Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic(Mold. Republic of Moldovenyaske Nistryane, Ukrainian Pridnestrovskaya Moldavian Republic) or Transnistria (Mold. Transnistria, Ukrainian Pridnestrovya) is an unrecognized state in southeastern Europe. According to the administrative-territorial division of Moldova, the territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is part of Moldova, although in fact the territory of Pridnestrovie is not controlled by Moldova (with the exception of a few villages). The total length of the border of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is 816 km: 411 km of them - with the territory controlled by the authorities of Moldova, 405 km - with Ukraine. Has no access to the sea.
Story
Since ancient times, this territory has been inhabited by the Tiragetes (Thracian tribe). In the early Middle Ages, the territory of modern Transnistria was inhabited by Slavic tribes of Ulichi and Tivertsy, as well as nomadic Turks - Pechenegs and Polovtsy. For a certain time, this territory was part of Kievan Rus, and from the 60s. XIV century - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Northern Pridnestrovie was part of the historical region of Podolia, and southern Pridnestrovie became part of the Golden Horde (1242), from the end of the 15th century it became part of the Crimean Khanate, from the second half of the 18th century it was subordinated to the Caushan Horde. According to the Iasi Peace Treaty (January 9, 1792), it was ceded to the Russian Empire. At that time it was a sparsely populated region, the population of which was mixed - mostly Moldovans, but also Jews, Ukrainians, Serbs, Bulgarians.
Since the end of the 18th century, the Russian Empire has been populating this region to protect its southwestern border. The Russian authorities encourage the migration of Bulgarians, Russians, Germans, Armenians, Greeks and Moldovans to Transnistria.
Throughout the 19th century, Pridnestrovie, with the cities of Grigoriopol, Dubossary and Tiraspol, was part of the Russian Empire (Podolsk and Kherson provinces), Bendery was part of the Bessarabian province. Bendery and the right-bank part of the Slobodzeya region from 1918 to 1940 as part of Bessarabia were part of Romania. The left-bank part of Transnistria since 1918 (according to the old style - 1917) was part of the Odessa Soviet Republic, and after the German occupation - part of Ukraine, from which it entered the USSR in 1922.
1920-1940s
Until 1940, Transnistria was part of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1924, on the initiative of G. I. Kotovsky, P. D. Tkachenko and others, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) was created here as part of the Ukrainian SSR. It was supposed to become a springboard for the return of the Moldovan regions located on the right bank of the Dniester, annexed to Romania in 1918. The Soviet Union did not recognize their rejection, motivating this, in particular, by the fact that the Soviet demands to hold a nationwide plebiscite on the territory of the former Bessarabian province on the ownership of this territory were twice rejected by the Romanian side. Moldavian, Ukrainian and Russian were declared official languages of the MASSR. The capital of the republic was the city of Balta, but since 1928 it was moved to Birzula (now Kotovsk), and in 1929 to Tiraspol, which retained this function until 1940.
After the defeat of Poland in the war against Germany, the entry of Soviet troops into the territory of Western Ukraine and Belarus in September 1939 and the capitulation of France in May-June 1940, on June 26, 1940, the USSR in an ultimatum demanded that Romania return the territory of Bessarabia to the USSR, as well as Northern Bukovina and the Hertz region. Deprived of the support of France and faced with the territorial claims of Hungary in the west, royal Romania was forced to accept the ultimatum put forward by Stalin. The returned territory of Bessarabia (with the exception of Southern Bessarabia, included in the Odessa region, and Northern Bessarabia, which, together with Northern Bukovina and the Gertsa region, formed the Chernivtsi region of the Ukrainian SSR) was annexed to part of the MASSR and transformed into the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in Chisinau. Balta and adjacent areas remained part of the Ukrainian SSR, but without autonomous status.
After the creation of the MSSR, numerous migrants from Russia and Ukraine went to Pridnestrovie, helping to create a local industry. Most of the industrial enterprises of the Moldavian SSR (now Moldavia) were initially concentrated on the territory of Transnistria, since the economy of the rest of Moldavia (Bessarabia) during its stay in Romania (1918-1940) was mainly agrarian in nature and was the most backward of all the provinces of Romania , and industrial enterprises were mainly engaged in the processing of agricultural products (the share of food industry products in 1937 was 92.4%).
The Great Patriotic War
The new geopolitical situation did not last long - already in 1941, Germany and its allies attacked the USSR, and Romania got the opportunity to regain the territories annexed a year ago by the Soviet Union. In addition to Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, which were part of Greater Romania, the entire area between the Southern Bug and Dniester rivers (including the cities of Balta, Vinnitsa, Odessa and the right-bank part of the city of Nikolaev), which was called Transnistria ("Transnistria"), was under the control of the Romanian administration.
In 1944, with the entry of the Red Army into the Balkans, the borders returned to the position that existed at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
Period after 1945
In 1956, the 14th Army was deployed in the Moldavian SSR (including the territory of Transnistria). She remained here after the collapse of the USSR, guarding the depots of weapons and ammunition - stocks created in case of hostilities in the South-Eastern theater of operations in Europe. In 1984, the army headquarters was transferred from Chisinau to Tiraspol.
In 1990, before the collapse of the USSR, Transnistria provided 40% of Moldova's GDP and produced 90% of electricity, since in the town. Dnestrovsk, the Moldavian State District Power Plant was built, which was supposed to produce electricity for export to the CMEA countries.
Education PMR
The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed as a Soviet republic within the USSR at the II Extraordinary Congress of Deputies of all levels of Pridnestrovie, held in Tiraspol on September 2, 1990.
On December 22, 1990, the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev signed a decree "On measures to normalize the situation in the SSR Moldova", in the 4th paragraph of which it was decided "to consider null and void ... decisions of the II Congress of Deputies of Councils of different levels from some settlements of Transnistria dated 2 September 1990 on the proclamation of ... the Moldavian Pridnestrovian Soviet Socialist Republic.
On August 27, 1991, the Parliament of the SSR of Moldova adopted Law No. 691 "On the Declaration of Independence", which declared null and void the law of August 2, 1940 "On the Formation of the Union Moldavian SSR", according to which the MASSR became part of the Moldavian SSR, emphasizing that “without asking the population of Bessarabia, the north of Bukovina and the Hertz region, forcibly captured on June 28, 1940, as well as the population of the Moldavian ASSR (Transnistria), formed on October 12, 1924, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in violation of its constitutional powers, adopted on August 2, 1940 the law "On the Formation of the Union Moldavian SSR". Often, supporters of the sovereignty of the PMR argue that by their decision, the deputies of Moldova outlawed the only legal document regulating the presence of Pridnestrovie as part of Moldova. However, since the UN member states recognize the independence of Moldova precisely in the context of the collapse of the USSR, and not in accordance with the law of 1991, thus considering it the successor state of the Moldavian SSR, the arguments of the PMR are not considered within the UN. Despite this, the law of 08/27/1991 in Moldova itself has not been canceled and continues to operate.
