USA weapons. Mark is a closet racists because Yemeni kids are brown and the butchers are the British.

@Jonsson474

2 жыл бұрын

@@Fjodor.Tabularasa You’re soon without a job troll. When dictator Putin is gone, so are you.

@bandinamerica3035

2 жыл бұрын

As an American I really don't know what to think after the last 20 years watching us in Iraq Afghanistan Yemen Syria Libya. We do the same shit. Edit: I'm anti war and disagree with Putins invasion.

@therealuncleowen2588

2 жыл бұрын

Clyde, you have to trust someone unless you are able to travel the world and research all these things yourself.

My father was in the Transnistrian region the evening before the war there started. He was visiting some friends in the city of Ribnitsa, he described the city as calm on that evening. But that night he was woken up in the middle of the night by his friends and they had to leave. in the morning, the bridge that was connecting Ribnitsa with Moldova went from being fully open to having tanks and concrete barriers.

@eedragonr6293

2 жыл бұрын

The Moldovans must be happy that they stopped there and not in Chisinau.

@HanSolo__

2 жыл бұрын

@@eedragonr6293 I'm sure eager to become Russia these folks from this puny strip of land will happily take total isolation from the world. Even Putin won't be able to help at that moment. I wonder if Azov Battalion and Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion would simply eat them alive or dead...

@eedragonr6293

2 жыл бұрын

@@HanSolo__ why not migrating to Russia in this case?

@eedragonr6293

2 жыл бұрын

The Russian minority in Transnistria is terrorized that the Ukrainian Nazis will massacre and kill them all. Meaning that for the future it will be expected only an increase in the Russian troops. I said that it would be better for Russia to remove its "refugees" and bring them into safety in the Russian Federation. But it seems they prefer to militarily keep Transnistria.

@chadgibbs3341

2 жыл бұрын

@Chano Leyva ikr lol

During USSR's industrialization, millions of Russians were moved throughout the empire (like Transnistria). After USSR's collapse, Russia uses the existence of these exclaves as justification for aggression against sovereign countries. I worry about the same thing happening in China, where the CCP is shipping millions of Han Chinese to parts of China (Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Manchuria, etc.) that have historically had little Han presence. I worry that when/if the PRC collapses, the subsequent Chinese government could intervene in newly created countries on behalf of the "ethnic Chinese" in those territories.

@Etendard1708

2 жыл бұрын

Country based on single ethnicity is indeed dangerous.

@steffenrosmus9177

2 жыл бұрын

@@Etendard1708 and multi ethical too, see Yugoslavia

@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive

2 жыл бұрын

There are large groups of ethnic Chinese everywhere. In 1965-1966 the Indonesian Government carried out a genocide of it’s ethnic Chinese population ordered by Sukarno and Suharto. Despite Indonesia receiving aid and support from China. The Chinese government of the PRC and ROC did nothing. Just as it didn’t do anything when waves of anti-Chinese violence occurred in it’s bordering countries throughout its existence.

@Etendard1708

2 жыл бұрын

@@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive Flat out wrong fact, dude. 1965-1966 massacre was not a genocide of Chinese-Indonesians by Soekarno & Soeharto government. More like massacre of suspectedly communist sympathizers in Indonesia, large percentage of it composed of Javanese farmers/labors who unknowingly joined Communist Party of Indonesia's membership (literacy rate of Indonesia was low at that time). That act itself was horrible because of the "kangaroo court" (no proper investigation whether they were communists or not), but it was not a genocide toward Chinese-Indonesians. Also, the dual citizenship idea was obviously rejected by Indonesia government for security reason. Also, on the other side of the coin: P.R.China supported the communist rebel of Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot) in Cambodia and massacred millions of Cambodians during 1976-1978 until it was stopped by Vietnamese invasion. Note: Saya orang Indonesia sendiri, pemeluk Kristiani, dan ada keturunan Chinese langsung dari ibu saya.

@calindicusar

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, this is exactly what is happening in the Rep. of Moldova. When the soviets were building a factory they were bringing in even janitors from Russia and were giving the free apartments in the cities, while natives were mostly farmers working in the fields.

Thanks for this video, I've been worried about the fate of Moldova since the first week of the war. Whilst not exactly reassuring, it's helpful to see things laid out in such a way.

@capcompass9298

Жыл бұрын

Rejoin Romania.

2:37 The " language and culture of the Moldovan people" is Romanian.

@Paul.M.

2 жыл бұрын

Always has been.

@RhiannonSenpai

2 жыл бұрын

@@busterkeyl.3626 Transnistria is something created by Stalin to bring Russians into Moldova while he sent Moldovans on death trains in Siberia.

@andreialexandrunichiforel

2 жыл бұрын

@far left louis mate, go live in any village in Romania for a couple of months and then in any village in Rep. of Moldova. other then some Russian loan-words, you will not even notice you crossed a border. There's your source.

@ab9840

2 жыл бұрын

@far left louis - Then how about this - kzread.info/dash/bejne/oKCp1st7dqSagMY.html

@Toe_Merchant

2 жыл бұрын

@far right louis Moldovan is literally a dialect of Romanian

Dear Dr. Felton, thank you for sharing this perspective on the situation of my country. I doubt any resistance from our people in the case of an invasion, since the national identity is basically lost, some identifying themselves as Romanians, others (older people) having nostalgia towards USSR, others not caring at all. Also while under Soviets, Moldovans were very loyal, compared to Ukraine, people who always cherished their own language and traditions, even under Soviets. I just hope there will be no provocations, since the events of 1992 still haunt our memories.

@greggweber9967

2 жыл бұрын

There will always be provocations, either by those who can't resist being provocated, provocateurs, or those looking for provocations to be used as an excuse for some action.

