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A separatist region located in eastern Moldova, it declared its independence unilaterally in 1991, and was not recognized by any member state of the United Nations or any international organization. It is legally considered part of the Republic of Moldova, but the central authority in the Republic was unable to extend its control over it.
The region enjoys Russian economic, political, and military support, and includes 3 main ethnicities: Moldavians, Russians, and Ukrainians. The Russian language is dominant, and most of the population embraces Orthodox Christianity.
Location and geography
The Transnistrian region is located in Eastern Europe, on the eastern side of Moldova, and is bordered by Ukraine on 3 sides: north, east, and south. It is bordered to the west by the Dniester River, which forms the natural border of the region with Moldova.
The territory, which is known - according to the separatist authority - as the "Pridnestrovian-Moldavian Republic", is a narrow strip of flat land, about 225 kilometers long, its width ranges between 12 and 30 kilometers, and extends over an area of more than 4 thousand square kilometers.
the climate
The Transnistrian region enjoys a continental climate with distinct seasons. Temperatures are moderate in spring and autumn, while summers are hot and sunny, and winters are cold with snowfall. The rate of precipitation is moderate in the region, with its annual average ranging between 500 to 600 mm, and the month of May is May and June are usually the wettest.
Bridge over the Dniester River between Tiraspol and Bender (French)
Population
The population of the region is about 470 thousand people, and it consists of 3 main ethnicities, in close proportions: Moldavians, Russians, and Ukrainians, with small numbers of Jaguz and Bulgarians.
Russian is the dominant language in the region, while the official languages, according to the Transnistrian authorities, are Moldovan, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Orthodox Christianity is the most common religion in the region.
the date
For more than two thousand years, many races and races have passed through Transnistria. Eurasian nomads settled there, it was subject to the Russians and was ruled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, then it came under Ottoman rule. In the late 18th century AD, the region was annexed to the Russian Empire, and in that era, the rural population began Romanian speakers migrated from the western side to the left bank of the Dniester River, which was dominated by ethnic Ukrainians.
During its rule of the region, the Soviet Union established the "Moldova Soviet Socialist Republic" in 1940, from the union of two distinct regions:
Transnistria:
It is the territory located east of the Dniester River. It was part of Ukraine and enjoyed independent rule, and most of its residents are Ukrainian.
Bessarabia:
It is located to the west of the Dniester River. It was part of Romania before Soviet rule, and its people are of Romanian origins.
The Soviet Union implemented major demographic and social changes in both regions. By the 1920s, the Soviets in Moldova established a Moldovan language with the Cyrillic script and a special Moldovan identity, which strengthened the emergence of Moldovan nationalism in Bessarabia by the late 1980s, while Transnistria became ethnically diverse, as a result of Due to the influx of tens of thousands of Russian-speaking immigrants who came to work in heavy industries, demographic and social differences have been an obstacle to full integration between the two regions.
Secession from Moldova
In 1988, some residents of Bessarabia began to take sides with Moldovan nationalism, and the resurgence of nationalism led to the establishment of the independence movement called the “Popular Front of Moldova,” whose main goal was the recognition of the Moldovan language as the sole state language and the return of the Latin alphabet. Some factions showed a more extreme approach, when they called for To expel other ethnic minorities.
In 1989, the "Popular Front" was able to obtain the support of some members of Parliament, in addition to organized protests, to pass a law according to which the Moldovan Latin language became the official language of the state. Then, signs of dissent began in the "Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic", when the people of Transnistria felt threatened by Moldovan nationalism, and sought secession.
Over time, the Popular Front became more inclined to adhere to its Romanian roots, and in April 1990, the Romanian tricolor flag was adopted, which raised fears among the multi-ethnic population of Transnistria about the possibility of the Republic of Moldova uniting with Romania, and this constituted their concern about the possibility of losing them. Then linguistic equality and cultural pluralism.
After several rounds of referendums, the people of Transnistria unilaterally declared the creation of the "Pridnestrovian Moldavian SSR" of the Soviet Union, in September 1990, and the region's paramilitary forces took over Moldovan public institutions in the region, but the then President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev annulled the independence resolution.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the separatists announced in August 1991 the establishment of the independent "Republic of Pridnestrovian Moldova." These developments resulted in an escalation of the armed conflict in March 1992, and bloody battles broke out between the two parties.
The separatist groups were supported by the Soviet army, which contributed decisively to determining the fate of the conflict in favor of the separatists. In the summer of that year, the two parties reached a ceasefire, and a demilitarized security zone was established.
Transnistrian honor guard soldiers perform during Alexander Nevsky Memorial Day in the town of Bender in 2021 (French)
As a result, a kind of “frozen conflict” arose, and the Republic of Transnistria became de facto independent. It remained under the control of the separatist authorities, and had its own currency, constitution, parliament, flag, army, and national anthem, and the city of Tiraspol was declared its capital.
The independence of the region has not been recognized by any member state of the United Nations, including Russia, nor by any international organization. It has been recognized by similar separatist regions, namely Abkhazia and South Osseta in Georgia, and Nagorno-Karabakh. From a legal standpoint, the United Nations is the region. Part of the Republic of Moldova, Moldova did not accept a peace agreement that would put an end to the conflict.