On November 5, 1991, in connection with the collapse of the USSR, the PMSSR was renamed the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
Administrative-territorial structure
The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is a unitary state. The main part of the republic, with the exception of the city of Bendery and part of the Slobodzeya region, lies on the left bank of the Dniester River.
The territory of Transnistria is divided into 7 administrative units: 5 districts - Grigoriopol, Dubossary, Kamensky, Rybnitsa and Slobodzeya, as well as 2 cities of republican subordination - Bendery and Tiraspol
In accordance with the Law of the TMR dated July 17, 2002 No. 155-Z-III (SAZ 02-29), the following types of administrative-territorial units are distinguished:
- urban settlements (urban settlements, cities) - settlements in which more than 5,000 people live and the main part of the able-bodied population is not employed in agriculture;
- settlements - settlements that cannot be classified as cities, but for the majority of the active population, whose main activity is not directly related to agriculture;
- rural settlements (rural settlements) - villages, rural-type settlements, summer cottages, the main part of the population of which is employed in the agricultural sector. Among them, village councils stand out - administrative-territorial units that, with their fixed borders, cover one or more settlements along with the lands under their jurisdiction.
Seven villages on the left (Vasilevka, Dorotskoye, Cocieri, Koshnitsa, Novaya Molovata, Pogrebya, Pyryta) and one on the right (Copanca) banks are administered by the official bodies of the Republic of Moldova. On the border between Moldova and Transnistria is the city of Bender, part of which (the village of Varnitsa) is controlled by Moldova, and the rest of the territory is controlled by Transnistria.
The extreme northern settlement of Transnistria is the village of Frunzovka, the extreme western one is Red October, the extreme eastern ones are the village of Staraya Andriyashevka and Pervomaisk, the extreme southern one is Nezavertailovka.
Population
The population is 547 thousand people (2005). In 1990, the population of Transnistria was 730,000 inhabitants. Until 1992, there was a constant upward trend in its growth, but from this year a constant decrease in the number of inhabitants begins. Males predominate among the working-age population.
National composition
As of 2004, Moldovans make up 31.9% of the population of the republic. Two-thirds of the population of Transnistria are Russians (30.3%) and Ukrainians (28.8%), Bulgarians (2%), Belarusians and others also live. In general, residents of 35 nationalities live on the territory of Pridnestrovie, including Armenians, Jews, Gagauz, Tatars, etc.
Religion
The main part of the population professes Orthodoxy, there are religious communities of Armenian Gregorians, Old Believers, Catholics, Jews. Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Church of the Living God (charismatics) are active among Protestant groups. Jehovah's Witnesses are also active.
Economy
A significant part of the industry of the former MSSR is concentrated on the territory of Transnistria. The basis of the economy of the PMR are large enterprises, such as the Moldavian metallurgical plant, the Moldavian State District Power Plant, the Tirotex textile plant, the Kvint brandy factory, the Sheriff company and others.
The main problems of the region's economy are mass emigration, an aging population, a negative balance of foreign trade, high inflation, unrecognized status and dependence on neighbors.
The cities of Tiraspol, Bender and Rybnitsa play an important role in the modern economy of Pridnestrovie.
By the end of 2010, it is planned to create a new Euroregion "Dniester", which, in addition to the three regions of Moldova and the Vinnitsa region of Ukraine, will also include the Kamensky and Rybnitsky regions of Transnistria.
Transnistrian conflict
The Transnistrian conflict (Mold. Conflictul din Transnistria) is a conflict between Moldova and an unrecognized state that controls part of the declared territory of Moldova - the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria), which controls mainly the left bank of the Dniester (Mold. Transnistria), whose population is Moldovans , Russians and Ukrainians (approximately in equal proportion).
The conflict, which began back in Soviet times (1989), after Moldova gained independence, led to armed confrontation and numerous casualties on both sides in the spring and summer of 1992. Armed actions were stopped after Russian troops under the command of General Alexander Lebed intervened in the conflict to protect civilians and stop the bloodshed.
Currently, security in the conflict zone is provided by the Joint Peacekeeping Forces of Russia, Moldova, Transnistria and military observers from Ukraine. Transnistria is the only region in Eastern Europe where, after the introduction of the peacekeeping contingent, hostilities were stopped and did not resume. During numerous negotiations mediated by Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, it was not possible to reach an agreement on the status of Transnistria. The Moldovan side has repeatedly spoken out in favor of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region. Relations between the parties to the conflict remain tense.
Army
The armed forces of the PMR include ground forces, air forces, internal and border troops, as well as Cossack formations. The regular units consist of about seven thousand people. In voluntary Cossack detachments - a thousand people. The reservists or people's militia number about 80 thousand people. The army consists of three motorized rifle brigade, one artillery brigade and one Cossack regiment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of State Security are in charge of two special battalions: "Dniester" and "Delta" - and a separate motorized police battalion. The level of training of all departments is quite high. Mostly obsolete equipment is in service - more than a hundred BTR-60 and BTR-70, more than a hundred different artillery systems and mortars, including Grad multiple rocket launchers. There is a tank battalion with twenty T-64BV tanks. The local Air Force has Mi-6 and Mi-8 helicopters, but there are no attack helicopters or combat aircraft.
Domestic politics
The dominant role in the internal economic life of the PMR is played by the Sheriff group of companies, covering various industries.
According to the regulation of the European Commission 2005/147/CFSP, a citizen of the Russian Federation Igor Smirnov, his sons Vladimir and Oleg, as well as other leaders of the PMR, are prohibited from entering the EU countries. In 2010, the entry of the leadership of the PMR into the EU countries was temporarily allowed.
Peace settlement
Over the past years, the Moldovan and Transnistrian authorities have made several attempts to improve relations. The parties were almost able to reach an agreement in 2003 on the basis of a settlement plan proposed by Dmitry Kozak, who at that time held the post of deputy head of the Russian presidential administration. According to this plan, Moldova was to become an "asymmetric federation", while the PMR and Gagauzia would receive a special status and the opportunity to block bills that are undesirable for the autonomies. Moldova pledged to maintain neutrality and demobilize the army, as well as grant Russia the right to deploy Russian troops on the territory of Transnistria for a period of 20 years as "guarantors" of the conflict settlement. Literally at the last moment, under pressure from the OSCE and student protests, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin refused to sign the agreement, saying that it gives unilateral advantages to the PMR and has a hidden goal - the recognition of the independence of Transnistria. Negotiations resumed only in 2005 within the framework of the regional organization GUUAM on the basis of proposals submitted by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
According to the new plan, by August 2005, the Moldovan parliament was to adopt a law on the special status of Transnistria, according to which the region should be left with a flag, coat of arms and three state languages - Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan. If Moldova ceases to be an independent state, Pridnestrovie will be able to withdraw from its composition. In December 2005, the PMR, under the control of international observers, was to hold early parliamentary elections, and Moldova was obliged to recognize their results. Then Moldova and the PMR, with the participation of Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, were supposed to delineate powers between the parties within the framework of the law on the status of Transnistria. Moldova then had to sign an international treaty obliging it to comply with the law on Transnistria. The guarantors were supposed to be Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, and possibly the EU and the US.
