Transnistria
376581
226135474
2008-07-16T23:48:35Z
Pocopocopocopoco
4670757
/* International relations */ references
{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{For|the region during the Second World War|Transnistria (World War II)}}
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = <!--
--><span style="line-height:1.33em; font-size:90%;"><!--
-->Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ<br/><!--
--><small>(''Republica Moldovenească Nistreană'')</small><br/><!--
-->Приднестрóвская Молдáвская Респýблика<br/><!--
--><small>(''Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika'')</small><br/><!--
-->Придністровська Молдавська Республіка<br/><!--
--><small>(''Pridnistrovs'ka Moldavs'ka Respublika'')</small><br/><!--
--><span style="line-height:1.33em; font-size:95%;"><!--
--></span>
|conventional_long_name = Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
|common_name = Transnistria
|image_flag = Transnistria State Flag.png
|image_coat = Transnistria-coa.png
|image_map = Transnistria-map.png
|national_anthem = [[Anthem of Transnistria]]
|official_languages = [[Moldovan language|Moldovan]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]
|ethnic_groups = 32% [[Moldovans]]<br/>31% [[Russians]]<br/>29% [[Ukrainians]]
|ethnic_groups_year = 2005
|capital = [[Tiraspol]]
|latd=46 |latm=50 |latNS=N |longd=29 |longm=37 |longEW=E
|largest_city = capital
|capital = [[Tiraspol]]
|latd= |latm= |latNS= |longd= |longm= |longEW=
|largest_city =
|government_type = Internationally unrecognized [[Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of Transnistria|President of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic]]
|leader_name1 = [[Igor Smirnov]]
|leader_title2 =
|leader_name2 =
|leader_title3 =
|leader_name3 =
|sovereignty_type = Autonomous territory of the [[Republic of Moldova]] that is de facto independent
|established_event1 = [[Transnistrian Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]
|established_date1 = [[September 2]], [[1990]]
|established_event2 = [[War of Transnistria]]
|established_date2 = [[March 2]] - [[July 21]], [[1992]]
|established_event3 = Recognition
|established_date3 = [[List of unrecognized countries#Unrecognized states with de facto control over their territory|none]]
|area_km2 = 4163
|area_sq_mi = 1607 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = <!-- 172 see below-->
|area_magnitude = 1 E9
|percent_water = 2.35
|population_estimate = 537,000<ref>"Население Приднестровья за полгода сократилось на 3,5 тыс. человек," ''Novy region 2'', 7 September 2007. http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/138729.html</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2007
|population_estimate_rank = <!--163 Where does this come from? Rank among what?-->
|population_census = 555,347
|population_census_year = 2004
|population_density_km2 = 133
|population_density_sq_mi = 345 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = <!--77 Where does this come from? Rank among what?-->
|GDP_PPP_year =
|GDP_PPP =
|GDP_PPP_rank =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita =
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
|HDI_year =
|HDI =
|HDI_rank =
|HDI_category =
|currency = [[Transnistrian ruble]]<sup>1</sup>
|currency_code = PRB
|time_zone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|utc_offset = +2
|time_zone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
|utc_offset_DST = +3
|cctld = none<sup>2</sup>
|calling_code = 373
|calling_code_note = spec. +373 5 and +373 2
|footnote1 = [[Moldovan leu]] used in the localities under Moldovan control
and in the security zone
|footnote2 = [[.ru]] and [[.md]] sometimes used.
}}
'''Transnistria''', also known as '''Trans-Dniester''', '''Transdniestria''', and '''Pridnestrovie''' (full name: '''Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic'''), is a breakaway [[republic]]<ref>{{cite book |last= Herd|first= Graeme P.|coauthors= Jennifer D. P. Moroney|title= Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc|year= 2003|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 041529732X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Zielonka|first= Jan|title= Democratic Consolidation in Eastern Europe |year= 2001|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 019924409X}}</ref> within the internationally recognised borders of [[Moldova]] with the official status of an autonomous territory. Although [[diplomatic recognition|not recognised]] by any state or international organisation and ''[[de jure]]'' part of Moldova, it is ''[[de facto]]'' [[Independence|independent]]<ref>, Jos Boonstra, Senior Researcher, Democratisation Programme, FRIDE. [http://fride.org/download/COM_Moldav_ENG_feb07.pdf Moldova, Transnistria and European Democracy Policies], 2007</ref><ref>Gerald Hinteregger, Hans-Georg Heinrich (editors), Russia - Continuity and Change, {{cite book |last=Hinteregger |first=Gerald |coauthors= Heinrich Hans-Georg|others= (editors)|title= Russia - Continuity and Change|year= 2004||publisher= Springer||isbn= 3211223916|pages= 174}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Rosenstiel|first= Francis|coauthors=Edith Lejard, Jean Boutsavath, Jacques Martz|title= Annuaire Europeen 2000/European Yearbook 2000|year= 2002|publisher= Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn= 9041118446}}</ref> and functions like a state.<ref name="DFSTATES">{{cite book |author=Barry Bartmann, Tozun. Bahcheli |title=De Facto States: The Quest for Soverignty |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0714654760 |year=2004}}</ref> It is organised as a [[presidential republic]], with its own government, parliament, military, police, and postal system. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, a national anthem, and a coat of arms.
