90% of people voted for segregation on the referendum! Familiar words for Ukrainians. But it’s not a story about Crimea or Donbass. It’s the beginning of the history of “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic”.

Everything has begun from the the language problem, as we were informed by the worker of museum, telling about the history of Pridnestrovie. Then there was two months conflict with tanks, dead, trenches and block-posts. At that times, in 1992 it was hard to judge about what will be next and what will be the circumstances.

“PMR” has its own particular qualities: it has been living for 25 years and achieved a certain level. High or low and what feeds the ‘republic’ – everyone can understand personally, drawing the conclusions from the story about voyage to Transnistria.

The road to Pridnestrovie

A few ways exist how to get to the capital of “Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic” Tiraspol. There is a train Moscow-Kishinev moves directly to Tiraspol or by bus from Odessa. Train was crowded and we didn’t buy tickets. That is interesting, later we got the explanation that tickets were bought by people, who go to work (earnings) in Russia and come back in native Pridnestrovie or Moldova. So, we had to go by bus from Odessa. We crossed the border near Kuchurgan village. In the Ukrainian customs all without exception showed foreign passports, but in “PMR” customs people were divided on two groups. Those, who went transit to Moldova stayed in the bus and people who moved to Pridnestrovie went out to show passports in the window of customs control. A lot of people there showed passports of “PMR” citizen. We gave our foreign passports, answered on the mandatory questions: address of residence, date of departure. Computer printed the migration card. Everyone was checked on the presence of goods subjected to declaration and passed on the territory of ‘republic’.

First impression: normal roads, landscape has no difference with Odessa Region. We knew in internet that buses from Tiraspol begin to go from 5 am. It was important to be in time on the train from Odessa to Kyiv. But strict granny in the ticket window reported that bus begin to move only from 7 am and she couldn’t help us with anything more. Surprise, the information on the website isn’t updated by anybody.

First impression from Tiraspol

Tiraspol wondered by its cleanliness carefully painted houses in bright colours. I got the impression of the quiet Soviet town. There are a lot of hops of clothes, cafe and state institutions on the central streets of ‘republic’.

Well-dressed and seemingly happy enough people walk on the streets. Young laughing, beautiful people sit in cafe. New modern trolleybuses move. A lot of foreign cars around.

The standard ostentatious beauty is present. Only facades of buildings looking on the main street are painted. There are peeled walls from the side of the yard.

Painfully familiar ads pasted at bus stops rushed in the eyes. “Buses Tiraspol-Moscow” printed on colourful papers. The same pieces of paper hanged around Luhansk, especially a lot of them began to appear with the aggravation of the situation in the city

The construction of new buildings is happening in the city. We met a few building sites on the way to the hotel.

We settled in the hotel “Russia”. It turned out, that it is impossible to pay international card, because international banking system doesn’t work in the unrecognized republic. We were ready to it and paid cash.

Nuances of life in the unrecognized republic

All citizens of Pridnestrovie have two passports: the passport of the citizen of “PMR” and foreign of one of the nearest countries (Moldova, Ukraine, Russia). Tiraspol has consulates of all these countries, where without problems foreign passport can be done. It gives the possibility to enter the territory of any country.

Now the president of “PMR” is Eugeniy Shevchuk, the first leader, who replaced the long-term Igor Smirnov, ruled 21 year. Everyone is discussing the elections of the president 2016 now.  

Heavy industry enterprises work on a third of their capacity and only 2-3 days a week. Garment factory only works when it comes to order, but it happens very rarely. Cotton combine also seldom functions.

The reason is that the production of plants can’t be bought, because of problems with documents, which are in the field of activity of the unrecognized republic. The exit exists: to register in Moldova, but some enterprises don’t want to do it. There are some forecast that they will have to do it and to become the autonomy within Moldova.

Later we saw the production of the light industry in the showcase “Made in Pridnestrovie” in museum. It was footwear in style “Soviet, ugly, but quality”, awesome children’s sandals and slippers of 80’s sample. T-shirt with Putin’s photo and waffle towels. It’s a pity that it’s forbidden to take pictures in this museum.

Tiraspol Wine and Cognac Plant “KVINT” works. Brand shops are everywhere in the city, there you can buy natural quality Moldovan wines and cognacs for 30-50 PMR roubles. Distributors of plant exist in Odessa, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kishinev and in other big cities of neighbor countries. Unfortunately there is no any of shop with “KVINT” production in Kyiv. Locals say that plant doesn’t have an opportunity to sell enough production volume.

A lot shops, gas stations and even sports complex under the name “Scheriff” work in Tiraspol. The owner of them is the ex-lieutenant colonel of the Soviet army, who began from the sewing of the sportswear in the basement lodge. A lot of people go in search of a job in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv. Youth doesn’t see any perspectives in ‘republic’. There is an opinion, that smart and creative person has nowhere to grow in “PMR”.