The "Yushchenko Plan" allowed for direct communication between representatives of the world community and the PMR without the participation of Moldova. The document did not contain requirements for the withdrawal of the Russian military contingent from the territory of the PMR, which Moldova insists on.
On July 22, 2005, the Moldovan parliament approved the draft law "on the status of Transnistria". According to this document, Russian peacekeepers must leave the region before December 31, 2006, and Transnistria is part of Moldova on the rights of autonomy. The status of Transnistria is defined as "an administrative-territorial entity in the form of a republic within the Republic of Moldova". The region should enter the single economic, customs and monetary space of Moldova, but will receive its own constitution and government formed by the Supreme Council of Transnistria, a legislative body that will be elected by popular vote.
2006 - crisis and prospects
In May 2006, consultations were held between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the presidents of Transnistria and Abkhazia.
In June 2006, PMR President Igor Smirnov announced that Pridnestrovie was ready to take the place of Moldova in the CIS in the event of its withdrawal from the Commonwealth.
In June 2006, the heads of the PMR, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, at the summit in Sukhumi, in addition to the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States (CIS-2) concluded a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and signed a Declaration on the Establishment of a Community for Democracy and the Rights of Peoples, which involves not only economic and political cooperation between the republics, but also the creation of collective peacekeeping armed forces that can replace Russian peacekeepers and jointly repel possible military actions of “small metropolises” and attempts to resolve the situation by military means.
In June 2006, the President and the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the fate of the unrecognized states should be determined by the will of their populations on the basis of the right to self-determination.
Transnistrian independence referendum
On September 17, 2006, a referendum was held on the territory of the PMR, which raised two questions: “Do you think it is possible to maintain the course for international recognition of Pridnestrovie and join Russia” and “Do you think it is possible for Pridnestrovie to become part of Moldova.” Moldova, the OSCE, the European Union and a number of other international organizations declared the referendum illegal and undemocratic.
Independence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) and its subsequent free accession to the Russian Federation (RF) were supported by 97% of the citizens of Pridnestrovie who took part in the referendum. 2.3% of voters voted against integration with the Russian Federation.
3.4% of the citizens of Pridnestrovie spoke out in favor of abandoning the course towards the independence of the PMR and the subsequent entry of the republic into Moldova, and 94.6% of the participants in the referendum were against such integration. 2% of voters could not decide on a choice.
According to the official data of the Central Election Commission of Transnistria, 78.6% of citizens who had the right to vote, or about 306 thousand out of 389 thousand people, took part in the referendum on September 17, 2006.
Transport and international communication in Transnistria
As an unrecognized state, the PMR experiences some difficulties in terms of international communication. Moldova allows some trains to bypass Transnistria. And yet there is a bus and railway connection between Tiraspol and Bendery with Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Romania.
Story:
On August 2, 1940, at the 7th session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Law on the Formation of the Union Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted.
After the creation of the MSSR, numerous migrants from Russia and Ukraine went to the territory of the modern Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, helping to create a local industry. Most of the industrial enterprises of the Moldavian SSR (now the Republic of Moldova) were initially concentrated on the territory of Transnistria, since the economy of the rest of Moldavia (Bessarabia) during its stay in Romania (1918-1940) was mainly agrarian in nature and was the most backward of all the provinces Romania, and industrial enterprises were mainly engaged in the processing of agricultural products (the share of food industry products in 1937 was 92.4%).
The new geopolitical situation did not last long - already in 1941, Germany and its allies attacked the USSR, and Romania got the opportunity to regain the territories annexed a year ago by the Soviet Union. In addition to Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, which were part of Greater Romania, the entire region between the Southern Bug and Dniester rivers (including the cities of Balta, Odessa and the right-bank part of Nikolaev), which was called Transnistria ("Transdniestria"), was under the control of the Romanian administration.
In 1944, with the entry of the Red Army into the Balkans, the borders returned to the position that existed at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
In 1956, the 14th Army was deployed in the Moldavian SSR (including the territory of Transnistria). She remained here after the collapse of the USSR, guarding the depots of weapons and ammunition - stocks created in case of hostilities in the South-Eastern theater of operations in Europe. In 1984, the army headquarters was transferred from Chisinau to Tiraspol.
In 1990, before the collapse of the USSR, industrial facilities on the territory of the modern Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic provided 40% of Moldova's GDP and produced 90% of electricity, since in the village. Dnestrovsk, the Moldavian State District Power Plant was built, which was supposed to produce electricity for export to the CMEA countries.
The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed as a Soviet republic within the USSR at the II Extraordinary Congress of Deputies of all levels of Pridnestrovie, held in Tiraspol on September 2, 1990.
On December 22, 1990, USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev signed a decree “On measures to normalize the situation in the SSR Moldova”, in the 4th paragraph of which it was decided “to consider null and void ... decisions of the II Congress of Deputies of Councils of different levels from some settlements of Transnistria dated September 2 1990 on the proclamation of ... the Moldavian Transnistrian Soviet Socialist Republic.
On August 27, 1991, the Parliament of the SSR of Moldova adopted Law No. 691 "On the Declaration of Independence", which declared null and void the law of August 2, 1940 "On the Formation of the Union Moldavian SSR", according to which the MASSR became part of the Moldavian SSR, emphasizing that “without asking the population of Bessarabia, the north of Bukovina and the Hertz region, forcibly captured on June 28, 1940, as well as the population of the Moldavian ASSR (Transnistria), formed on October 12, 1924, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in violation of its constitutional powers, adopted on August 2, 1940 the law "On the Formation of the Union Moldavian SSR". Often, supporters of the sovereignty of the PMR argue that by their decision, the deputies of Moldova outlawed the only legal document regulating the presence of Pridnestrovie as part of Moldova. However, since the UN member states recognize the independence of Moldova precisely in the context of the collapse of the USSR, and not in accordance with the law of 1991, thus considering it the successor state of the Moldavian SSR, the arguments of the PMR are not considered within the UN. Despite this, the law of 08/27/1991 in Moldova itself has not been canceled and continues to operate.
On November 5, 1991, in connection with the collapse of the USSR, the PMSSR was renamed the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. In the Moldavian version, the name sounds like "Dniester Moldavian Republic", which can be assessed as a claim to both banks of the Dniester, that is, to the whole of Moldova.