Transnistria is located mostly in a strip between the [[Dniester River]] and [[Ukraine]]. After the [[dissolution of the USSR]], Transnistria declared independence leading to the [[War of Transnistria|war with Moldova]] that started in March 1992 and was concluded by the [[ceasefire]] of July 1992. As part of that agreement, a three-party ([[Russia]], Moldova, PMR) [[Joint Control Commission]] supervises the security arrangements in the [[demilitarized zone]], comprising 20 localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved, and Transnistria has been ''de facto'' independent since that time.
Transnistria is sometimes compared with other post-Soviet [[frozen conflict]] zones such as [[Nagorno-Karabakh]], [[Abkhazia]], and [[South Ossetia]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2006/05/mil-060523-rferl01.htm OSCE: De Gucht Discusses Montenegro Referendum, Frozen Conflicts], [http://www.globalsecurity.org/index.html GlobalSecurity.org], [http://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty], May 2006</ref><ref>[[Vladimir Socor]], [http://georgiaemb.org/DisplayMedia.asp?id=318&from=media Frozen Conflicts in the Black Sea-South Caucasus Region], IASPS Policy Briefings, 1 March 2004</ref>
==Names==
{{main|Names for Transnistria}}
It is known in English as '''Transnistria''' (which is also the name of the region in [[Romanian language|Romanian]]), '''Trans-Dniester'''<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3641826.stm Regions and territories: Trans-Dniester], [[BBC News]], 7 March 2007</ref> or '''Transdniestria'''<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9116439 The black hole that ate Moldova: A glimpse inside Transdniestria], [http://www.economist.com Economist], May 3rd, 2007</ref>. Its [[Constitution of Transnistria|formal]] long name is its name in [[Russian language|Russian]] ''Pridnestróvskaia Moldávskaia Respública'' ([[Moldovan language|Moldovan]]: ''Republica Moldovenească Nistreană'', [[Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet]]: Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ, {{lang-ru|Приднестровская Молдавская Республика}}, {{lang-uk|Придністровська Молдавська Республіка, ПМР}}, {{lang-en|Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic}}), as used by the breakaway Transnistrian authorities. This is abbreviated ''PMR''. The short form of this name is '''Pridnestrovie''' (transliteration of the Russian "Приднестровье").<ref>[http://www.pridnestrovie.net/name.html What's in a name: "Pridnestrovie" vs "Transnistria"], [http://www.pridnestrovie.net Pridnestrovie.net], undated</ref>
Etymologically, all the names come down to similar spelling variants of Transnistria, meaning "beyond the river [[Dniester]]", or Pridnestrovie, meaning "by the river [[Dniester]]".
Some documents of the government of [[Moldova]] refer to the region '''Stînga Nistrului''' (Unităţile Administrativ-Teritoriale din Stînga Nistrului), which means "'''Left Bank of the Dniester'''" ("Administrative-territorial unit of the Left Bank of the Dniester").
[[Image:View of the Dniester(Nistru) river in Tiraspol.jpg|thumb|left|Dniester river]]
==Geography==
{{main|List of places in Transnistria}}
{{main|Template:Geography of Transnistria}}
:''See also [[Disputed status of Transnistria#Border issues|Border issues]]''
Transnistria is [[landlocked]] and borders [[Bessarabia]] (i.e. the rest of Moldova, for 411 km) to the West, and [[Ukraine]] (for 405 km) to the East. It is a narrow valley stretching in the North-South direction along the bank of the [[Dniester River]], which forms a natural boundary along most of the border with (the rest of) Moldova. Tiraspol, the capital and largest city of Transnistria, has 159,163 inhabitants.
The territory of Transnistria is mostly, but not completely coincident with the left (eastern) bank of Moldova (with respect to [[Dniester]]). It includes ten cities and towns, and 69 communes, with a totality of 147 localities (counting the unincorporated ones as well). Ten localities on the left bank <!--the population of which refused to [[War of Transnistria|accept the separtist government in 1992]],--> are controlled by the Moldovan government, as part of the [[Raionul Dubăsari|Dubăsari district]]. They are situated north and south of the city of [[Dubăsari]], which itself is under Transnistrian control.
On the west bank, the city of [[Bendery]] and six villages to its south and south-east, roughly opposite Tiraspol, are controlled by Transnistrian authorities.