@nickdubil90

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ted-Stryker Dude is simply making a video based on a topic that is now public discourse. Russia's ambitions towards Eastern Europe are now pretty well apparent after the invasion of Ukraine and the article released by Russian state TV which suggested a goal of pushing back NATO to it's 90's borders. The fact that Russia wants to take back Moldova as well as the Baltic states is not really surprising in that context.

@TBfilms657

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ted-Stryker There was never such an agreement and 6% of Russia borders NATO which is a defensive alliance so yeah they are surrounded allright....

@olilastname8844

2 жыл бұрын

Why did you watch this video if you feel so strongly against Mark’s views? I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions- however Marks videos are facts based. He does sometimes make assumptions but clearly states this. I wish mark was in charge of the BBC

@ColinH1973

2 жыл бұрын

@@greggweber9967 Do you mean provoked?

Thank you for revealing these stories.

I really appreciate that you're covering current day events, and hope that you continue to do so.

As a Moldovan myself, I concur with pretty much everything in the video. As others have said, the language spoken in Moldova is Romanian albeit an Eastern regional dialect. The culture and traditions are a mix between Romanian and Ukranian. The use of Russian in the population declined significantly over the years, but is still present. Russia has kept Transnistria in limbo to successfully prevent Moldova from associating with the West, though Moldavian people did elect pro-Russian governments in our 30 years of independence.

@deliciousnoodles5505

2 жыл бұрын

How about recently? Why did the Moldavian people decided to vote for a pro-West government as of recent?

@TheWoollyFrog

2 жыл бұрын

@@deliciousnoodles5505 In hopes of ending the rule of corrupt oligarchs. The previous -Moscow appointed shill- president failed to address the issues plaguing the nation.

@wallachia4797

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheWoollyFrog Igor Dodon didn't fail to address the issues of the nation, he addressed them perfectly by entrenching them. Igor is a Russian puppet and therefore acted as its master dictated.

@mogoreanu

2 жыл бұрын

@@deliciousnoodles5505 Re "Why did Moldavian people decide to vote for a pro-West government as of recent". Disclaimer: I left Moldova 15 years ago and my information is second hand from the family. To answer this question properly I think I need to explain my view of why people were electing pro-Russion government in the first place, I see 2 main reasons: 1. Punishments from Russia. Whenever Moldova elected pro-Western government Russia was finding problems in Moldavian agricultural products and suddenly charged more for energy resources. Whenever Moldova elected pro-Russian government we received cheaper natural gas and the export problems disappeared. This is a short-term stick that Russia has been using on us successfully. 2. Resentment. After the collapse of the Soviet Union a lot of people found their future more undertain. The potential to achieve a better life came with undertainty and individual responsibility. You could achieve more, but you had to work hard and even if you did it was not guaranteed. Young people take this trade-off much more readily than older people and I can't fault either side. I think Moldova moved more pro-West recently because the reasons above were addressed by: 1. Romania showing a good example of what a western oriented nation can achieve 2. Romania providing support 3. People realizing that the short-term gas price gains come with the cost of corruption and impeded development 4. (cynical) Old people dying and leaving young people to make their choices

@TheWoollyFrog

2 жыл бұрын

@@wallachia4797 Exactly.

2:36 Unless you mean "distinctive" within the USSR, Moldova had/has no distinctive language nor many other characteristics that set it apart from its neighbors (primarily its western neighbour). The "Moldavian language" was invented in Moscow for the purpose of driving a wedge between the SSR's population and its cultural, linguistic and historical ties to Romania. No one but the most hardcore Russophiles in Moldova today will claim to speak "Moldavian". In fact one can be 100% fluent in "Moldavian" by knowing Romanian. As someone with ties to Moldova, I sometimes joke that I'll include Moldavian language fluency on my resume since no one can challenge or confirm such a claim. Some might point out that Moldovans use many Russian and Ukrainian words. Yet, this habit of mixing languages is a dialect at best or just slang talk. Standard Romanian is what most Moldovans learn in school and speak most often while Russian fluency is steadily decreasing.

@crazypsychovirgoman6990

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t get why Moldovans can’t use their regional dialect as their standard Romanian

@TheWoollyFrog

2 жыл бұрын

@@crazypsychovirgoman6990 I'm being very generous by referring to Romanian with a few Russian slag words mixed in as a dialect. A similar thing is happening in Romania with younger people throwing in English words when speaking Romanian in order to sound "cool". Doesn't change anything (for now) since the languages are learnt separately. And if Russian fluency in Moldova continues to decrease, we might see more English words popping up here and there. Other than that people speak the same way as Moldovans on the other side of the Prut River. And I get that other new nations have spent a lot of effort and funds to rebrand a local dialect as a new national language, but this is not a priority in Moldova. There are more pressing issues and nationalism is an unpopular concept. Any such effort would be seen as an attempt to revive Soviet era propaganda.

@andreeas.2362

2 жыл бұрын

@@crazypsychovirgoman6990 you think that moldova has a regional Dialect more like Italy. It is not so. The dialect spoken in Moldova is actually romania (latin) spoken in Maramures area (Transilvania) from were the romanians fled (whole villages with Bogdan voda that established theprincipate of Moldova) because of hungarian invasion in 13 century). Always, for centuries, romanians sat more in the mountains communicating so romanian is more unified than other languages. We really have a language continuum. Moldova and Wallachia was settled by romans (Romanians lords fleeing from Transilvania)

@dominicgregorio9913

2 жыл бұрын

Lumash preguza Because the language spoken in moldova is not even a dialect, it won't make any sense at all & people from Moldova won't understand it either. The russian forced the Romanian language in a way to make it look different

@Pelasgo-Thracians

2 жыл бұрын

@@andreeas.2362 There are two dialects : Thraco-Geto-Dac dialect, currently spoken in Romania and The Republic of Moldova ! The second dialect is Thraco-Ilir, spoken in Macedonia, Greece !

i don't comment enough on your videos mark, but they're dependable for great information, i watch them as often or as soon as I can, and you do outstanding work. Thanks!