Over the past years, the Moldovan and Transnistrian authorities have made several attempts to improve relations. The parties were almost able to reach an agreement in 2003 on the basis of a settlement plan proposed by Dmitry Kozak, who at that time held the post of deputy head of the Russian presidential administration. According to this plan, Moldova was to become an "asymmetric federation", while the PMR and Gagauzia would receive a special status and the opportunity to block bills that are undesirable for the autonomies. Moldova pledged to maintain neutrality and demobilize the army, as well as grant Russia the right to deploy Russian troops on the territory of Transnistria for a period of 20 years as "guarantors" of the conflict settlement. Literally at the last moment, under pressure from the OSCE and student protests, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin refused to sign the agreement, saying that it gives unilateral advantages to the PMR and has a hidden goal - the recognition of the independence of Transnistria. Negotiations resumed only in 2005 within the framework of the regional organization GUUAM on the basis of proposals submitted by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. According to the new plan, before August 2005, the Moldovan parliament was to adopt a law on the special status of Transnistria, according to which the flag, coat of arms and three state languages - Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan - should be left to the region. If Moldova ceases to be an independent state, Pridnestrovie will be able to withdraw from its composition. In December 2005, the PMR, under the control of international observers, was to hold early parliamentary elections, and Moldova was obliged to recognize their results. Then Moldova and the PMR, with the participation of Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE, were supposed to delineate powers between the parties within the framework of the law on the status of Transnistria. Moldova then had to sign an international treaty obliging it to comply with the law on Transnistria. The guarantors were supposed to be Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, and possibly the EU and the US.
The "Yushchenko Plan" allowed for direct communication between representatives of the world community and the PMR without the participation of Moldova. The document did not contain requirements for the withdrawal of the Russian military contingent from the territory of the PMR, which Moldova insists on.
On July 22, 2005, the Moldovan parliament approved the draft law "on the status of Transnistria". According to this document, Russian peacekeepers must leave the region before December 31, 2006, and the territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is part of Moldova on the basis of autonomy. The status of Transnistria is defined as "an administrative-territorial entity in the form of a republic within the Republic of Moldova". The region should enter the single economic, customs and monetary space of Moldova, but will receive its own constitution and government formed by the Supreme Council of Transnistria - a legislative body that will be elected by popular vote. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that "it seems that Moldova has set a course for the economic strangulation of Pridnestrovie"
In May 2006 consultations were held between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the presidents of the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic and Abkhazia.
In June 2006, PMR President Igor Smirnov announced that the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic was ready to take the place of Moldova in the CIS if it left the Commonwealth.
In June 2006, the heads of the PMR, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, at the summit in Sukhumi, in addition to the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States (CIS-2) concluded a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and signed a Declaration on the Establishment of a Community for Democracy and the Rights of Peoples, which involves not only economic and political cooperation between the republics, but also the creation of collective peacekeeping armed forces that can replace Russian peacekeepers and jointly repel possible military actions of “small metropolises” and attempts to resolve the situation by military means.
In June 2006, the President and the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the fate of the unrecognized states should be determined by the will of their populations on the basis of the right to self-determination.
On September 17, 2006, a referendum was held on the territory of the PMR, which raised two questions: “Do you think it is possible to maintain the course for international recognition of Pridnestrovie and joining Russia?” and “Do you think it is possible for Transnistria to become part of Moldova?”. Moldova, the OSCE, the European Union and a number of other international organizations declared the referendum illegal and undemocratic.
Independence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) and its subsequent free accession to the Russian Federation (RF) were supported by 97% of the citizens of Pridnestrovie who took part in the referendum. 2.3% of voters voted against integration with the Russian Federation.
3.4% of the citizens of Pridnestrovie spoke out in favor of abandoning the course towards the independence of the PMR and the subsequent entry of the republic into Moldova, and 94.6% of the participants in the referendum were against such integration. 2% of voters could not decide on a choice.
According to the official data of the Central Election Commission of Transnistria, 78.6% of citizens who had the right to vote, or about 306 thousand out of 389 thousand people, took part in the referendum on September 17, 2006.
Recognizing countries:
Flag:
Map:
Territory:
Demography:
The population is 513,400 people (01/01/2012). In 1990, the population of Transnistria was 730,000 inhabitants. Thus, the natural increase was about -1.58% per year. Until 1992, there was a constant trend towards population growth, but from this year a constant decrease in the number of inhabitants begins. Males predominate among the working-age population.
According to the 2004 PMR census, Moldovans make up 31.9% of the population of the republic. 30.3% of the population are Russians, 28.8% - Ukrainians, Bulgarians (2%), Belarusians and others also live. In general, residents of 35 nationalities live on the territory of Pridnestrovie, including Armenians, Jews, Gagauz, Tatars, etc.
Religion:
The main part of the population professes Orthodoxy.
Among Protestant Christians there are officially registered in the PMR: Pentecostals, Baptists, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventists, charismatics.
Jehovah's Witnesses actively preach.
There are few religious communities of Jews, Old Believers, Armenian Gregorians, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics (Uniates), Buddhists, Muslims.
Languages:
Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovan (based on Cyrillic graphics)
Armed forces:
The armed forces of the PMR include ground forces, air forces, internal and border troops, as well as Cossack formations. The regular units consist of about seven thousand people. In voluntary Cossack detachments - a thousand people. The reservists or people's militia number about 80 thousand people. The army consists of four motorized rifle brigade, one artillery brigade, one anti-aircraft artillery brigade, an aviation detachment, special units and one Cossack regiment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a separate special-purpose brigade "Dniester", and as part of the Ministry of State Security - a special battalion "Delta". Mostly obsolete equipment is in service - more than a hundred BTR-60 and BTR-70, more than a hundred different artillery systems and mortars, including Grad multiple rocket launchers.
On September 2, Republic Day is celebrated in the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
On this day, at the Second Congress of People's Deputies of all levels, five regions of Moldova located on the left bank of the Dniester of the Pridnestrovian Union Republic within the USSR, and later, after the exit of Moldova from the USSR, the independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) with the center in Tiraspol. At the same time, the city of Bendery and several right-bank villages adjacent to it also spoke in favor of joining the PMR. The reason for this step was the statements of nationalist-minded radicals in Chisinau about Moldova's withdrawal from the USSR and the possibility of its joining Romania.
The Moldovan authorities did not agree with the decision of the Pridnestrovian deputies and tried to solve the problem by sending troops to the unrecognized republic. In April 1992, an armed conflict began in Transnistria, which lasted several months, until mid-July. As a result, Chisinau lost control over the left-bank regions, and Transnistria became a territory that was actually not controlled by Chisinau.
Tiraspol has not received international recognition, but is actively seeking it. Moldova offers Pridnestrovians autonomy within a single state.
In Pridnestrovie, all state authorities have been formed and are fully functioning: legislative (Supreme Council and local councils), executive (Cabinet of Ministers, consisting of ministers and heads of departments that are part of the structure of executive authorities, as well as heads of state administrations of cities and regions), judicial (Constitutional, Supreme,
Arbitration (economic), courts, city and district courts), as well as the Prosecutor's Office as an independent supervisory body and the Accounts Chamber.
Industrial production occupies a dominant place in the economy of the republic. The industry employs over 37 thousand people.