The ten localities controlled by the Moldovan authorities on the eastern bank, the city of Dubăsari (situated on the eastern bank and controlled by Tiraspol), the seven localities controlled by the Transnistrian authorities on the western bank, as well as two ([[Varniţa]] and [[Copanca]]) on the same bank under Chişinău control form a security zone. The security situation inside it is subject to the [[Joint Control Commission]] rulings.
The main transportation route in Transnistria is the road Tiraspol-Dubăsari-Rîbniţa. North and south of Dubăsari it passes through the lands of the villages controlled by the central government ([[Doroţcaia]], [[Cocieri]], [[Roghi]], while [[Vasilievca]] is entirely situated east of the road). Conflict erupted on several occasions when the Tiraspol authorities prevented the villagers from reaching their farmland east of the road.<ref>Trygve Kalland and Claus Neukirch, [http://www.osce.org/moldova/item_2_15957.html Moldovan Mission seeks solution to Dorotcaia's bitter harvest], [[OSCE]], 10 August 2005</ref><ref>[http://en.rian.ru/world/20070113/59017865.html New checkpoint to appear in Moldova conflict zone after clash], [[RIA Novosti]], 13 January 2007</ref><ref>{{ro icon}} [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2627545,00.html Locuitorii satului Vasilievca de pe malul stâng al Nistrului trăiesc clipe de coşmar], [[Deutsche Welle]], 17 March 2005</ref>
Transnistrians are able to travel (normally without difficulty) in and out of the territory under PMR control to neighbouring Moldovan-controlled territory, Ukraine, and on to Russia, by road or (when service is not interrupted by political tensions) on two international trains, the year-round Moscow-Chişinău, and the seasonal Saratov-Varna.<ref> The Tiraspol Times, June 8, 2007, http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/967</ref> International air travellers rely on the airport in Chişinău, the Moldovan capital.
[[Image:Rybnitsa.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rîbniţa]], northern Transnistria]]
===Administrative subdivisions===
Transnistria is subdivided into five ''[[raion]]s'' (Russian names are listed in parantheses):
*[[Administrative Region of Camenca|Camenca]] (Кáменка, Kamenka)
*[[Administrative Region of Dubăsari|Dubăsari]] (Дубоссáры, Dubossary)
*[[Administrative Region of Grigoriopol|Grigoriopol]] (Григориóполь)
*[[Rîbniţa (Administrative Region)|Rîbniţa]] (Рыбница, Rybnitsa)
*[[Administrative Region of Slobozia|Slobozia]] (Слободзéя)
and one (two) municipalities:
*[[Bendery]] (Бендéры), officially a separate municipality from Transnistria
*[[Tiraspol]] (Тирáсполь)
==Political status==
{{main|Disputed status of Transnistria}}
Transnistria is internationally recognised as being a legal part of the Republic of [[Moldova]], although ''de facto'' control is exercised by its internationally unrecognised government which declared independence from Moldova as the ''Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica'' or ''Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic'' (PMR), in 1990 with Tiraspol as its declared capital.
Prior to unification of the territory with Moldova in 1940, Tiraspol was the capital of the [[Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Moldavian ASSR]], an autonomous republic within [[Ukrainian SSR]], which existed from 1924 to 1940.
Although exercising no direct control over the territory, the Moldovan government passed the "Law on Basic Provisions of the Special Legal Status of Localities from the Left Bank of the Dniester" on [[July 22]], [[2005]], which established Transnistria as a separate territorial unit within the Republic of Moldova, which can be given a status of a large autonomy. The law was passed without any prior consultation with the de facto government in Transnistria, which felt that it was a provocation and has since ignored it.
Between 300.000 and 400.000 Transnistrians (the majority of the population) acquired Moldovan passports by 2008. No country recognizes passports issued by the Transnistrian government.<ref>[http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/202076,voronin-calls-transnistria-conflict-very-resolvable--feature.html Voronin calls Transnistria conflict 'very resolvable' ([[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]])]</ref>.
<ref>[http://azi.md/news?ID=45205 Nearly 400 thousand Transnistrians have Moldovan passports (azi.md)]</ref>. Russia opened a consulate in Tiraspol (against the will of Moldova) and issued about 80,000 passports to Transnistrians by the end of 2006.<ref name=msca>[http://www.peacebuilding.md/library/153/en/Moldova%20Strategic%20Conflict%20Assessment%202006.pdf Moldova Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA)], Stuart Hensel, Economist Intelligence Unit.</ref>
There are unsettled [[Disputed status of Transnistria|border issues]] between the PMR and Moldova. Nine villages from the [[Raionul Dubăsari|Dubăsari district]], including [[Cocieri]] and [[Doroţcaia]] which geographically belong to Transnistria, have been under the control of the central government of [[Moldova]] after the involvement of local inhabitants on the side of Moldovan forces during the [[War of Transnistria]]. These villages along with [[Varniţa]] and [[Copanca]], near [[Bendery]] and Tiraspol, are claimed by the PMR. One city and six villages on the west bank are controlled by the Transnistrian authorities, but are considered by Moldova as a separate municipality ([[Bendery]] and two villages), or part of the [[Raionul Căuşeni|Căuşeni district]] (four villages).