Most incisive and authoritative analysis of the Russian aims, please continue!

It is interesting to hear your take on current events explained with some historical perspective. Keep up the great work!

@astraltraveler2725

2 жыл бұрын

I agree!

@thebigdog2295

2 жыл бұрын

And because people don't know history, the worst things that happened in history keep repeating. I like watching Mr. Felton's videos because he usually has something that I missed reading about, or just wasn't known when I was younger. And I know eventually he will no longer be allowed to make these videos. The reason being, that history is being rewritten to push certain agendas. I've already seen a lot of history that has been rewritten, or whitewashed in my lifetime. And most people don't even have a clue about it. I'd give instances but this reply wouldn't stay up.

@RW4X4X3006

2 жыл бұрын

Share Felton far and wide. The world needs to be educated regarding current events, and not succumb themselves into the news media frenzy.

Dr. Felton, thank you for bringing this under the attention to a bought public, it raises awareness and that a good thing in such dark times. 🙏

Thank you Mark. Another master class in delivering a great KZread educational piece.

Hi Mark, thank you very much for posting a video that is very very current ….. If you could upload more videos about the current situation in Ukraine and the history, and the politics of it all, would certainly help me understand the background to the current events.

Next target? Lol He needs to worry about getting food, gas and other supplies to the front

@cooldudecs

2 жыл бұрын

He isn’t going into Moldova … He will normalize relations and then absorb them through annexation

@kellyharper8072

2 жыл бұрын

The oligarchs steal everything from the military. Paper tiger Russia.

Thank You Sir Mark. 🇺🇸🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Moldova used to be part of Romania until after WW2. They speak the Romanian language and have strong cultural ties. Perhaps Moldovans should ask for a reunification with some sort of autonomy. Becoming Romanian territory and now under NATO protection would immediately make the Russian be forced to leave Transnistria or else.

@Paratroper09

2 жыл бұрын

If we had normal politicians on both sides (Romania & Moldova) Yes, it would be the normal thing to do and such an occasion will come maybe in next 50 years or 100.But they are so corrupt & idiots (on both sides) that this think will not happen.

@h0lynut

2 жыл бұрын

Alot of countries use to be apart of another or not. Moldovans are split on reunification, thus why it is not happening and Romanians themselves are too because of the economic implications. But, there is something you do not keep in mind. Moldova would have to give up their claim on the pridenestrovia republic region or tranistria and then the gagauz republic in moldova will have the right to secede and will as they are a pro russian and wanted indépendance from Moldova prior. Romanians fo not have special minority autonomy whereas moldova does. Romania has a hungarian minority of which this would cause implications assuming a reuinification comes. Thus it seems your proposal would not work

@eedragonr6293

2 жыл бұрын

@@h0lynut Transnistria or Gagauz Moldova preferred to have a conflict with a nuclear power. "Moldovan" but not Romanian.

@hadrianaugustus5712

2 жыл бұрын

Lol or else what

@veneps7862

2 жыл бұрын

​@@hadrianaugustus5712 or else nato will wipe russia off the map

Romania has left the chat

@ShadowEmpathy

5 ай бұрын

wow scorpo nobody commented on you

Awesome. We have Mark Felton videos on wars in real time now. Thanks Mark, Love your channel!

According to the Americans. 7,000 Russian soilders have died in Ukraine. To put that into perspective. The death toll from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (which lasted a decade). Was 10,000.

@basemanawakens6089

2 жыл бұрын

And if 7,000 Russian soldiers have died how many Ukrainian troops have been killed?

@TheSoviet13

2 жыл бұрын

According

@TheSoviet13

2 жыл бұрын

@@basemanawakens6089 definitely more or else russians wouldn't be advancing to the capital

@basemanawakens6089

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSoviet13 true...

@jackparker8602

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSoviet13 Forgetting that most Russian equipment is 40 years old, and the Ukrainians have access top of the line anti tank and anti aircraft equipment. Not to mention the fact that Russians have no food…

thanks for the clarity and perspective. Well done as always.

Thanks again Mark, love your maps !!

As an American I have little to no handle on Russia and her neighbors. I think it’s time to beef up on current events in this part of the world. I hope you have plans to continue your Russia/Ukraine videos. I’ve always enjoyed your videos, especially your “vintage” theme. Thank you Mr Felton. Much respect. I’m subbed as of 2 minutes ago.

@dmytrodolzhenko349

2 жыл бұрын

@Ms Bliss Guy interviewed all Kremlin aligned people on a film about Ukraine including Putin's relative in Ukraine Medvechuk, how can he be taken seriously after that.

@chiefwiggim-wt4hn

2 жыл бұрын

Judith Meyer ....as an American, chances are you haven't got a fucking clue....

@gigikontra7023

2 жыл бұрын

Let me put it this way. Speaking about "Moldovan" language is the same as speaking about "Alaskan" language. Assume USSR occupied Alaska in 1940, deported half the American population to Siberia, replaced some of them with russians, and then forced the original Alaskan (i.e. American) population to write their native English with Cyrillic letters. Then feeding the population constant propaganda how USSR saved them from American hegemony and how unique their "Alaskan Identity" is. That's what happened to Bessarabia (aka Republic of Moldova). Nothing more, nothing less.

I've heard of Transylvania, who hasn't, but Transnistria? Sounds like a place where Dracula has a summer home.

