Loss of Romanian citizenship by residents of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina

The process by which the inhabitants of the historical provinces of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina lost their Romanian citizenship in the context of their annexation by the Soviet Union is relatively little known. The resistance of the Romanian authorities to the Soviets’ intention to deport all persons originating from these provinces to the Soviet Union manifested itself in a legal confrontation that took place between 1944 and 1945, which resulted in the majority of refugees being spared from deportation. In this article, we propose an analysis of the reasons for contesting Romanian citizenship for people from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina and the evolution of the legal confrontation between Romania and the Soviet Union.