Tense situations have periodically surfaced due to these territorial disputes, for example in 2005, when Transnistrian forces entered Vasilievca<ref>Moldova Azi, [http://www.azi.md/news?ID=33404, Transnistrian Militia Withdrew Its Posts from Vasilievca], accessed [[2006]]-[[10-18]]</ref>, in 2006 around Varniţa, and in 2007 in Dubăsari-Cocieri area, when a confrontation between Moldovan and Transnistrian forces occurred, however without any casualties.
==Politics==
{{main|Politics of Transnistria|List of political parties in Transnistria}}
[[Image:Tiraspol government building.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The Transnistrian parliament building in Tiraspol. In front is a statue of [[Lenin]]]]
Transnistria has a [[multi-party system]] and a [[unicameral parliament]] named the [[Parliament of Transnistria|Supreme Council]]. Its legislature has 43 members elected by proportional representation.<ref>[http://www.vspmr.org/?Lang=Eng PMR Supreme Council (Parliament of Transnistria's official website)]</ref> The president is elected to a five year term by [[popular vote]].
[[Igor Smirnov]] has been the [[President of Transnistria]] since the declaration of independence in 1990 and he is currently serving his fourth mandate after being [[Transnistrian presidential election, 2006|reelected in December 2006]]. In the latest parliamentary election in December 2005 the [[Renewal (Transnistria)|Renewal]] movement defeated the [[Republic (Transnistria)|Republic]] movement and won an overall majority, its leader [[Yevgeni Shevchuk]] becoming [[Speaker (politics)|speaker]] of parliament.<ref>[http://www.bhhrg.org/CountryReport.asp?ChapterID=807&CountryID=16&ReportID=260 BHHRG: Transnistria 2006: Is Regime Change Underway?]</ref>
According to official PMR data, only 15 of the 43 members of its parliament were born in the territory of Transnistria (including 12 in Transnistria proper, and 3 in the Bessarabian area of [[Bendery]]-Chiţcani, which is controlled by Transnistria), while 4 others in the rest of Moldova, with the remainder mainly born in [[Russia]] or [[Ukraine]].<ref>9 were born in the [[Russia|Russian Federation]], 8 in [[Ukraine]], 2 in [[Kazakhstan]], 1 in [[Germany]], 1 in [[Belarus]], and 3 did not declare.</ref> Igor Smirnov, the leader of PMR, arrived in the region in 1987. Most of the MPs who were born elsewhere had moved to the region ten years or more before the conflict erupted.<ref>[http://www.vspmr.org/?Part=6&Lang=Eng PMR Supreme Concil: Members of Parliament] Supreme Council of the PMR. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref> Despite the fact that Moldovans are around a third of Transnistrian population, no ethnic Moldovans are members in the Transnistrian council of ministers.<ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/nations/sovereign/sover/emerg/2007/0202transnistria.htm ''Transnistria's "Government" Showcases Foreign, Minority Rule'' by Vladimir Socor, Eurasia Daily Monitor]</ref>
There is disagreement as to whether [[elections in Transnistria]] are free and fair.<ref>[http://pridnestrovie.net/observers.html (Some) international observers call elections free, democratic] Pridnestrovie.net. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]] </ref> The political regime has been described as one of 'super-[[presidentialism]]'.<ref name="Herd 05"> [http://www.defac.ac.uk/colleges/csrc/document-listings/cee/ Moldova and the Dniestr Region: Contest Past, Frozen Present, Speculative Futures?] Herd, Graeme P.; [[Conflict Studies Research Centre]]; 2005; Accessed [[25 May]] 2007; </ref>
Election results are considered suspicious, as in 2001 in one region it was reported that [[Igor Smirnov]] collected 103.6% of the votes.<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27854.htm US Department of State, Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Moldova - 2003]</ref> Nevertheless, some organizations, such as [[CIS election observation missions|CIS-EMO]], have participated and have called them democratic.
