 Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, a Bessarabian parliament, Sfatul Țării (a National Council), was elected in October–November 1917 and opened on .The Sfatul Țării proclaimed the Moldavian Democratic Republic () within a federal Russian state, and formed a government ().After the Romanian army occupied the region in early January at the request of the National Council, Bessarabia proclaimed independence from Russia on and requested the assistance of the French army present in Romania (general Henri Berthelot) and of the Romanian Army.