Moldova Marks 30 Years of Independence From Soviet Rule

Honor guards carry wreaths during an event held to celebrate Moldova's national day, three decades after the country declared independence from the Soviet Union, in Chisinau, Moldova, on Aug. 27, 2021. Aurel Obreja/AP Photo

CHISINAU, Moldova—Moldova’s pro-Western president was joined Friday in the capital Chisinau by her counterparts from Romania, Poland, and Ukraine to celebrate the country’s three decades of independence from Soviet rule.

Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 27, 1991.