[[Image:Dom Sovetov - the House of Parliament Tiraspol.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Tiraspol [[city hall]]]]
The [[Power to the People (political party)|Narodovlastie party]] and [[Power to the People movement]] faced numerous problems in 2001-2002 and were eventually closed.<ref>Ţăranu, A; Grecu, M. [http://72.14.221.104/search?q=cache:AsRNnOChtakJ:www.moldova.org/download/eng/515/+Mihai+Grecu,+Anatol&hl=ro&gl=ro&ct=clnk&cd=2 The policy of linguistic cleansing in Transnistria] page 26-27 Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref><ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol27-02-01.htm Министерство юстиции ПМР вынесло предупреждение общественному движению "Власть народу! За социальную справедливость!" и "Партии народовластия"] (''Ministry of Justice of PMR warned Power to the People movement and Narodovlastie party''), Ольвия Пресс, 27-02-01 {{ru icon}}</ref>
A list published by the [[European Union]] bans travel to the EU of some members of the PMR leadership.<ref>[http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:044:0032:01:EN:HTML Council Decision 2006/96/CFSP of 14 February 2006 implementing Common Position 2004/179/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova] European Union Law- Official Journal. Feb 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref>
In 2007 the registration of Social Democratic Party was allowed. This party, led by former separatist leader and member of PMR government [[Andrey Safonov]], is allegedly in favor of a union with Moldova.<ref>[http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/557 Transnistria: New Social Democratic party wants union with Moldova] Tiraspol Times. Feb. 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007, [[February 19|2-19]]</ref> In the latest presidential election the registration of opposition candidate Andrey Safonov was delayed until a few days before the vote, so that he had little time to conduct an election campaign.<ref>[http://conflict.md/stiri.php?ID=1930 Tiraspol not willing to register opposition representative in electoral race]</ref><ref>[http://conflict.md/stiri.php?ID=2012 Andrey Safonov will be able to enter the election for the seat of president]</ref>
In September 2007, the leader of the Transnistrian Communist party, [[Oleg Horjan]], was sentenced at a suspended sentence of 1½ years imprisonment for organising unsanctioned actions of protest.<ref>[http://transnistria.md/en/news//284/ TRANSNISTRIAN COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER RELEASED ON PROBATION]</ref>
According to the [[Transnistrian referendum, 2006]], carried out by the PMR government the population voted overwhelmingly in favour of "independence from Moldova and free association with Russia". Although the results may not be completely reliable, it is still likely that most Transnistrians support an eventual union with Russia.<ref name=msca/>
==International relations==
Transnistria's minister of foreign affairs is [[Vladimir Yastrebchak]]. He is the replacement of longtime foreign minister [[Valeriy Anatolievich Litskai]], who was fired on [[July 1]], 2008,<ref>Pridnestrovie.de, [[1 July]] 2008 [http://news.pridnestrovie.de/20080701206/PMR-Innenpolitik/eil-aussenminister-valeri-litskai-entlassen.html Pridnestrovie's Aussenminister Valeri Litskai entlassen]</ref><ref>Новый Регион (New Region), [[1 July]] 2008 [http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/184818.html Министр иностранных дел Приднестровья отправлен в отставку]</ref> for not showing any progress in advancing Transnistria's currently still unrecognised status.
===Transnistria border customs dispute===
{{main|Transnistria border customs issue}}
<!-- PLEASE do not expand this section beyond the very basic summary. Edit the "main article" instead -->
On [[March 3]], [[2006]], [[Ukraine]] introduced new customs regulations on its border with Transnistria. Ukraine declared that it would only import goods from Transnistria with documents processed by Moldovan [[customs]] offices, as part of the implementation of the joint customs protocol between Ukraine and Moldova on [[December 30]], [[2005]]. Transnistria and Russia termed the act an "economic blockade".
The United States, the European Union and OSCE approved the Ukrainian move, while Russia saw it as a means of political pressure. On March 4, Transnistria responded by blocking the Moldovan and Ukrainian transport at the borders of Transnistria. The Transnistrian block was lifted after two weeks. However, the Moldovan/Ukrainian block remains in place, and holds up progress in status settlement negotiations between the sides.<ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol79-02-07.htm Olvia Press: "Valeri Litskai: A situation based on pressure and threats cannot be considered favorable for the revival of contacts"]</ref> In the months following the regulations, exports from Transnistria nosedived. Transnistria declared a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the region, while Moldova called it "deliberate misinformation."<ref>[http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/11365/ Russia's humanitarian assistance is a planned propagandist action, Chisinau claims<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Cargos of humanitarian aid were sent from Russia in response.<ref>[http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/482 Pridnestrovie per-capita GDP up 17.3% despite economic warfare]</ref>
<!-- this is an ongoing event. Please do not expand this section beyond the very basic summary. Edit the "main article" instead -->
===Russian military presence in Transnistria===