The share of industry in the structure of gross domestic product exceeds 30%. Payments from industrial enterprises account for over 60% of the total payments to the budget and extrabudgetary funds.
The economy of Pridnestrovie is based on large enterprises, such as the Moldavian Metallurgical Plant (MMZ), the Moldavian State District Power Plant, the Tirotex textile plant, the Kvint cognac factory, the Sheriff company and others.
The leading place in the economy of the PMR is occupied by the electric power industry, ferrous metallurgy, light and food industries, mechanical engineering, metalworking, production of building materials. An important contribution to the economy of the state is also made by enterprises of the chemical, woodworking and furniture, printing, glass, flour and cereal industries.
There are more than 500 enterprises engaged in production activities in the field of small business.
The main products of industrial enterprises are: electric power, ferrous metal rolling, foundry machines, electric machines and pumps, low-voltage equipment, cable products, electrical insulating materials, cement, fiberglass, furniture, cotton fabrics, shoes, garments, wine, cognac and liquor products.
The enterprises of the republic are export-oriented: about 90% of all manufactured products are supplied to the CIS countries and far abroad. Basically, Pridnestrovie exports metal, textiles, electricity, food, shoes.
Transnistria has high agro-climatic and biological soil potential. The share of agriculture is 5-6% in the structure of GDP.
On the territory of Transnistria there is a state reserve "Yagorlyk". By status, this is a scientific reserve created in order to preserve the natural complex of the water area and the coastal zone of the Yagorlyk backwater in its natural state, create favorable conditions for the reproduction of rare and endangered species of animals and plants and study the natural course of natural processes in this area.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The whole world thinks that Pridnestrovie is Moldova. Transnistria itself thinks that they are Russia. Russia thinks that Transnistria is an independent state, but at the same time supplies gas there for free. In general, I went to Transnistria to sort things out on my own. I'm telling!
Brief history of the conflict:
It all started with the fact that in 1988, 66 Moldovan writers demanded that not Russian, but Romanian be recognized as the state language and that they start writing it in Latin. This did not please the residents of Tiraspol, where 90% of the population was Russian-speaking. As a result, a confrontation began between great Moldova, which wanted to join Romania and Transnistria, which wanted to remain part of the Soviet Union.
Transnistria held a referendum, where 91% of the population voted for independence. As a result, after a couple of years of mutual picks, armed skirmishes began. People started dying. Transnistrian defended their cities from Moldovans who wanted to take control over them. The skirmishes intensified, then calmed down.
The USSR collapsed in 1991. They started shooting again. The 14th Russian army remained on the territory of Pridnestrovie, which helped the Pridnestrovians with ammunition.
In 1992, General Lebed came here, met with all parties to the conflict and said: "If I hear another shot, then I will have breakfast in Tiraspol, lunch in Chisinau, and dinner in Bucharest." This ended the war. They believed the swan.
Now in Pridnestrovie, tablets are written in two languages, and the Moldovan language continues to be written in Cyrillic, although in Moldova itself they switched to Latin long ago:
In general, there are three official languages in Transnistria. Also Ukrainian. Odessa is a little more than 100 kilometers away:
The main events took place in the village of Dubossary and the city of Bender:
In Bendery, there are still traces of bullets on some houses:
Between Bendery and Tiraspol, the distance is only 8 kilometers, but these are considered two different cities. Between them is a post with Russian peacekeepers:
But enough history. Let me show you what modern Tiraspol looks like. Here is its main square and main building. In front of him is a monument to Lenin. By the way, here, it seemed to me, is the largest concentration of monuments to Lenin from all the cities that I saw:
The streets are constantly cleared of snow, although it does not happen here often:
Unlike, there is no madness and variegation on the facades of houses. Everything is very calm and neat:
The main street is very wide. Few cars:
Coat of arms of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Doesn't it remind you of anything?
The city of Tiraspol was founded on the orders of Suvorov, so he is a national hero here:
The main shopping center of the country:
Tickets for Transaero are still sold here:
Do you want to know how the city lives? Look at private ads. Here they mainly offer cargo transportation to Moscow or Chisinau and various tours. I did not find ads for the sale of apartments:
Cinema. Here comes the Viking and everyone is spitting from him in the same way. I haven't seen it myself yet. Is it really that bad?
Foreign companies do not work in Transnistria, as they will have to pay taxes twice - once in Moldova, the second time in Transnistria. So the whole business is internal, and the brands are all local. Names sometimes coincide with Russian ones:
Virtually all areas of business in Transnistria are dominated by the local Sheriff company. I still don't understand who it belongs to. Someone said that the son of the first president, someone that just two clever young people, but this Sheriff is everywhere:
Recently they even built a stadium in Tiraspol. It is said that UEFA representatives named it the best stadium in Europe. They also say that the entire construction cost less than a million dollars, which I believe with great difficulty. Like, all the builders were local and all the building materials were also produced at the Sheriff enterprises:
Park in the city center:
Attractions don't work. Everything was covered in snow.
There is a monument to Kotovsky in the park - this is the second national hero of Pridnestrovie after Suvorov. He either lived here, or was born, or was hiding. The locals themselves are confused in the testimony:
Fun fact about Kotovsky: initially he had a saber in his left hand, but this saber is constantly stolen, so he usually stands unarmed:
Yards of Tiraspol:
For some reason, barbed wire is being pulled in the yards:
Everything is complicated with pensions. You can get a Russian pension, you can get a local one. Russians do not pay extras for orders and medals, while Pridnestrovians do, but the pension is smaller. Therefore, each pensioner can decide for himself what kind of pension he receives:
The average pension is a little more than 4 thousand rubles for our money:
And here residents pay for the elevator in the house. I asked everyone I met - no one had an elevator in the house. I have a suspicion that there is not a single building with an elevator in Tiraspol:
University:
There are several very well-equipped classrooms for learning the Russian language:
Corridors:
Students live in a hostel. I asked for a couple of girls in the rooms:
Look at the shelves! I had the same houses as a child!
In addition to Russia, the independence of Transnistria was also recognized by South Ossetia and Abkhazia. They have their own consulates here:
Book Shop:
The saleswoman said that they take Putin better than Stalin:
I understand everything, but the magnet with Beria?!?!?
The Dniester River itself:
And its embankment:
With entertainment in Piridnestrovie not a lot. There is one nightclub, and even that is closed:
In general, people here live well (according to them). Come!
One of the phenomena of the modern world is "unrecognized states". They have their own names, capitals and constitutions; their economy, their documents, their currency; their ideology, and often their nation... but their passports are not valid anywhere outside their territory, usually very modest; their currency will not be accepted by any bank of the Earth, except for its own; not to see foreign embassies in their capitals; they are not even marked on the maps. Sometimes they are recognized - by several countries (like Abkhazia), half the world (like Palestine) or the whole world (like South Sudan). The former USSR, as the last collapsed empire, is especially rich in such "fragments" - Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and in the past also Gagauzia (1990-1994) and Ichkeria (1990-2000).
