Transnistria

This article is about the unrecognized state. For the administrative unit of Moldova, see Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester. For other uses, see Transnistria (disambiguation).

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
Official names
  • Приднестро́вская Молда́вская Респу́блика
    Romanian:Republica Moldovenească Nistreană
    Moldovan Cyrillic:Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ
    Ukrainian:Придністро́вська Молда́вська Респу́бліка
Anthem: 
Мы славим тебя, Приднестровье
My slavim tebya, Pridnestrovie
"We Sing the Praises of Transnistria"[2]
Location of Transnistria
StatusUnrecognised state
Capital
and largest city
Tiraspol
46°50′25″N 29°38′36″E / 46.84028°N 29.64333°E / 46.84028; 29.64333
Official languages
Interethnic languageRussian[3][4][5]
Ethnic groups
(2015)
Demonym(s)
  • Transnistrian
  • Pridnestrovian
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic
• President
Vadim Krasnoselsky
Aleksandr Rozenberg
Alexander Korshunov
LegislatureSupreme Council
Establishment
• Independence from Moldavian SSR declared
2 September 1990
• Independence from Soviet Union declared
25 August 1991
5 November 1991[6]
2 March – 1 July 1992
Area
• Total
4,163 km2 (1,607 sq mi)
Population
• March 2024 estimate
Neutral increase 367,776 (Moldovan estimate)[7]
• 2015 census
Neutral decrease 475,373[8]
• Density
73.5/km2 (190.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
$1.201 billion[9]
• Per capita
$2,584
CurrencyTransnistrian ruble
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling code+373[a]
  1. ^ +373 5 and +373 2.

Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie[c], is a breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldova–Ukraine border, as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank. Its capital and largest city is Tiraspol. Transnistria is officially designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester (Romanian: Unitățile Administrativ-Teritoriale din stînga Nistrului)[10] or as Stînga Nistrului ("Left (Bank) of the Dniester").[11][12][13]

The region's origins can be traced to the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was formed in 1924 within the Ukrainian SSR. During World War II, the Soviet Union took parts of the Moldavian ASSR, which was dissolved, and of the Kingdom of Romania's Bessarabia to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940. The present history of the region dates to 1990, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in hopes that it would remain within the Soviet Union should Moldova seek unification with Romania or independence, the latter occurring in August 1991. Shortly afterwards, a military conflict between the two parties started in March 1992 and concluded with a ceasefire in July that year.

As a part of the ceasefire agreement, a three-party (Moldova, Russia, and Transnistria) Joint Control Commission and a trilateral peacekeeping force subordinated to the commission were created to deal with ceasefire violations.[14] Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognized but de facto independent semi-presidential republic[15] with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency, and vehicle registration.[16][17][18][19] Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem, and coat of arms. After a 2005 agreement between Moldova and Ukraine, all Transnistrian companies seeking to export goods through the Ukrainian border must be registered with the Moldovan authorities.[20] This agreement was implemented after the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) took force in 2005.[21] In addition to the unrecognized Transnistrian citizenship, most Transnistrians have Moldovan citizenship,[22] but many also have Russian, Romanian, or Ukrainian citizenship.[23][24] The main ethnic groups are Russians, Moldovans/Romanians, and Ukrainians.

Transnistria, along with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, is a post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zone.[25] These three partially recognised or unrecognised states maintain friendly relations with each other and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.[26][27][28]

In March 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution that defines the territory as under military occupation by Russia.[29]

  1. ^ "В ПМР российский флаг разрешили использовать наравне с государственным" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 12 April 2017.
  2. ^ Smoltczyk, Alexander (24 April 2014). "Hopes Rise in Transnistria of a Russian Annexation". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 25 November 2018. The breakaway region has its own military, its own constitution, a national anthem (called "We Sing the Praises of Transnistria") and a symphony orchestra which is known abroad.
  3. ^ "On the situation of Russian schools in Moldova". OSCE. 14 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Law of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic on the Functioning of Languages on the Territory of the Moldavian SSR". U.S. English Foundation Research. 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Russian language in Moldova could lose their status (Русский язык в Молдове может потерять свой статус)". KORRESPONDENT. 6 April 2013.
  6. ^ The Supreme Soviet changed the official name of the republic from Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic to Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic on 5 November 1991. See: "Postanovlenie verkhovnogo soveta Pridnestrovskoi Moldavskoi Respubliki ob izmenenii nazvaniia respubliki", Dnestrovskaia pravda, 6 November 1991, 1.
  7. ^ "Peste 358 mii de locuitori din Regiunea Transnistreană dețin cetățenia Republicii Moldova și peste 367 mii figurează în registrul de stat al populației". www.gov.md/ro (in Romanian). Guvernul Republicii Moldova (Biroul Politici de Reintegrare). 17 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2015census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Макроэкономика: Динамика и структура валового внутреннего продукта в 2021 году [Macroeconomics: Dynamics and structure of GDP in 2021] / Nr.2/249 - pg.3 (2022)" (PDF). www.cbpmr.net. Приднестровский Республиканский Банк [Pridnestrovian Republican Bank]. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  10. ^ Law No. 173 from 22 July 2005 "About main notes about special legal status of settlements of left bank of Dnestr (Transnistria)": Romanian Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Russian Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Moldova. territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria)". CIA World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  12. ^ Herd, Graeme P.; Moroney, Jennifer D. P. (2003). Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-29732-X.
  13. ^ Zielonka, Jan (2001). Democratic Consolidation in Eastern Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924409-X.
  14. ^ "TRANSDNIESTRIAN CONFLICT" (PDF). State Department. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  15. ^ Article 55 of the Constitution of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
  16. ^ Jos Boonstra, Senior Researcher, Democratisation Programme, FRIDE. Moldova, Transnistria and European Democracy Policies Archived 8 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine, 2007
  17. ^ Hinteregger, Gerald; Heinrich, Hans-Georg (2004). Russia – Continuity and Change. Springer. p. 174. ISBN 3-211-22391-6.
  18. ^ Rosenstiel, Francis; Lejard, Edith; Boutsavath, Jean; Martz, Jacques (2002). Annuaire Europeen 2000/European Yearbook 2000. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 90-411-1844-6.
  19. ^ Bartmann, Barry; Tozun, Bahcheli (2004). De Facto States: The Quest for Sovereignty. Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-5476-0.
  20. ^ European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) Archived 16 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, November 2007
  21. ^ "Background – EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine". Eubam.org. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  22. ^ Der n-tv Atlas. Die Welt hinter den Nachrichten. Bertelsmann Lexicon Institute. 2008. page 31
  23. ^ "Education and Information – the golden passport for young Transnistrians". 26 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Transnistria: Russia's satellite state an open wound in Eastern Europe". Deutsche Welle. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  25. ^ Vladimir Socor,"Frozen Conflicts in the Black Sea-South Caucasus Region". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2014., IASPS Policy Briefings, 1 March 2004
  26. ^ Абхазия, Южная Осетия и Приднестровье признали независимость друг друга и призвали всех к этому же (in Russian). Newsru. 17 November 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  27. ^ "Head of Foreign Ministry of the Republic of South Ossetia congratulated Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR with Sixth Anniversary of Creation of Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PMR. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  28. ^ Vichos, Ioannis F. "Moldova's Energy Strategy and the 'Frozen Conflict' of Transnistria". Ekemeuroenergy.org. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  29. ^ Necșuțu, Mădălin (16 March 2022). "Council of Europe Designates Transnistria 'Russian Occupied Territory'". balkaninsight.com. Balkan Insight. Retrieved 19 March 2022.


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