Transnistria – a breakaway state

Transnistria is the quasi-state that is closest to Poland, i.e. a breakaway state that is not recognised by anyone (except for other non-recognised countries such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia). It is a narrow strip of land, about 200 km long, located on the left bank of the Dniester and the right-bank city of Bender (Tighina).

Open-air museum of communism

This is supposedly the last open-air museum of communism in Europe – a country where relics from the times of the USSR have survived. It is worth checking, however, whether this term is true and which direction is this country really heading to – Russia or Moldova?

Is this Russia?

Officially, the Pridnestrovian Moldovian Republic separated from Moldova in 1990 and is mainly supported by Russia. Russian troops are stationed on the breakaway state borders. Along with the flag of Transnistria (this is the flag of Moldova from the time of the USSR) always flies the flag of Russia. On the streets, inscriptions in Russian and on the streets will hear only this language.

Breakaway state

Despite the fact that Transnistria is not recognized as a state, it has its own authorities (president, parliament), its own currency (Transnistria ruble) and border control (there is no border control on the part of Moldova). Transnistria currently not only imports goods, but even begins to produce something on its own (water, alcohol, food products).

Tiraspol

Tiraspol is the capital and largest city of Transnistria. At first glance, it gives the impression of a modern city – the streets are clean, neat parks, restaurants and shops. When we look around, however, along the roads we will see billboards with slogans and propaganda as in the times of the USSR, and the main streets refer to the communist past (Lenin, Karl Marx and 1st May).

Tiraspol is not a city with many attractions – it is worth walking down the main street on October 25 (this date refers to the outbreak of the October Revolution) with the building of the Parliament with a monument to Lenin on a pedestal and a monument to the Glory of War with eternal fire, a tank and a church to commemorate those killed in battle in 1992 and in other wars, e.g. in Afghanistan.

On this street there is also a huge monument to the city founder – General Alexander Suvorov and in the park on the Dniester the monument to Tsarina Catherine. On the side streets are the buildings of various ministries and quasi-state offices, including the exotic-sounding embassies of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. On 25 October street there is also the House of Soviets, i.e. the town hall with another, though much smaller than the above-mentioned, monument to Lenin.

„Sheriff” is everywhere

Being in Tiraspol, it is worth paying attention to the ubiquitous “Sheriff” logo – not only at grocery stores, but also at gas stations, mobile networks, newspapers, TV station or as a sign of the football club Sheriff Tiraspol (this club belongs to the Moldovan football league and can take participation in international competitions). This entire corporation belongs to the local oligarchs associated with former president Igor Smirnov.

Like cognac, but KVINT

However, the biggest attraction in Tiraspol is the KVINT cognac factory (due to the fact that the name “cognac” is reserved, this alcohol is called “divin” here) and the abbreviation KVINT comes from Russian from the first letters of the words “Divin, wines and drinks from Tiraspol” . The factory was reportedly founded in 1897, and the first cognac was produced in 1938. KVINT has its own vineyards in Transnistria, from which it produces its drinks not only cognac, but also vodka, wine, gin or even calvados. It’s worth visiting the factory with tasting 5 types of divin (the cheapest tour lasts 1h30 and costs USD 10). During the guided tour you can familiarize yourself with the production of cognac (divin), aging and take a closer look at barrels for its storage. During the tasting with a small snack we will be able to recognize the differences between 5-year-old Kvint VSOP cognac, 10-year-old Kvint XO Surprise or on more expensive trips (up to 70 USD) with 40-year-old Suvorov cognac. In the whole of Transnistria there are company KVINT stores, as well as in the “Sheriff” stores you can buy the entire range from the above factory.

Bender

Places worth seeing in Transnistria include the Cathedral of the Nativity (on the banknote of 100 Transnistria rubles) – erected in 2000 and financed by the ubiquitous in this quasi-state company “Sheriff and the fortress in Bender (on the banknote of 25 rubles) from the Otoman times , situated at the crossing of the Dniester, constituting a military facility and now partly open to visitors. On the territory of the fortress there is the church of Alexander Nevsky, the museum and Avenue of Fame with monuments to Russian military (entrance – 50 Transnistria rubles).

„Many attractions”

Despite the fact that Transnistria is stretched for 200 km, the most interesting places are Tiraspol and Bender located nearby – one day is enough to visit them and a visit to Transnistria can be planned as a day trip from Chisinau or as a long stop on the road from Chisinau to Odessa.

Daily life

It is definitely a place worth seeing and finding out about everyday life in this breakaway state. Perhaps this is the last open-air museum of communism with Lenin’s monuments, but this place is changing and does not differ much from other places in Moldova – we cannot see that we are in one of the poorest regions in Europe. Being on the spot, it is worth talking to the inhabitants of Transnistria – with Ukrainians, Russians or Moldovans – the statements of the inhabitants show that they are closer to Russia than to Moldova and that the majority have families working abroad, mainly in Russia. Finding work on the spot, with the exception of work in the administration or in “Sheriff”, seems to them little possible. With the Transnistria passport you can only go to Moldova or Russia and to go somewhere further you need to apply for another country’s passport.

Future

The future of Transnistria is under a big question mark – there is no chance for anyone to recognize their statehood, and at the same time the implementation of the idea of incorporating them back into Moldova seems increasingly less likely every year.

Practical information:

Currency – 1 Euro = 18.60 Transnistria rubles and 1 USD = 16.30 Transnistria rubles

In Transnistria, credit cards do not work and you cannot withdraw cash from ATMs – the only exception is the Sheriff stores, where you can pay by card (the transaction is converted into Russian rubles and appears as Russian) – the only option is to exchange cash (EURO, USD, UAH, MDL) in exchange offices

Entry – at the border you get a migration card (printout) with a residence permit for 10 hours in Transnistria, and if we have an accommodation reservation, we will obtain a residence permit in accordance with our reservation

Transport – it’s best to get to Transnistria from Chisinau by minibus for 37 MDL, 1h30; route from Tiraspol to Chisinau is more expensive (60 rubles); you can also take a train from Chisinau to Tiraspol or Bender (a modern train on the route to Odessa, but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) or a taxi from Chisinau for 600 MDL; another solution is a taxi ride to the border with Ukraine in Pervomaisk for 150 rubles and then a bus from Kuchurgan to Odessa for 46 UAH per person, about 1h30

Accommodation – it’s best to rent a flat through booking.com, e.g. Apartment near KVINT for 20 euros

Food – you can use the same restaurants as in Moldova, e.g. “Andy’s Pizza” or several “La Placinte” restaurants in Tiraspol and in Bender – herring under a duvet for 29 rubles, placinta with sheep cheese and cottage cheese for 59 rubles, a glass of wine for 15 rubles, corn porridge with greaves for 55 rubles

In Sheriff stores – kvass for 4.50 rubles, Lipton drink for 8.20 rubles, fruit juice 1 l for 17.70 rubles