After that, Russia maintained a military presence in Transnistria, represented by about 1,500 soldiers, which allowed it to exercise its influence over Moldova and threaten Ukraine. Over time, Russia and the Russian language occupied a dominant position in the region.
In 1997, the “Primakov Memorandum” was signed aimed at normalizing relations between Moldova and Transnistria, supporting the establishment of legal relations between the two parties, and granting Transnistria the right to conduct foreign economic activities independently.
Although it does not have direct control over the territory of Transnistria, in 2005 the Moldova government issued the Law on Basic Provisions for the Special Status of Regions on the Left Bank of the Dniester River, according to which it made Transnistria an autonomous region within the Republic of Moldova.
In 2006, the regional authorities held a referendum to confirm their insistence on demanding independence and voting to join the Russian Federation. More than 97% of voters voted in favor of joining Russia, but Moldova did not recognize the results of the referendum, nor did the international community.
In 2014, after Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, the region's authorities returned to demand joining the Russian Federation, submitting an official request in this regard to the Duma.
The region and Russia's war on Ukraine
After 30 years of calm in Transnistria, the region returned in April 2022 to the forefront of the scene alongside the war on Ukraine. A series of mysterious explosions in the region caused a state of tension, the intensity of which increased with a statement by a prominent Russian military official that Russia aims to control Southern Ukraine, allowing it to form a corridor to reach Transnistria.
Ukraine feared the possibility of using the Russian military force stationed in Transnistria to attack it from the West, as well as the possibility of Russia using Transnistria to support medical aid and food, guard convoys, secure the railway network, and provide a safe space to resupply its forces, repair equipment, and regroup its ranks.
Ukraine closed its entire border with Transnistria, and access to the isolated region became limited to Moldova, which also closed its airspace to Russian aircraft shortly after the war. This led to the region suffering from a severe shortage of resources and supplies, most of which was from Russian aid, which It comes via the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
In February 2024, the Transnistrian authorities requested protection from Russia against Moldova, claiming that it was exerting social and economic pressure on the region, in contravention of European principles and rules for protecting human rights and free trade.
Russia then declared that protecting the interests of the people of Transnistria was one of its priorities.
Transnistria also appealed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and others to support it.
Monument to the prominent military leader of Tsarist Russia Alexander Suvorov in Transnistria (Shutterstock)
Economy
Transnistria's economy is based mainly on trade and industry, and the region includes most of Moldova's industrial infrastructure, and is particularly prominent in the steel industry, textiles, and electricity production, but its economic potential is limited due to its international isolation, so it depends largely on Russian aid and natural gas, which Russia provides. Free, as it is resold at low prices, and the profits earned in this way enable Transnistria to finance its public spending.
Sharif Holding Company, which is closely linked to the ruling party, controls approximately 60% of the economy in the region. It owns various assets such as supermarkets, gas stations, a telecommunications company, and the main steel factory, which is the focus of economic activity in the region, and to which about 40% of the region’s budget revenues.
In 2018, economic activity shifted towards the West after Transnistria joined Moldova's free trade agreement with the European Union, and Transnistria's exports to the European Union became at least 4 times their exports to Russia.
The Russian war on Ukraine in 2022 brought about a radical change in the economic situation in Transnistria, as the volume of industrial production decreased in the first quarter of 2022 by 7%, due to a decrease in Russian natural gas supplies and the undermining of logistical supply chains, which particularly affected sectors. Which depends on imported raw materials, especially light industry and metals, and local trade decreased by 3%.
The war greatly affected Transnistria's foreign trade, as Ukraine represented a major trading partner for the region, and the majority of goods and food products passed through it. Due to its unrecognized status, Transnistria relied on Ukraine to provide free access to some foreign markets.
Following the outbreak of war, Ukraine closed its borders with the region, and imports and exports to and from Transnistria took place entirely through the territory of Moldova and were subject to its control. The importance of the European Union and Moldovan markets for the region increased, and commercial transactions (excluding gas trade) decreased by up to 22% with Russia. .
The inflation rate increased after the war, reaching 14.5% in the third quarter of 2022, due to the rise in prices of imported products and the rise in logistical costs, and foodstuffs, especially imported ones, achieved the highest price increase.
Moldova took advantage of the situation, and all economic activities on the territory of the region were exempt from taxes and fees from the Moldova government, but in August 2023, Moldova imposed on Transnistrian companies to pay fees for performing customs procedures.
The region faces many other economic problems, including the spread of illegal arms sales, smuggling, money laundering, and rampant corruption.
Highlights
Transnistria has distinctive historical and natural landmarks, the most prominent of which are:
The city of Tiraspol:
It is the capital of Transnistria. It represents a center for exploring the culture and history of the region. It bears the Soviet architectural character and includes a huge statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in front of the parliament building built in the Soviet style. It contains a number of museums, the most famous of which is the War Memorial Complex, which includes exhibits about the war. Transnistria, in addition to a large monument and torch of memory.
Bandar Castle:
Located in the city of Bandar, it dates back to the 16th century, and is distinguished by its ancient walls and towers, which provide a glimpse into the history of the region.
Noul Nemat Monastery:
Located in the village of Chichani, it dates back to the 18th century and is distinguished by its frescoes and gardens.
Ternovsky Nature Reserve:
Located in Transnistria, it is home to rare species of flora and fauna and offers the opportunity for long nature walks and forest exploration.
Source: websites