@joeyyc8515

2 жыл бұрын

Hahah it definitely does

@clives344

2 жыл бұрын

I am intesterested in any hot Vampires that shack up with him….they looked hot in those old hammer films 😅😂

@larstragl146

2 жыл бұрын

It can be found by rowing up the river Tyra from the black sea

As a Moldovan myself, I concur and appreciate what you've said throughout the video, my country has always been in state of a political limbo thanks to Russia's influence on our economy and internal politics, thankfully after the election of a pro western president our people have started the allign themselves with the west instead of reminiscing about the old times of the Soviet union. The conflict that has plagued our nation almost 30 years ago was the main reason why we haven't made almost any significant progress towards an European integration, since after the conflict arose in the east the gagauz turks threaten to also demand independence but thankfully they were appeased by the government, now that we're finally going somewhere I'd like to remain positive about this nation's future as like any other reasonable person I wouldn't want to leave the place where I was born and get to work here and earn a good living, as for the language we speak Romanian albeit a regional dialect if you will and our culture is more of a mix between the leftover soviet(mainly russian and Ukrainian) traditions and local romanian culture which our forefathers harboured during the ottoman and russian occupation. Once again in thankful that you've shined a light over this unknown piece of land in Eastern Europe, maybe one day I wouldnt have to always explain to people where my country is located as thst tends to get tiresome.

@ElGaymer2001

2 жыл бұрын

How interesting

@porothashawarma2339

2 жыл бұрын

Your English , my friend is impeccable, I wish you and your countrymen all the best ahead !

@als1023

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for commenting, people like you enhance greatly an already fascinating and widely respected channel. Wishing you and your country a bright and successful future during trying times, best wishes from Canada.

@shosetsum1502

2 жыл бұрын

I am also Moldavien but I don't agree with all you say

@user-tx3xy7lw6w

2 жыл бұрын

@@shosetsum1502 what is your opinion?

I also found the visit by Anthony Blinken few days ago, strengthening ties, a good indication they have additional intelligence on this. Great video as always :-)

Excellent video… very informative as usual. Many thanks, Dr. Felton!

This is precisely one of the things we need now, access to the interpretations of a knowledgeable military analyst.

Events of centuries past are having real world consequences now. Thank you Mark Felton for the history lesson!

Again, a very clear explanation of a difficult problem. Thank you.

There’s an interesting relation between Transnistria and Ukraine, that’s often ignored even in Ukraine. Before the movement for separation escalated into a military conflict, some of the “political leadership” of Transnistria expressed interest for unification of the separatist region with Ukraine. But because the Ukrainian government showed no interest in that, a _certain popular for that time_ political-military group “Ukrainian people’s self-defence” (UNA-UNSO) decided “to do it themselves”. Their appearance on the Transnistrian side boosted pro-Ukrainian sentiments in the separatist region, especially of course among the ethnic Ukrainians there. The then-leader of UNA-UNSO (Dmytro Korchynskiy) was even awarded the “Order of the Republic”. There were also rumors during Yanukovich’s presidency (president of Ukraine 2010-2013) that there were talks between Ukraine and Russia about Transnistria uniting with Ukraine, but I think there has been no real confirmation of that. As I have been told, up to 2014/16 on state occasions along with the Transnistrian flag also two other flags were always on display: the Russian and Ukrainian. Also the “state” media apparently sometimes aires programs in Ukrainian, the recordings of which I think can also be found here on KZread.

@TheWesty55

2 жыл бұрын

When I visited I asked the local guide if they would want to join Ukraine, he was very dismissive of the idea. This was around 2018, after Ukraine went anti russian

@Ted-Stryker

2 жыл бұрын

Mark Felton has managed to use the current state of fear and peoples ignorance to sell you and have you discuss this total fantasy. If you or he had any clue to the actual realities of why this invasion is taking place nobody would waste their time discussing such an irrelevant topic. Especially when there are so many more interesting topics about Ukraine that biased fanboys of western prop@ganda refuse to acknowledge.

@shurik8550

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheWesty55 no wonder. Ukraine has taken a different approach to the Transnistrian issue after 2014, which is not in favor to the separatist region of course

@iulianzagan779

2 жыл бұрын

If Ukraine wants to unite with Transnistria then they should consider giving back the southern Bessarabia and northern Bukovina back to Moldavia.

@dennisstephens4199

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ted-Stryker Troll

We NEED this information from YOU. I know this isn’t your normal content, but these aren’t normal times. PLEASE DO A LIVE STREAM ABOUT THIS SUBJECT!!! At least keep covering it!!

Insightful, well-supported and informative. Many thanks for sharing .

Mark Felton is one of the only people I’ve encountered that I trust has never lied to me.

Excellent as always. Love the current events videos.

One of the first things I wondered when the invasion started was weather putin was going to get transnistria involved since they have troops on the ukrainian border

@f-86zoomer37

2 жыл бұрын

There's a small Russian peacekeeper force there, numbering around 1000-2000. That's not enough for any invasion force. Plus they don't have armored equipment.

@jacobjones4766

2 жыл бұрын

@@f-86zoomer37 the transnistrian government is a Russian puppet willingly. The people there don't identify as transnistrian but as russian first. They have a military of 10,000 all of which are supplied by the russians. The Moldovan army is one of the smallest in Europe and one of the least funded.

@f-86zoomer37

2 жыл бұрын

@@jacobjones4766 I find it odd why Ukraine didn't move in with Moldova to retake Transnistria when the Russians invaded. It again is a very small force of a few thousand who are literally equipped to do border guard duty. So Moldova being poorly equipped wouldn't matter. It's two countries already surrounding that territory. Same with the exclave of Kaliningrad. It's completely cut off from either Belarus or Russia proper. It can easily be naval blockaded and sea mined. Just some thoughts.