They all started with wars. And without visiting Pridnestrovie, you involuntarily imagine it as if not a "hot spot", then a "besieged fortress". It was all the more surprising to find on this narrow strip between the Dniester and Ukraine, albeit a poor, but quite a living state. Most of all, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic resembles some kind of national autonomy of Russia, such as Udmurtia or Khakassia. But the PMR is completely different from Moldova
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I will also tell you about Bendery, Tiraspol, Rybnitsa and the rural outback, which I visited from wwwwwwwvv
And bes_arab
, but first - general impressions: people, signs, features and the central square of the capital.
As a disclaimer. It is necessary to write about the places involved in conflicts either 100% positively or 100% negatively - after all, the slightest sympathy for "that" side of "this" side is unforgivable. If I see at least 1% of the good in the PMR, I am a bloody imperialist who dreams of seeing Russian tanks in Chisinau, Tbilisi and Riga; if I see at least 1% of the bad in the PMR, I have sold out to the West, I’m faping on Saakashvili and writing an order for your Regional Committee. And if not 1%, but about 50%, as in any country? In general, I am mentally preparing to be under cross-throwing, and I warn you, as always - for rudeness and becoming personal, as well as an insult to any country - a ban. And one more thing - keep in mind that I was a guest here and not for long, so much of what you may consider malicious "propaganda" from either side, in fact, may be just my accidental mistake.
2. In the center of Bender.
Transnistria is very small, even compared to Moldova: the area is 4.16 thousand square kilometers (this is 4 times larger than Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road), the population is 518 thousand people, which is less than Chisinau alone, and in principle, according to these two indicators, the MDP roughly corresponds to Luxembourg, the largest of Europe's microstates. The main cities are Tiraspol (148 thousand inhabitants) and Bendery (98 thousand), as well as, from south to north, the regional centers of Slobodzeya (20 thousand, the only one south of Tiraspol), Grigoriopol (9.5 thousand), Dubossary (25 thousand), Rybnitsa (50 thousand), (9.2 thousand). Moldovans (32%), Russians (30%) and Ukrainians (29%) live here approximately equally, and since PMR passports are not recognized in the world in the same way as she herself, almost everyone has dual citizenship, mostly some from these three countries.
3. In the center of Rybnitsa.
The prehistory of Transnistria is somewhat more complicated, and fully explains its isolation from Moldova. It became part of Russia 20 years earlier - in 1792, the southern part - after the next Russian-Turkish war, and the northern - according to the II section of the Commonwealth. Accordingly, historically, the southern half of Transnistria belonged to Novorossia (Kherson province, Tiraspol district), the northern half - to Podolia (Podolsk province, Baltsky and Olgopolsky districts), while only Bendery was included in the Bessarabian province. At the same time, in Romanian historiography there is a point of view that already in those days Slavicized Moldavians lived beyond the Dniester, therefore the left bank of the Dniester with Odessa is, as it were, a primordially Romanesque territory. It is interesting that if in Romania and in the West this territory is called Transnistria ("Transnistria"), in the local Moldavian it is called Nistrenia (Dniester region).
4. At the market in Tiraspol.
Be that as it may, the first prototype of the PMR was the Moldavian ASSR (1924-40), which did not include Bendery, but included the north of the present Odessa region - its first centers were Balta (1924-28), Birzula (1928-29, now Kotovsk) and finally Tiraspol. There were several such "as if hinting" regions in the USSR of the 1930s: the Karelian-Finnish SSR, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ... but only in Moldova things went beyond hints, and perhaps if it were not for the MoldASSR, we would now have at most Tiraspol region of Ukraine, or even just areas of Odessa and Vinnitsa regions. But about the events of 1989-1992 - later ... The Romanians created their prototype of the PMR in World War II: Transnistria with its capital in Odessa, even during the era of occupation, did not belong to Bessarabia and consisted of 13 own counties.
The first thing that looks different here after Moldova is the people. Completely different faces and mood: there is no trace of Moldovan relaxed slovenliness. The faces of people here are hard, concentrated, I would even say - gloomy. Expressing not even the dramatic resentment typical of the Slavs for everyone and everything from the president to the ex-husband, but a stoic readiness for the impending disaster.
At the same time, I would not say that people here are evil and unfriendly. Domestic rudeness, according to my impressions, is more in Moldova. I spoke a little with passers-by here, but where I spoke, they usually listened attentively and explained in detail. It's just that the people here are as if in suspense - well, something like if you've been sitting in line for more than an hour and you don't know whether they will give you a vital document or not. Pridnestrovians have been living in this queue for 20 years.
But still they live, but do not survive. More precisely, they "survive" in the same sense of the word that is invested in it in our outback - the republic, to put it mildly, is not rich. According to statistics, GDP per capita in Moldova and the PMR is approximately the same, but I asked about the real situation on both sides of the Dniester. As I understand it, Chisinau is much richer than Pridnestrovie, Pridnestrovians even go there to work, but the outback in Moldova is poorer than the outback of the PMR. At the same time, the presence of a "firm hand" and humanitarian assistance from Russia affects - for example, pensions in Transnistria are about one and a half times higher than in Moldova, but still beggarly even by the standards of the Russian Federation ($80 and $120, respectively). But the widespread assertion that roads in Transnistria are much better than in Moldova, to be honest, I can’t confirm - in my opinion, it’s about the same.
At the same time, the people here, it seemed to me, are less patriarchal and more urban compared to the Moldovans. An indicator is that in Moldova I almost did not see informals, while in the PMR one comes across classic nefers in leather jackets, and bobcaters, and hipsters, and girls with blue hair. Girls in Transnistria are beautiful (multinationality affects), well-groomed, often very stylishly dressed.
9. Schoolchildren from Rybnitsa on a community work day.
Here schoolchildren in Bendery collect donations to help orphans. The action is quite amusingly framed - you donate money to them, they give you a "palm" of colored paper with one sticky side, and you stick it on a sheet as a sign of involvement. On the day of my arrival, two such groups walked around Bendery, and one should have seen with what seriousness and indifference they approached the matter.
In general, I liked and remembered the Pridnestrovian youth. Many high school students here have unexpectedly bright faces, almost like in Soviet cinema. At the same time, gopniks and other aggressive bipedal fauna have a larger population here than in Moldova, but this is already a problem for the entire East Slavic world.
Schoolchildren on excursions in the Bendery Fortress:
Bayanist in Tiraspol. The southern appearance of many Pridnestrovians should not be surprising: the largest minority of Pridnestrovie are Bulgarians (2% of the population), living mainly in Parkany, the largest village in the PMR (10.5 thousand inhabitants), through which Bendery and Tiraspol have grown together (even intercity trolleybus route No. 19 runs mainly along the Parkany). Bulgarians have the citizenship of Bulgaria, that is, the European Union, and generally keep to themselves. It seemed to me that other Pridnestrovians envy them.