A 1,200-strong Russian military contingent is present in Transnistria. The status of this contingent is disputed. The 1992 cease-fire agreement between Moldova and Transnistria established a Russian peace-keeper presence in Transnistria. Russian troops stationed in Moldova proper since the time of the USSR were fully withdrawn to Russia by January 1993. On [[October 21]], [[1994]], Russia and Moldova signed an agreement that committed Russia to the withdrawal of the troops in three years from the date of entry into force of the agreement,<ref>"Nezavisimaya Moldova", 25 October 1994; Informative Report of FAM of RM, nr.2, October 1994, pp. 5-6</ref> this however did not come into effect because the Russian [[State Duma|Duma]] did not ratify it.<ref name="DFSTATES" /> The Moldovan government took advantage of the negotiations of The Adaptation of the [[Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe]] (CFE), and managed to ensure that a paragraph about the removal of Russian troops from Moldova’s territory was introduced into the text of the [[OSCE]] Summit Declaration of [[Istanbul]] (1999), through which Russia had committed itself to pulling out its troops from Transnistria by the end of 2002.<ref>Mihai Grecu, Anatol Ţăranu, Trupele Ruse în Republica Moldova (Culegere de documente şi materiale). Chişinău, 2004 , p. 600.</ref> However, even after 2002, the Russian parliament did not ratify the Istanbul accords. On [[July 19,]] 2004, after it finally passed through parliament President [[Vladimir Putin]] signed the Law on the ratification of the CFE Treaty in Europe, which were committing Russia to remove the heavy armaments limited by this Treaty.<ref>"Interfax", Moscow, in Russian, 0850 gmt, 7 July 2004</ref> During 2000-2001, although the CFE Treaty was not fully ratified, in order to comply with it, Moscow withdrew 125 pieces of Treaty Limited Equipment (TLE) and 60 railway wagons containing ammunition from the Transnistrian region of Moldova. In 2002, Russia withdrew only 3 military equipment trains (118 railway wagons) and 2 of ammunition (43 wagons) from the Transnistrian region of Moldova, and in 2003, 11 rail convoys transporting military equipment and 31 transporting ammunitions. According to the [[OSCE Mission to Moldova]], of a total of 42,000 tons of ammunitions stored in Transnistria, 1,153 tons (3%) was transported back to Russia in 2001, 2,405 tons (6%) in 2002 and 16,573 tons (39%) in 2003. [[Andrei Stratan]], the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova stated in his speech during the 12th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in [[Sofia]] on [[December 6]]-[[December 7]], [[2004]] that "The presence of Russian troops on the territory of the Republic of Moldova is against the political will of Moldovan constitutional authorities and defies the unanimously recognized international norms and principles, being qualified by Moldovan authorities as a foreign military occupation illegally deployed on the territory of the state".<ref name=gribincea>Mihai Gribincea, [http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/20998/ "Russian troops in Transnistria – a threat to the security of the Republic of Moldova", Institute of Political and Military Studies, Chişinău, Moldova] Russia continues to 'sustain the Dniestr region as a quasi-independent entity through direct and indirect means' </ref><ref>MC.DEL/21/04, 6 December 2004</ref> As of 2007 however, Russia insists that it has already fulfilled those obligations. It states the remaining troops are serving as peace-keepers authorized under the 1992 ceasefire, are not in violation of the Istanbul accords and will remain until the conflict is fully resolved.<ref>Interfax. [http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11767991 NATO must recognize Russia's compliance with Istanbul accords] Jun 14, 2007. Retrieved [[November 18}11-18]], 2007</ref>
==History==
{{main|History of Transnistria}}
===Antiquity and Middle Ages===
The area where Transnistria is now located has been inhabited by Indo-European tribes for millennia, being a borderland between [[Dacia]] and [[Scythia]]. The [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] [[Miletus|Miletians]] founded about 600 BC a colony named [[Tyras]], situated on the right bank, in the mouth of the [[Dniester]] river (Tyras), on the site of the present day city [[Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi]] in Ukraine. The city later fell to the [[Roman Empire|Romans]].
Early Germanic and Mongolic tribes were present in the area during their invasions of the [[Roman Empire]].
[[South Slavs]] were present in Transnistria from the second half of the 6th century.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} In the early [[Middle Ages]], [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] tribes of [[Tivertsi]] and [[Ulichs]]<ref>The [[Laurentian Codex]] of the [[Primary Chronicle]] ([http://litopys.org.ua/]) contains the following lines (translated): ''Ulichi, Tivertsy lived along the Dniester; a lot of them settled on the Danube; settled along the Dniester down to the sea, their cities can be found unto this day.''</ref> populated larger areas, including Transnistria, followed by [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] nomads such as the [[Petchenegs]]<ref>Porphyrogenitus, Constantine. [http://faculty.washington.edu/dwaugh/rus/texts/constp.html De Administrando Imperio] ca. 950. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref> and [[Cumans]]. Possibly an early part of [[Kievan Rus']], after the [[Mongol invasion of Europe]] in 1241, the territory was briefly under Mongol control (yet probably without any permanent settlements), and later under the [[Crimean Khanate]].