@delfinenteddyson9865

2 жыл бұрын

@@f-86zoomer37 I would assume Ukraine doesn't really have resources to spare on another front

@f-86zoomer37

2 жыл бұрын

@@delfinenteddyson9865 Why not? They're already beating back the regular Russian army and inflicting huge losses. Russia has failed to take a single major city, except Kherson which is literally on the doorstep of occupied Crimea. Estimates by Ukraine MoD range around 10,000 Russians KIA. With those numbers, it's probably 2 or 3x that wounded severely. Russia has shown itself to be so incompetent and think they can fly two fully loaded IL-76 jumbo jets full of 600 paratroopers uncontested. The Transnistria Peacekeeper force is just basically a more heavily armed border guard.

Your insights on the current conflict with an eye on the history of the region and very much appreciated Dr. Felton. May history not repeat.

@tylerdunn9683

2 жыл бұрын

😆 all he's doing is putting out a bunch of crap just to get clicks he's nothing short of a hypocrite then again Mark is a Brit so what would you expect

I think you downplayed quite a bit the role Romania could play in all this. Romania is very keen on having close ties with Moldova and reducing Russian influence in the area, so Romania would likely try to pressure NATO and the EU to provide even more support for Moldova than Ukraine has received. Romania might also send troops to defend Moldova at Moldova's request turning the situation into a standoff between forces backed by NATO, and Russia, respectively. If Russia invades Moldova, then Moldova could in theory unify with Romania, since there's already a fairly significant pro-unification movement in both countries, Moldova essentially joining NATO and the EU overnight. I suspect both Moscow and Brussels are aware of this eventuality and would likely wait for the war in Ukraine to reach some sort of conclusion before attempting to change the status-quo in Moldova and Transnistria.

@ciprianpopa1503

2 жыл бұрын

He didn't even name Romania or Moldova having connections to Romania.

@Ushio01

2 жыл бұрын

Romania can't send forces into Moldova without consensus with the rest of NATO. As to more support to Moldova it wouldn't really make any difference as Moldova is very small and has a tiny population plus if Moldova is invaded after Ukraine falls then the Russian forces going in will all have very recent combat experience and won't make the same mistakes as they have done in the early days of Ukraine.

@calindicusar

2 жыл бұрын

Romania is hijacked by Germany. In Timisoara they even have a mayor which is a former advisor to a german president and which is not even a romanian citizen. Germany will do everything in its power to conserve the Molotov-Ribbetrop pact in Eastern Europe hence, in case of russian attack on Rep. of Moldova, it will command its puppet president of Romania and its puppet government to stand down.

@ciprianpopa1503

2 жыл бұрын

​@@calindicusar If stupidity would hurt, you'd be wrapped in stitches.

That's the best piece on the subject I've seen in all media at the moment, thank you ! Would have loved more details on how Bessarabia disappeared

@vladconstantinminea

2 жыл бұрын

There was no Bessarabia before 1812. There was only Moldova. It is why after WW1, they voted to reunite with Romania. Bessarabia was an artificial state, like the Moldovan SSR formed in 1924 as an instrument to facilitate the future reanexation of Bessarabia. In a sense the war in Transnistria had the role to block the union between Moldova and Romania.

One interesting thing this map shows is that Russia intended to land troops in Odessa at the start of the war. That part of the plan must have been thrown out when it became clear it would be an opposed landing.

@34ofaninchofbrain80

2 жыл бұрын

They probably just drew a lode of old bullocks on the map thinking if their was any spys in operation they would feed that information on.

@gbs5009

2 жыл бұрын

Sure looked like they *wanted* to. Now they've got some troop transports just floating out there after an abortive shore bombardment.

@serronserron1320

2 жыл бұрын

@@gbs5009 Yep they have at least eight thousand troops still floating around in the Sea

@robmcilroy1894

2 жыл бұрын

Current smart money is thinking Odessa is likely to be sidestepped as it is no longer militarily strategic. If anything they will send an occupation contingent in the future.

@mikeburke7053

2 жыл бұрын

Not "Thrown out". There were multiple reports of an attempted landing near Odessa when the war began. Some reports say some troops landed and were repelled, other reports say Russian soldiers near mutinied when told they were going to attack Odessa and the ships would not bombard, other reports say the first troop ship hit a mine and the other ships retreated because they had no mine sweepers, other reports said the first troop ship was sunk by weapons fired from land, other reports say etc. The only "fact" known is that there is a fleet of warships and troop carriers off the Odessa coast. What is true is not known, but with as many stories that spread, something occurred that did not go according to Russia's plan.

There is however a way that Moldova could instantly join NATO and the EU: agree to be annexed by Romania, which is already a member. Which wouldn't exactly be a difficult transition for Moldova. Romanian and Moldovan are the same language, and Romania was created by the merger of Moldavia and Wallachia. The idea of Romanians and Moldovans being separate nationalities was invented by the Soviets to discourage the people of the Moldavian SSR from seeking reunification with the nation they'd been stripped away from.

@peterfireflylund

2 жыл бұрын

That would require lots of changed laws. Plus, there’s the issue of Transnistria, the issue of Gagauz(sp?), and the issue of massive Russian influence, a large Russian/Ukrainian minority, the issue of lack of rule of law, etc… I think Maia Sandu is pulling the country in the right direction but it still has a long way to go.

@benjaminbronnimann3966

2 жыл бұрын

Every EU member would have to agree though and Bulgaria definitely wouldn't as their president is a friend of Putin

@RedXlV

2 жыл бұрын

@@benjaminbronnimann3966 It wouldn't require any agreement from other EU or NATO members. Romania is already a member of both the EU and NATO. If Moldova agreed to be incorporated into Romania, that would automatically make them part of the EU and NATO. It's just like how East Germany became part of the EU and NATO by reunifying with West Germany, rather than needing to go through its own admission process.

