This small region of Southern Ukraine could create headaches for both Russia and NATO

[maxsolomon]

1. If they take Odesa, the Budjak region is an afterthought.

It's mostly wetlands with just a few towns. It has 2 roads from the rest of Ukraine that pass in to it; one goes through Moldova, the other, P70, passes over the mouth of the Dneister delta and would certainly be destroyed before Russia could roll tanks across it. Regardless, I'm not sure Ukraine will have many forces left by the time Russia gets there.

Using the E87 through Palanca is either going to require that Moldova acquiesce, or it will start a 2nd war. Then your scenario comes into play, I think. Moldovans are ethnically Romanian.

I believe Odesa is the one place in Ukraine that Putin wants intact. It's a major resort town; the real estate is quite valuable and many Russians have vacation homes (and oligarchs have investments) there.