From the 15th century, northern Transnistria (current districts of [[Camenca]] and [[Rîbniţa]]) belonged to the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]<ref>George Reichersdorf: ''"Moldaviæ quæ olim Daciæ pers, chorographia, Georgio a Reichersdorf Transilvano auctore"'', Viennæ 1541.</ref><ref> Bronovius and Georg Werner: "''Transylvania, Moldavia and Chersonesus Tauricæ'". Published by Arnold Mylius, Cologne, 1595.</ref><ref>Antonio Bonfini (1434 - 1503): "''Rerum Ungaricarum decades quatuor cum dimidia''"</ref><ref>Giovanni Botero (1540-1617): "''Relazioni universali''", Venice, 1591</ref><ref>Giovanni Antonio Magini (1555-1617): "''Geographie universae''", Venice, 1596.</ref>, and later to the [[Kingdom of Poland]], which encouraged the migration of peasants into the territory from the neighboring populated areas (from north and from west). Prince of [[Moldavia]] [[Gheorghe Duca]] (1665-66, 1668-72, 1678-84) built a court at [[Ţicanova]] on the east bank of the [[Dniester]], and one at [[Nimirov]] on the [[Southern Bug]], last mentioned in Moldavian hands in 1765.<ref>N. Iorga, ''Românii de peste Nistru'', ,,Basarabia", nr. 11/1992, page 87</ref> <ref>Viorel Dolha, "Totul despre Transnistria", http://www.aiarad.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39</ref> The localities [[Dubăsari]], Raşcov, [[Vasilcău]], as well as four other currently in Ukraine are mentioned in 17th-18th centuries as fairs for the Dniester-Bug region. In 1769 a document dated at [[Bendery]] mentions the then title of the Mitropolitan of [[Moldavia]] as ''"Mitropolitan of [[Brăila|Proilavia]], of [[Reni|Tamarova]], of [[Khotin|Hotin]], and of all the borders of the Danube, of the Dniester, and the Han's Ukraine"''<ref> E.Şt. Holban, ''Figuri basarabene'', "Basarabia", nr.1/1992</ref>, the latter being a common reference to the then sparsely populated [[Dniester]]-[[Southern Bug]]-[[Dniepr]] area.
[[Image:Avsuvorov.jpg|right|160px|thumb|The statue of [[Alexander Suvorov]], founder of modern Tiraspol.]]
Prior to becoming part of the [[Russian Empire]] in 1792, the largest groups living between the Dniester and the Bug rivers were Moldavian (Romanian), Ruthenian (Ukrainian), and Tatar peasants.<ref>Andrew Wilson: "The Ukrainians: Engaging the Eastern Diaspora" (Westview Press, 1998)</ref> The Russian census of 1793 of the Ochakov region (southern part of the Dniester-Bug area) mentions a totality of 67 villages, of which 49 are mentioned as Moldavian and 18 as Tatar. <ref>E. Lozovan, ''Românii orientali de la Nistru la Vladivostok'', "Neamul Românesc", nr.1/1991, page 32 </ref> The first candidate for the governor of the new Russian region was the Moldavian boyar Alexandru I. Mavrocordat. <ref>N. Iorga, ''Românii de peste Nistru'', "Basarabia", nr.11/1992, page 89 </ref> The northern part of Transnistria had Ruthenian (Ukrainian) and Moldavian villages.
===Russian Empire===
In 1792 the region became part of the Russian Empire as a result of [[Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792)|sixth Russo-Turkish War]]. In that year, the general [[Alexander Suvorov]] founded modern Tiraspol as a Russian border fortress.<ref>Averko, Michael. [http://www.rusjournal.com/mikerules.html Russia's Stance on Disputed Territories: Just How "Hypocritical" is it?] The American Journal of Russian and Slavic Studies. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref><ref>[http://www.worldwindow.md/trans_en.html About Transdnistrea] World Window NGO. Retrieved 2006, [[December 27|12-27]]</ref> Until the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]], the current Transnistria was divided between imperial [[guberniya]]s of [[Podolia]], [[Kherson]], and [[Bessarabia]]. Most of the territory which now is Transnistria was part of the larger [[Novorossiya|New Russia]] region<ref>The Politics of State Building: Centre-Periphery Relations in Post-Soviet Ukraine, Roman Solchanyk, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 46, No. 1 (1994), pp. 47-68</ref>, hence it witnessed a strong colonization process, with a multitude of ethnicities being settled: lands were given to [[Russian serfdom|enserfed]] peasantry from Russia and Ukraine (see also [[Nova Serbia]]), and [[Jews]] and [[Germans]] were brought to facilitate economic development.
[[Image:Romania MASSR 1920.png|right|thumb|250px|Moldavian ASSR (in orange) and Romania, 1924-1940]]
===Soviet Union===
{{main|Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Moldavian SSR}}
Transnistria became an autonomous political entity in 1924 with the proclamation of the [[Moldavian ASSR]], which included today's Transnistria (4,000 km²) as well as an adjacent area (9,000 km²) around the city of [[Balta, Ukraine|Balta]] in modern-day [[Ukraine]], but nothing from Bessarabia, which at the time was part of Romania. One of the reasons for the creation of the [[Moldavian ASSR]] was the desire of the [[Soviet Union]] at the time to eventually incorporate [[Bessarabia]]. The Moldavian SSR, which was organised by a decision of the [[Supreme Soviet of the USSR]] on [[2 August]] [[1940]], was formed from a part of Bessarabia ([[June 1940 Soviet Ultimatum|taken from Romania]] on [[28 June]], following the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact]]), and a part of the Moldavian ASSR which is roughly equivalent to present-day Transnistria.