Great video as always sir. Thanks for the work you do, it's needed more now than ever. Cheers, from South Carolina, USA

Every day ( or new video ) is a school day as they say . And it certainly is when Mark uploads a video . Heard of Moldova before, but transvistia , that’s totally new to me . Thankyou for another highly informative video

When Mark Felton's video content centers around current events, you know it's going to be relevant. I feel a lot more well informed now Mark. Thank you. I just wish the mainstream media had the same kind of integrity.

@jean-lucpicard3012

2 жыл бұрын

I hope you're wrong. But I'm pretty sure you're right

@shlamimk4664

2 жыл бұрын

@@jean-lucpicard3012 I just mean, he's more informative than provocative.

Great work! As always !

"We need breathing room!" Where have I heard that before.

We’re hearing that the Russian Army is stalled and sustaining horrible casualties in Ukraine but at the same time we’re supposed to believe they are going to invade other countries also.

@CDSAfghan

2 жыл бұрын

How is Moldova different do you think? Why is Transnistria? Why was Crimea an easy invasion? 🤔

@QuantumLeapt

2 жыл бұрын

subsequently

@thegunslinger1363

2 жыл бұрын

A former Russian foreign minister said that a large amount of the Russian military budget. Was stolen by oligarchs to buy yachts in Cyprus.

@raypurchase801

2 жыл бұрын

A bit like Mussolini getting stalled in North Africa in 1940 and saying, "Next year I want Greece as well".

@jackof1

2 жыл бұрын

Don’t underestimate the Russian ability to take casualties

🏆🏆🏆👍🇺🇲🙏 Thank you for sharing

So glad Mark Felton covered this

Finally, I know where Transnistria is. I've heard it mentioned before, but never knew where it was!

ThanksMark for the interesting video. A classmate is married to a Georgian woman and her relatives are terrified that Georgia is Putin's next target. In 2008 there was war and Putin occupied South Ossetia. Perhaps you could make a video is Georgia could be a target of Putin, since it Also wants to join the EU.

@donkeysaurusrex7881

2 жыл бұрын

On the plus side for Georgia, Russia seems to be pulling some soldiers out of South Ossetia to send to Ukraine. Possibly a sign there’s no plans to do anything there in the near future.

Well, you probably can't understand how hard it is for me as a Romanian to say this, but they kinda got it coming by this point. It's been exactly 30 years since the first reunification proposal and the "moldavians" still refuse to re-join Romania. I used brackets because "moldavian" is just a regional reference, not an ethnicity or nationality, they're actually Romanian in every way except the Stalinist mentality they so passionately embraced, refusing to take for free what their grandfathers fought and died for: getting back together with their nation. Even now, with the red army at our doorstep, Romania would likely go for a hasty reunion, but modern "moldavians" don't really want that. If you don't believe me just follow the comments on this thread, it's gonna be a s*it-show of angry posts, some from fellow Romanians calling me a traitor for saying things as they really are (not as we wish they were), but mostly from "moldavians" offended that I don't acknowledge them as a separate nation. It's painful but it had to be said.

@quintrankid8045

2 жыл бұрын

Why don't the Modavons want to rejoin with Romania?

@dudugardus343

2 жыл бұрын

E trist frate,multi dintre moldoveni sunt spalati pe creier,rusificati,invatati de mici copii de catre carpele rosii ca noi romanii le am facut doar rau,si ca ei sunt un popor separat de noi,evident ca astea s doar niste prostii comuniste,dar care s au intins pe generatii multe incat acuma se simt…

@heavyguy2035

2 жыл бұрын

how can they be just a regional referemce when we freed you from the ottoman empire several times and gave your territories back. The biggest defeat of the ottomans was suffered in Moldova. In Moldova we are not afraid to walk on the streets because of gypsies like you are in romania and our people are very different. This guy also forgot to say that the was was with USSR not with transnitria and the cease fire was signed with russia not with transnitria and that before the rebellion from transnistria russia already had sent there an army but pretended like they were not russian soldiers.

@simonh6371

2 жыл бұрын

I watched some of bald & bankrupt channels vids and when he travelled in Moldova just about everyone there spoke Russian with him, although I'd guess most are bilingual and also speak Romanian.

@xKinjax

2 жыл бұрын

@@heavyguy2035 You're confusing the Principality of Moldova with Basarabia. The current Moldova is actually just the region of Basarabia, a small part of that principality. Also if you're talking about The Battle of Vaslui, Vaslui is in Romania. You, a small part of what used to be the Principality of Moldova (and is now just the region of Moldova in Romania) didn't free anyone from the Ottomans. Neither did Stefan cel Mare for that matter, the Ottomans just came back later for all of us.

Mark felton your one of the best warfare analyst. Its so simple and straightforward your information. The best of the best.

I'm sort of addicted to these historical snippets ... many are quite chilling ...

I just want to say that I respect your impeccable research. I watch quite a few historical channels on here and without fail someone in the comments corrects some facts from the video. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen that here

All of the Russian majority regions in Ukraine and also Transnistria / Moldova as well as the waters around Crimea have major oil and gas deposits discovered in them and Putin does not want his Petro monopoly to Europe broken.

Thanks for the geopolitical lesson, I know little about the history of the area.

Interesting discussion as always Mark.

By coincidence, I watched tons of your WWII Europe videos recently. Binge watched. This has helped me understand the dynamic of this current war. Thank you. Also, I really appreciate the maps so much.

I think many times in history CCCP/Russia was replacing documents of population in some territories with ones they have issued, later claiming those are Russian demographic regions because they have Russian documents.

@xKinjax

2 жыл бұрын

Not just replacing documents. They deported tens of thousands of locals and replaced them with Russian "settlers". That's what they did in Moldova so they can later have a claim on it.