Another interesting point: before the trip, I was sure that in Moldova it is rare to see a policeman, and in the PMR a cop stands on every corner. As a result, everything turned out to be the opposite: in Moldovan cities there are a lot of cops even after Russia and Kazakhstan (and in addition there are very strict laws), in the PMR I saw policemen only a couple of times in passing, but three times a car passed by with the inscription "Police". I don’t even remember traffic cops on the roads. And in principle, I didn’t even really see what uniform the PMR policemen had. But there are really a lot of people in the Unrecognized Country - these are the military, especially in Bendery:
In general, before the trip, I imagined Pridnestrovie as a light-dictatorship, like Belarus or Kazakhstan, with a lifelong Leader of the Nation and the opposition within the statistical error. Nevertheless, Igor Smirnov, who ruled the country for 20 years and once led the struggle for independence, recently lost the elections in a democratic way: Yevgeny Shevchuk won, gaining 38% and 75% of the votes, respectively, in two rounds, and the case did without post-election squabbles and Maidan people, traditional for the post-Soviet space . Smirnov was described to me something like this: “He did a lot for the country, you don’t have to agree with those who blame him ... but in the last 8-10 years he bronzed and began to steal” - that’s already above typical of the former USSR.
The second aspect that you immediately notice here after Moldova is ... but you didn’t guess. This is the industry:
Such a division into agrarian-nationalist and industrial-pro-Soviet parts exists in many post-Soviet countries. The most famous example is Ukraine, Kazakhstan is a little less noticeable in this sense. But in its purest form, this section was precisely in the Moldavian SSR. Firstly, the presence of a clear border - the Dniester; secondly, if in Eastern Ukraine there are black soils and agro-industrial complex, and in Western Ukraine there are still several large factories, and Southern Kazakhstan is not inferior to Northern Kazakhstan in terms of industrialization, there is almost no large heavy industry in Moldova to the west of the Dniester, while to the east there is stupidly not enough space for agriculture . The industrial center of the PMR is Rybnitsa, where its own metallurgical plant is located; there are powerful factories in Tiraspol (say, Elektromash, whose director was Smirnov), and in Bendery, as well as a state district power station in Dnestrovsk and a hydroelectric power station in Dubossary .... Although only 12% of the area and population of the Moldavian SSR remained behind the PMR, here half of its industry is concentrated, including 2/3 of the electric power industry. In addition, unlike Moldova, the PMR receives gas from Russia at preferential prices (and often on credit, and again Moldova pays for the debts), and for a long time the independence of Pridnestrovie was guaranteed not only by the Russian army, but also by the opportunity to shut off the pipeline to Moldovans.
Well, in general, where industry is, there is nostalgia for the Union, sympathy for Russia as its successor, faith in a "firm hand" and a fair distribution of wealth, and where the peasantry is, there is nationalism and small business, incompatible with the Soviet past. It seems to me that in Ukraine, too, the contradictions are not so much civilizational or religious as class-based—the abyss between the peasantry and the proletariat.
And only in third place in the order of differences is the language. Pridnestrovie is also unique in that, in fact, the Moldavian language (and not the dialect of Romanian) has been preserved only here. Firstly, it is still in Cyrillic here (and do not forget that the Vlachs also used Cyrillic until the 1860s), and secondly, if in Moldova many Moldovan words proper were recognized as vernacular and replaced in the literary language with Romanian ones, in Transnistria did not happen even this. However, frankly, Moldovan is not in use here. I heard the assertion that not a single book in Moldavian has been published in the PMR yet - I don’t presume to judge how true this is.
At the same time, three languages are considered de jure official - Moldovan, Russian and Ukrainian:
In fact, things are about the same as in the already mentioned national autonomies of the Russian Federation such as Mordovia or Karelia - the environment here is 90% Russian-speaking, Ukrainian and Moldovan are present mainly in official signs and in the rural outback (an explanation for well-you-understood-who - in the Russian Federation, the republic is a republic of strife, and for example, in Tatarstan and Bashkiria, the situation with languages \u200b\u200bis completely different).
Another myth about Transnistria is that it is supposedly a "living museum of the USSR". Well, there are really a couple of "exhibits":
But in general, no special socialism, especially in landscapes, was noticed in the PMR. Belarus is much more suitable for the role of the "living USSR". For example, there is no less outdoor advertising here than in Moldova, Ukraine or Russia.
The cult of Victory is clearly expressed even in Right-Bank Ukraine, even in Volhynia (which is already Western Ukraine), so it won’t pull on “Soviet specifics” in any way:
And there are monuments to the victims of repression:
In general, soviet-style is nothing more than a layout for European backpackers. Perhaps the only attribute is a large number of posters and slogans on the theme of love for the Motherland, and the flag of the Moldavian SSR minus the hammer and sickle:
Something else is much more real - there really was a war here:
23. House of Soviets in Bendery.
Moreover, in June 1992, only a decisive battle took place for Bendery, and skirmishes, provocations and skirmishes happened here before, mainly in the Dubossary region. You can read more about the history of the conflict on Wikipedia. About what was here in those years, I asked people on both sides of the Dniester. Here are some approximate quotes:
- Moldova, a man of pro-Russian-anti-Romanian views: Pridnestrovians simply saw what was going on here, the antics of all these nationalists, the course towards unification with Romania, the destruction of advanced for the Union factories such as the Chisinau computer one. And although there were a lot of scumbags among those who fought there, all sorts of ragamuffins who were simply given the opportunity to shoot and handed a machine gun upon presentation of a passport, we respect the Pridnestrovians for defending their independence with weapons in their hands. And in general, many here share the ideas of Transnistria, but damn it - this is a bandit state! Pirate Republic! It used to get to the point that there was one regime at the Bendery customs, another at Dubossary, a third at Rybnitsa - as the local brothers liked. It's a shame - they discredit ideas that could become popular in Moldova.
- Moldova, a person of more neutral views. What happened in Transnistria is in fact nothing more than a "revolt of the Red Directors". After all, there are huge factories, and this is a lot of money, and the directors understood that the new government would throw them off(...and destroy the factories - my note), and therefore they skillfully played the anti-Romanian card, becoming state power from directors.
- Transnistria, patriot. For the first 15 years, there was no such question at all for us - "what happened there." We all knew what we were fighting for, and only in the last 5 years some alternative versions began to appear. All this is nonsense. And another nonsense that it was a national conflict - Moldovans fought on this side, including Russians on that side ( which is confirmed by the lists of the dead - my note )
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In general, the inhabitants of Moldova all unanimously agree that Pridnestrovie exists in the interests of local oligarchs, and on both sides of the border they say - "our friends live there" (we are talking about ordinary people).
