Transnistria, el país que no existe

It is a European state that controls its borders, has its government, army and issues its currency. However, it is not recognized by any other country in the world. As if time had stopped, the statues of Lenin still stand alongside other communist symbols.

We invite you to discover Transnistria and find out how to live in a country that does not exist. If we look at a political planisphere and look for Transnistria among the independent states, we will not be very successful. It is that for the international community, for the authorities of the rest of the countries and for those who make the maps, Transnistria does not exist.

But if we put the focus on Eastern Europe we can find a peculiarity. What appears as Moldova at the cartographic level does not fully correspond to the reality of the place. On the eastern fringe of this country, on the border with Ukraine, we find Transnistria.

For Moldova it is part of its territory, and it calls it an Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester. The local government, on the other hand, is recognized as independent under the name of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. In English it is usually simplified as Transnistria.

It refers to the fact that it lies beyond the Dniester River, which acts as a natural border in much of the border with Moldova. On the other side, the extensive border with Ukraine. Almost half a million people live there in an area equivalent to one tenth of that of the Dominican Republic or almost double that of Luxembourg.

But, beyond what the maps indicate, experience tells us otherwise. If we leave from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, and do the 70 kilometers that separate it from Tiráspol, the capital of Transnistria, we will have to pass a migration control, it will be useful to get the local currency, and not only will the language change, but also the alphabet will also be another. And this is not a new situation, but this has happened since 1992.

Historically, Moldova and Romania have been part of common entities. Both countries have deep-rooted cultural ties: the common language is Romanian and they are Latin. This is not the case in Transnistria, where there is a higher proportion of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians and the Cyrillic alphabet is used.

To understand how this situation came to be, we have to go back to the Second World War. Within the framework of that conflict, and by an agreement between the Germans and the Soviets, the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was created in 1940, which was separated from Greater Romania. The following year, the present region of Moldova came under Nazi rule.

There one of the worst crimes of the war took place, and it is estimated that more than 150,000 Jews were murdered. In 1944, the Soviet Union would regain control of the territory. Neighboring Romania, although it was an ally of the socialist regime, kept its government apart.

In this way, these limits for Moldova remained for almost half a century. But inside there were dissimilar stories: the western part was Latin and identified with the Romanians; the eastern one was Slavic and had ties to Ukrainians and Russians. This situation continued until the 1980s, when the power of the Soviet Union fell.

In Moldova a nationalist and rebuilding feeling began to emerge with ties with Romania. The Latin alphabet was adopted to replace the Cyrillic one and the current flag, which has obvious similarities with the Romanian one, was implanted. In Transnistria this was considered a threat, as they would be in the minority if that union advanced.

That is why in 1990 the independence of the territory was proclaimed. The situation continued until 1992, when Moldova wanted to regain control and a war broke out for three months. Thanks to the help of the Soviet troops who were there, Transnistria was able to defend itself and a ceasefire was signed.

Thus ended a war in which a thousand people gave up their lives. Since then, for almost three decades, the situation has remained in that limbo. With a country, Moldova, which has international recognition over the territory, but does not actually control it.

And another, Transnistria, which cannot sign a treaty with another country but which in fact dominates the field. Currently, three other territories recognize Transnistria. They are Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

That is to say, other States that are not welcomed by the international community either. But hey, the flags of each other flutter in the particular embassies of Tiráspol. This strange situation aroused the interest of many curious people who wanted to know the place, despite the fact that it does not have great tourist attractions.

Until a few years ago, getting in and out was a bureaucratic odyssey. Currently the procedures are simpler, since the economic aspect of the visits began to be valued more. Those who enter the Pridnestrovian Republic may be surprised by the huge statue of Lenin in front of the parliament, called the Supreme Soviet.

In case more communist references were needed, we can see the hammer and sickle on the flag. Likewise, this remains symbolic, since there is a market economy. And in the political aspect there are regular elections, although there are doubts about the validity of these acts due to the absence of foreign observers.

Tourists will also be able to try to get the eye-catching plastic Transnistrian ruble coins , unique in the world and highly valued by collectors. Heavy industry and the production of electrical energy are the main economic engines of the country. At least in theory, because in practice there is constant support from Russia, its greatest ally.

There were also suspicions that it was a mecca for arms trafficking, and that there was another source of income. The most relevant economic group is Sheriff, a conglomerate that includes food stores, car sales, gas stations, and the media. And also a football team, Sheriff Tiráspol.

This team participates in the Moldovan league, and it is not doing badly at all: of the last 21 leagues it won 19. At the European level it was close to generating some impact, since twice it reached the last playoff round to qualify for the phase of Champions League groups. We were not that far from seeing the best players in the world travel to a country that, for the rest of the world, does not exist.

At this point many may wonder why Transnistria exists. That is, a country that has its laws, government, police and issues passports, but no one considers it as such. Russian support is unavoidable, and not just financially.

Since the end of the war there are troops in the place, which has been criticized by Moldova, which considers it an interference in their affairs. After the annexation of Crimea, the Russian interest in maintaining its influence in the area is clear. In this case, it is a population identified with the Eurasian giant.

Also, it is a way of keeping pressure on Putin. On a geopolitical level, Moldova could have followed the path of its old sister Romania, which joined the European Union and NATO, Russia's rivals. Thus, if Moldova moves in that direction, it may be threatened by what happens in Transnistria.

That is why not even Russia itself recognizes independence. It is, then, a balance in which everyone respects a delicate and strange status quo. Although, of course, any change in the region could lead to the annexation of Transnistria by Russia.

This would generate a kind of new Kaliningrad, since it would be an exclave in Europe. In some ways, this Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic is a reminder of the consequences that old arbitrary political decisions on the delimitation of borders can provoke. In your opinion, what future will this place have?

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