@TheLocalLt

2 жыл бұрын

The CCCP? That would be the SSSR, the letters are Cyrillic characters, though I’m sure the Chinese Communist Party appreciates the shoutout

@legokingtm9462

2 жыл бұрын

You saying that their great great grandparents lied to them that they are actually Russian?? Kinda hard to loss your culture only after 3 generation tho.

I trust your opinion on this more than any official MSM. Please give us more on Ukraine.

With love from Moldova 🇲🇩❤️

I’ve been a subscriber (addict) of your videos for a couple years now and I appreciate your knowledge and the way you present information. Unfortunately as we are seeing today, too many people are influenced and controlled by emotions and clever marketing strategies. If nothing else your videos show that war is hell and sending young men to be slaughtered so that a privileged few can protect or increase their bank accounts or their egos is the epitome of evil. Thank you.

@brucemacmillan7128

2 жыл бұрын

Really? Does this mean you think what Putin is doing is ok? Or that Ukraine and the west shouldn't be fighting back? Please explain yourself.

@Ronin4614

2 жыл бұрын

Love the NY Yankees logo, Joe!

@joebones7237

2 жыл бұрын

@@brucemacmillan7128 how did anything I say lead you to the conclusion that I support Putin’s actions? Your response however confirmed what I stated…too many people are controlled by emotions and so rational thought falls by the wayside. Please educate yourself. Immaturity and stupidity not only endangers yourself, but others around you as well.

@joebones7237

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ronin4614 lol thank you! Much like Dr Felton’s videos it’s an addiction although lately they’ve left me feeling pretty strung out!

@cbbees1468

2 жыл бұрын

@@brucemacmillan7128 Reading comprehension is not your strong suit. PS: No wonder, you're subscribed to CNN.

One of the few trustworthy sources on the matter in question. Thank you so very much Mark Felton.

Kudos for covering what's going on. Excellent method of presentation.

Brilliant info as ever!!👍👍👍🦘🦘🦘🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

Looks like Moldova is back on the menu boys

The US has a long record of helping people when it's nearly too late. South Korea has been attacked by North Korean tanks and heavy artillery because America didn't supply them with heavy weaponry to resist the North Korean invasion. Now we're seeing the same in Ukraine, no military support until the very last minute right before the Russians attack.

@flowgangsemaudamartoz7062

2 жыл бұрын

Escalation Anxiety.

@gigikontra7023

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, American foreign policy is not known for foresight. I wonder what their reaction will be when such things happen to them: e.g. if Putin decides People's Republic of Alaska needs to have close ties to "motherland"? And don't think this cannot happen. American politics is unstable enough to lead to such an outcome.

Mark you really need to make more videos on this conflict. Also in school today we had a Ukrainian citizen come and speak on the war. She honestly didn’t know her stuff but nevertheless it was a good experience to see her perspective.

Never even knew Transnistria existed. Thank you Mark,you wealth of knowledge is priceless,and much appreciated.

@dand7763

2 жыл бұрын

it's not recognized by entire world , just by Russia , now you understand...and they will go there after Ukraine , if Putin mass troops at Moldova borders ,Moldova will recognise Transnistria official as russian territory ,it's their only chance to survive and to not be ruined by the bombs of Tsar Putin ,Moldova (PART of Romania until 1940, stolen by USSR after WW2) is in poor shape,ISOLATED ,non alligned ,no army ,just warming people who are happy to invite you at dinner and after 3 days of celebrations with you ,being their guest, finally they will ask you wit what business you came in their home...

Already planning their next embarrassment ya think?

@scipio8866

2 жыл бұрын

@@hs342 Russia has proven itself a decrepit 2nd world country who just so happens to have nukes. They can’t compete with the west militarily and economically. They don’t have a seat at the big boys table anymore and they know it. I suspect they’ve known it for a while. Your crying comment is odd. If you somehow gathered from one sentence that I’m crying here, then you suffer from moderate to severe communicative disability. I’m not crying. It’s satisfying. This is a pathetic attempt to remain to appear relevant. And it’s only served to make them appear callous and pathetic. But nice try, HS. If anything, it’s reassuring to know that Russia is a paper Tiger. They’re glory days are long gone. If they didn’t have nukes, they’re entire military would’ve been annihilated at this point by the western powers. That’s a fact. Putin will go down in the history books as a Pariah, and as soon as the Russians are able to get other news sources other than government propaganda, Putin might go down unfavorably in Russian history as well. But hey, takes a while to figure things out when you live in a suppressed society where it’s illegal to have a dissenting opinion. It Only took them 20 years to realize that popular old Stalin was actually a mass murderer. But they got around to it. Poor Russians. They’re a great people with consistently poor leadership. Though the US has been lacking recently there as well.

@cooldudecs

2 жыл бұрын

@@hs342 Trump will become president and will make Russia a crater…

*The Gramophone Waltz* is the greatest Waltz composed in the past 50 years, and the Composer Eugen Dogs is Moldovan. If you like Strauss, Beethoven etc. It's worth a quick listen. It's also nice to be able to know one piece of art or culture from someone that is from Moldiva it's 3 minutes long so go have a listen 🙂

Wow, great timing on getting this in my recommended. I just finished writing a series of papers on the Moldova - Transnistria Issue (specifically the OSCE mission there and the Berlin Plus Package) for my international interventions class. Still have one last paper to write on this, but was putting it off. Guess KZread wants to remind me to do my schoolwork.

Great history lesson Dr Mark. Thank you.

I look forward to more understanding of these former USSR regions; please do more as this information is so lacking in our education to comprehend what is happening today.

@raypurchase801

2 жыл бұрын

I trust Dr. Felton but I distrust everything on the mainstream media.