24. Rybnitsa and Rezina, between them the Dniester.
In general, although it all started with a war, now the relations of one and a half states are surprising. First, the fact that between them (unlike, for example, Georgia-Abkhazia) in principle there is a relationship. If a foreigner convicted of visiting Nagorno-Karabakh can be imprisoned in Azerbaijan, Moldovans in Transnistria regularly ride on their own. Pridnestrovians go to Chisinau (which is almost a metropolis for them) to work and walk - it is much more accessible to them than Odessa. In principle, Moldova in relation to the PMR has taken the position "whatever the child amuses ...", "if you want to consider yourself independent, consider it." I already wrote about the one-sided border - from the PMR side there is a full-fledged border control, from the side of Moldova, at the most, a reinforced police station. Through the PMR, it is not a problem to enter or leave Moldova illegally, and in general, this border creates more inconvenience for Moldovans than for Pridnestrovians. There are, however, a number of nuances: first, if you entered Moldova through the PMR, you must voluntarily go to the authorities and register (recently, they say, there is an exception for passengers of the Moscow-Chisinau train going through Bendery - Moldovan border guards meet them on the train), if you came to Moldova, and you want to leave through the PMR to Ukraine, it is better to have both a foreign and an internal passport of the Russian Federation or Ukraine: Pridnestrovie does not put any stamps, and you get to the Ukrainian border guards with an open Moldovan border, which is fraught with extortion of a bribe. Yes, and the option of two passports is bad because if you decide to come to Moldova again, there will be problems at the entrance because of the "hanging stamp". For this reason, I returned from Transnistria to Chisinau and traveled by train through the north.
But with currencies, the separation is complete: in Moldova - lei, in Pridnestrovie - their own special rubles - "Suvoriki" with Suvorov and inscriptions in three languages (moreover, Ukrainian in a couple of circulations were with errors). Lei in the PMR is not a problem to change, but it is pointless to travel to Moldova with the Transnistrian ruble.
25. On the Moldovan coast. View from Transnistria.
Although from time to time all sorts of provocations happen between the two banks of the Dniester - either they jam cellular communications with each other, or they try to establish a transport blockade, or vice versa - in 1999-2000, while the Chisinau airport was under reconstruction, Tiraspol accepted and sent its flights. In general, the posts of Russian peacekeepers are still standing:
And the Pridnestrovians do not regret that they separated from Moldova. On both sides of the Dniester, they regret those who died in that war, the culprit of which is called Mircea Snegur, "an absolutely irresponsible ruler." I was surprised that the attitude towards General Lebed is positive even in Moldova - "this man stopped the bloodshed." Yes, he stopped, threatening to fire a volley from "Grads" at Chisinau, essentially taking the PMR from Moldova by force, but here everything is somewhat more complicated: Pridnestrovie, although small, it so happened that most of the Soviet military equipment was located on its territory: for example, even now Moldova does not have a single tank, there were none then either. If the war broke out, it could drag on for years and claim tens of thousands of lives, as in Chechnya or Tajikistan. And gratitude to Lebed for the defeat inflicted in this vein is quite humanistic. The Japanese, however, are also grateful to the United States for Hiroshima, but after all, Lebed never fired, but only threatened.
But the assertion that Pridnestrovians live only in fear and hatred for Romania, which they have made here a national scarecrow, I somehow cannot confirm. In my opinion, Romanianization is much more feared in Moldova itself, while Pridnestrovians do not really remember Romania in everyday life, it does not play any role in their lives. Although, of course, it is surprising to what extent in the 1990s people were afraid of this prospect - and Transnistria, and the Gagauz, and most of the Moldovans themselves.
Now, especially in the news, the role of foreign policy should not be overestimated. Both in Moldova and in the PMR, such problems as: there are no jobs, pensions are below the subsistence level, bureaucrats steal, housing is unaffordable, prices are rising, trains are being canceled, etc.
Although the political life of the unrecognized state has a number of curiosities. Since many Pridnestrovians are citizens of Russia, that is, voters, and there are familiar logos and names here:
Ukraine, apparently out of solidarity with Moldova, does not become so impudent (or maybe its parties are simply not allowed here), although I do not exclude that the "Party of Regions" or "Fatherland" can be contacted here:
Although this is what blew my mind the most: the embassies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia! They even have a "second CIS" - the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States. And judging by other people's photographs, Pridnestrovie is the most state among them.
There is even a holding company here - "Sheriff", which all travelers mention in the context of "Sheriff's guards chasing photographers." He owns most of the supermarkets, gas stations, oil depots and car services in the republic, his own TV channel, all cellular communications and the Internet in Transnistria, as well as a giant sports complex on the outskirts of Tiraspol and since 2006 the Kvint brandy factory, and 12 thousand people work in all this - 2.5% of the total population of the country. I have never been inside these supermarkets, but in general they say that in Moldova it is much better with shops and catering, if only because of greater competition.
At the same time, Sheriff's subsidiary IDC, a monopoly on cellular communications in Transnistria, does not use the GSM format. What does it mean? Well, for example, the fact that in Tiraspol I did not catch a mobile phone with a Moldovan SIM card. The only thing that saves the situation a little is that Transnistria is very narrow, and in most of it the phone picks up the signals of Moldova and Ukraine.
Well, at the end of the post - about the main square of Tiraspol. The main street or square of the capital is almost always the facade of the state, and in Tiraspol it is very indicative. A huge (about 700x400 meters, including squares!) Square goes directly to the banks of the Dniester, and bears the name of Suvorov:
Alexander Suvorov founded Tiraspol as the Middle fortress of the Dniester line; Suvorov took Izmail, after which Transnistria became part of Russia. Yes, and a really spectacular equestrian monument to him was erected back in 1979 and immediately became a symbol of Tiraspol. In general, Suvorov plays almost the same role here as Stephen the Great in Moldova - of course, not every city has monuments to him, and Suvorov Street is far from always central, but he is here on all banknotes. Yes, and objectively - and who else?
Nearby is the Palace of Children's and Youth Creativity (the edge is visible) and a characteristic poster. One of the things I remember Tiraspol for is ornamental cabbage. Of course, I have seen it before, but nowhere else in such quantities. Cabbage beds are very colorful, they just smell like ordinary cabbage from the kitchen, and that's why I also remember Tiraspol with a cabbage smell.
Here is the building of the Government and the Supreme Council (in appearance, the 1980s), in front of which Lenin is more alive than all the living (however, after Russia, Belarus and Eastern Ukraine, this will not surprise anyone):
And on the contrary, closer to the banks of the Dniester - a military memorial:
At the wall - the Defender of Transnistria and an Afghan, similar to the hero of American action films:
On the "Pridnestrovian" monument are the names of 489 people who died in battles from this side (Moldova lost about the same number), behind the door is a museum, where I didn’t go anymore, since I was in a museum in Bendery. Among the surnames, I especially note these:
Next - the memorial of the Great Patriotic War: they fought for the Dniester, of course, not the same way as for the Dnieper, but very cruelly, and now there are huge memorials on the bridgeheads of the right bank (I never saw any of them) - for example,