Bessarabia is a historical region between the Prut and Dnister rivers. It is now part of Moldova and Ukraine (Odesa region).
In the 10th-11th centuries, it was part of Kyivan Rus', and later part of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. From the 14th century, the region was part of the Moldavian principality, and from the 16th century, it was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Later, it was part of the Russian Empire.
From 1918 to 1940, it was part of Romania, and from 1940, it was part of the USSR.