@gigikontra7023

2 жыл бұрын

Let me put it this way. Speaking about "Moldovan" language is the same as speaking about "Alaskan" language. Assume USSR occupied Alaska in 1940, deported half the American population to Siberia, replaced some of them with russians, and then forced the original Alaskan (i.e. American) population to write their native English with Cyrillic letters. Then feeding the population constant propaganda how USSR saved them from American hegemony and how unique their "Alaskan Identity" is. That's what happened to Bessarabia (aka Republic of Moldova). Nothing more, nothing less. Moldova is to Romania what Alaska is to USA.

As a complete side-note… I’ve always taken a keen but informal interest in history. However, since recently retiring as a Doctor, I have been inspired, in large part by Dr Felton’s presentations, to take things more formally. I have enrolled with an online tutor and will be sitting my first history exams beginning in May. It’s only GCSE…but you have to start somewhere! 😃

@CaesarsLegion1

2 жыл бұрын

Why though, on a doctors salary you can run for president

@derin111

2 жыл бұрын

@@CaesarsLegion1 hahaha! Well, I retired at 55 for few reasons. One was health.

@CaesarsLegion1

2 жыл бұрын

@@derin111 I would put that doctor salary into starting something of your own, I've spent all my teens learning history from early civilisation to the modern era so I'd be happy to teach for a rate if you are interested in purely learning. I considered getting a degree in history though I find its often biased towards certain perspectives (at least in the UK) wish you good fun regardless though!

@derin111

2 жыл бұрын

@@CaesarsLegion1 thanks! 🙂

Well done, thank you

Thank you Sir! You content is top notch.

Small correction - you said “Putin occupying transnistria” - Putin came to power much later after transnistria declared it’s independence. If I’m not mistaken Eltsin was the president of Russia at the time

@qorxmazveyselov5163

10 ай бұрын

Какая разница. Русские все оккупанты.

It has always been weird that so many commercial shipping vessels carry the Moldova flag as their registry. The souther approach across Ukraine makes sense as the Russians can link up with the Transnistria region and create a vice.

Great video.....I really enjoy the ones on the Ukraine situation and that part of the world. Always great analysis.

That's reasonable expectation. Thanks.

Moldova has two options: or making an agreement to handover Transnistria or to sign a capitulation.

@bronekjeszczeniezdechchwaakrl

2 жыл бұрын

Russia*

@militaristaustrian

2 жыл бұрын

@@bronekjeszczeniezdechchwaakrl why russia? I think a russian batallion is as big as moldovas army

@dashi5581

2 жыл бұрын

Or WWIII

@LordDavid04

2 жыл бұрын

Moldova could fight, but it would only last a few days at most. Even with say modern arms and perhaps 100,000+ retreating Ukrainian "veterans" and volunteers going there, they certainly won't last and would be forced to capitulate. Of course, during the final "weeks" of the Ukrainian conflict, they could create some defensive line along the Transnistria border and that of Ukraine, but that would only stall Russian forces, who could just bombard the whole line from a distance after moving troops directly into Transnistria.

In 2014 a CCH of the 1 REG - French Foreign Legion stole a load of MAG 58s, .50 CALs and Beretta 9mm pistols from the armourery. Loaded them up into his van, on the Friday night of a long bank holiday weekend. Apparently he took them to Transnistria, where he was from. As I understand the weapons were never recovered and he's never been caught, which makes sense given its a self governed unrecognised state.

@Paul-dv4dr

2 жыл бұрын

Was that you? ; )

@thejuice5050

2 жыл бұрын

@@Paul-dv4dr Haha nah I was just a new Legionnaire on the regiment when that happened but I always remembered it, and was impressed by the audacity of it and had been interested in that mad little part of the world ever since. Interesting times......

cool that . looking forward to it .

Once again Dr Felton a great vid.

Luhansk and Donetsk before the 2014 invasion were NOT majority ethnic Russian, both were just below 50% ethnic Russian, the majority speak Russian because of decades of Ukrainian language suppression by the USSR but that does not make them ethnic Russian anymore than a English speaking person in Ireland is English.

@arbendit4348

2 жыл бұрын

There is no ethnic difference between Russians and Ukranians. They are the same people. The only difference is that Western Ukraine is culturally different due to their history being occupied by Poland and Austria. Also in the USSR there was never an official language, so all were allowed to be used. The reason why the East is more pro-Russian is because they are culturally closer to Russia while the west is culturally closer to Poland and Central Europe. However ethnically they are all Russian, as Russian infact is simply a term for all East Slavic peoples including Muscovites, Novgorodians, White Russians, and Ukranians among others.

@BenyNukem

2 жыл бұрын

I dare to disagree. Ukrainians and Bielarusians are ruthenian nations. Russia is not, its culturally much more Asian than European. The reason they have changed their name to Russia (Grand dutch of Moscow, Moscovia before) is to claim rights to ruthenian lands. I disagree also with term "polish occupation" since it suggest existence of Ukrainian state (it wasn't the case) and to be precise it was polish-lithuenian commonwealth.

@arbendit4348

2 жыл бұрын

@@BenyNukem How is it more culturally Asian? Ethnically they are Slavic, they are also Orthodox Christian, they follow slavic tradtions, their language is East Slavic exactly like Ukranian and Belarusian. How are they any different from them?

@BenyNukem

2 жыл бұрын

True but also autocracy and very big percentage of ethnic mongolidoid background (so certainly tradition do same extend)

@arbendit4348

2 жыл бұрын

@@BenyNukem No evidence of that. Russian ethnicity is much closer to Ukranian than it is Mongolian.

Moldova is an observer state of NATO and Russia likely wouldn’t be able to get away with it.

Excellent presentation!

Brilliant work as ever.