Transnistria: Tiraspol

Transnistria (aka Pridnestrovian Moldavia Republic) is a breakaway republic, fully de facto independent with its own government, army, currency, everything. It’s a region around the Dniestr river to the east of Moldova and was historically Russian and went through a bloody independence war in 1990-1992, following the USSR breakup. As Moldova opted for the European Union allegiance, Transnistria went pro-Russia. Same thing happening in the eastern Ukraine right now. Transnistria is only recognized by other frozen ex-soviet breakaway states, yet in reality is a totally independent country. It’s a bizarre time warp world like Cuba – old soviet symbolics and slogans, stars and hammer-n-sickle, old soviet cars, fierce propaganda everywhere, and Lenin monuments. Everything and anything pro-Russian is everywhere – Gagarin, Queen Ekaterina, Suvorov and so on and so forth. Beer serves from metal barrels, and mineral water machines in the street. Back in the USSR!
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