Member of a people of whom 153,000 (90%) live in southern Moldova. Orthodox Christians, they have always been distinct from the Turks, although their language is related. Their origin is unclear, although many migrated to Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a result of the Russo-Turkish wars and the Turkish oppression of Christians. In 1990, Gagauz separatists unilaterally declared a breakaway republic.
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