Education and possibilities

Students of Transnistrian State University named after T.G. Shevchenko don’t plan their future in ‘republic’. They prepare to move out. They say that insert, providing the right to work in the neighbor countries, is attached to the diploma. Material base of the departments is poor. New books are delivered from Russia and other studying books are Soviet. The groups are not numerous, but everyone studies to budget, and there are always free places for enrollees.

Money

The currency exchange is not a problem here, 40 roubles of “PMR” are given for 100 UAH.

Prices look like Ukrainian by numerals (the passage is 3.50 PMR roubles, 75 PMR roubles for 1 kg of sausages, a portion of borsch in cafe is 30 PMR roubles, 3.60 PMR roubles for bread, pieces of meat is 50 PMR roubles) but in money equivalent everything is expensive in 2.5 times. We ought to spend more than we planned.

Also, roubles from composites are in the course of Pridnestrovie. “PMR”is the only territory where such money are available.

Some retires got pensions from Russia. Now it takes $70, people say that earlier it was bigger. The pension from Pridnestrovie is kept at the same level and consists $140. Salaries are different. Everything depends on invested forces and possibilities.

Cultural leisure or what children are told in museum

Visiting of Tiraspol United Museum caused a lot of emotions. The expositions of the land are in the best traditions of the Soviet museums. But it’s not the most important. Sensible part of the museum is dedicated to the modern history of “PMR”, beginning from the Soviet period and till our time. It’s located in the new annexe, has the modern showcases and it’s seen that money are allocating on this in contrast to the other halls of museum.

The proud for ‘republic’ felt in the story of guide. Facts were presented in the spirit of classical propaganda. Phrases, which can be also heard from any conscious citizen of the so-called “L/DPR”: “We want to talk in Russian language”, “When we decided to separate, cossacks revived and began to help actively”, “We categorically against the autonomy, only independence”, “We hope that Russia won’t leave us”, “There is a civil war in Ukraine”, “I also watch Ukrainian TV channels”, were resonating ears. We were asked our surnames at the end of our visiting under the pretext of writing us in the browsing history (It’s a first museum during all my life, where I was asked my surname).

Bendery city

There is the city Bendery near Tiraspol, trolleybus #19 goes there. Snipers shot on locals in this city on June 19, 1992. The number to the vehicle was given in honour of that day to capture this tragic date in the history of Pridnestrovie. There is a bridge over Dnestr, painted in the colours of Russia and “PMR” flags on the enter to the city. The buildings with the trails from shells left in Bendery. Militants shot on snipers, sat on the roofs of high-rise building in 1992. Now tracks are mostly unnoticeable.

A lot of memory signs dedicated to the events of 1992 stands there. It’s seen that ‘republic’ authorities try to attract more attention to the events and investing money and efforts.

The number victims of trafficking always increases on all disputed territories of the world. Especially when locals are forced to look for a job in other countries. Such risk also presents in “PMR”, maybe it is the reason that social advertising, called to apply for consultations, placed there. This billboard looks symbolically on the background of the block-post.

Also, there is a beautiful ancient fortress in Bendery, built by Turkish. Military unit was on the territory of a stronghold for a long time. Only recently the citadel was restored and opened for the visitors.

The money for restoration arrived from different sources. For example, partly it was financed by the ‘state’ and partly local Telecommunication company. This place is used for the meetings of delegations and routs. Very little number of tourists comes there.

It revealed that locals haven’t ever been there and visited historical object. It was very difficult to find the enter to fortress. Tourist infrastructure is weak.

But every child knows that Russian troops are in Pridnestrovie and stocks with ammunition, kept from the Soviet times, located in Kolbasna village.  

Contrasts of Pridnestrovie life

A lot of things in Pridnestrovie cities look usual and mostly don’t differ from any city of Ukraine. It’s only a superficial examination of the situation. As soon as we began to communicate with people and to ask them questions and hear opinions of locals, the situation ceased to seem ordinary. As among the residents of uncontrolled by Ukraine territories, Transnistria has its own patriots of their ‘republic’, who like the lie of the land. Also, there are people seek to develop and want to have more. Such persons leave the limits of “PMR” and come back on their Motherland only on holidays. ‘Republic’ celebrated 25 years in summer. It’s the quarter of century, it’s enough term for the human to grow up. Global community hasn’t still recognized Pridnestrovie as the separate state. Moldova considers this territory own part without making any borders. Industry ought to survive in the difficult bureaucratic conditions. Youth dreams about foreign countries and adult generation is the fan of the idea and hopes that Russia won’t leave them alone. Time will show what next.

Julia Kishenko for informator.lg.ua

translated by Denis Bizkitov