In 1941, after [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] invaded the Soviet Union in the course of the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Second World War]], they defeated the Soviet troops in the region and [[Transnistria (World War II)|occupied it]]. By March 1943, a total of 185,000 Ukrainian and Romanian Jews had been deported and the majority died or were [[Einsatzgruppen|murdered]] in ghettos and concentration camps situated in an area immediately north and east of the current Transnistria, which as the latter was under Romanian and partially German occupation.
=== Secession to the present ===
[[Image:Igor Smirnov.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Igor Smirnov]]]]
In the 1980s [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]'s policies of [[perestroika]] and [[glasnost]] in the [[Soviet Union]] allowed political liberalization at a regional level. This led to the creation of various informal movements in the [[Moldavian SSR]], and the resurgence of pro-Romanian nationalism among ethnic Moldovans.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1113586.stm Timeline: Moldova] BBC Country Profile: Moldova</ref> The most prominent of these movements was the [[Popular Front of Moldova]]. Since the spring of 1988, PFM demanded from the Soviet authorities to declare [[Moldovan language|Moldovan]] the only state language, to return to the use of the Latin alphabet and to recognize the shared ethnic identity of Moldovans and Romanians. The more radical factions of the Popular Front used extremely anti-minority, ethnocentric and chauvinist rhetoric.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=hEFJ0sGr6e8C Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power], Anatol Lieven, Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN 0300078811, pp 246</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=NNWHtqBJcGwC Can Liberal Pluralism Be Exported?], Will Kymlicka, Magdalena Opalski, Oxford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0199240639, pp 208</ref> Some have called for minority populations, particularly the Slavs (mainly Russians and Ukrainians) and [[Gagauz people|Gagauz]], to leave or be expelled from Moldova.<ref>[http://www.anthrobase.com/Txt/D/Demirdirek_H_01.htm The painful past retold Social memory in Azerbaijan and Gagauzia], Hülya Demirdirek, Postkommunismens Antropologi, University of Copenhagen, 12-14 April 1996</ref>
On August 31, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR adopted Moldovan as the only official language, with Russian retained only for secondary purposes, returned Moldovan to the Latin alphabet, and declared a shared Moldova-Romanian linguistic identity. As plans for major cultural changes in Moldova were made public, tensions rose further. Ethnic minorities felt threatened by the prospects of removing Russian as the de facto official language, the possible future reunification of Moldova and Romania and the ethnocentric rhetoric of the Popular Front. The Yedinstvo (Unity) Movement, established by the Slavic population of Moldova, pressed for the equal status given to both Russian and Moldovan.<ref>Andrei Panici. [http://dev.eurac.edu:8085/mugs2/do/blob.pdf?type=pdf&serial=1047909431571 Romanian Nationalism in the Republic of Moldova], The Global Review of Ethnopolitics Vol. 2 no. 2, January 2003, 37-51</ref>
The nationalist Popular Front won the first free parliamentary elections in the Moldavian SSR in the spring of 1990{{Fact|date=March 2008}}, and its agenda started slowly to be implemented. On [[September 2]], [[1990]], the [[Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic]] was proclaimed as a Soviet republic by an [[ad hoc]] assembly, the Second Congress of the Peoples' Representatives of Transnistria. The situation in the country was escalating into violence, in October 1990 the Popular Front called for volunteers to form armed militias in order to stop a Gagauz autonomy referendum by coercion. In response, volunteer militias were formed in Transnistria. In April 1990 nationalist mobs attacked ethnic Russian members of parliament, while the Moldovan police refused to intervene or restore order.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=2Plw98pTk5wC Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War], Stuart J. Kaufman, Cornell University Press, 2001, ISBN 0801487366, pp 144</ref>
Citing the restriction of civil rights of ethnic minorities by Moldova as the cause of the dispute, in the interest of preserving a unified Moldavian SSR within the USSR and preventing the situation escalating further into violence the then [[President of the Soviet Union|Soviet President]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] declared the Transnistria proclamation to be lacking legal basis and annulled it by presidential decree on [[December 22]], [[1990]].<ref>;Kolsto, et al. “The Dniester Conflict: Between Irredentism and Separatism,” Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 45, No. 6 (1993): 108.</ref><ref>"Ukaz Prezidenta Soiuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik O Merakh po Normalizatsii Obstanovki v SSR Moldova," ''Sovetskaia Moldova'', no. 295 (17249),
[[December 23]], [[1990]], 1.</ref> Nevertheless, there was no significant actions taken against Transnistria and the new authorities were slowly able to establish control of the region.
The [[War of Transnistria]] followed armed clashes on a limited scale which broke out between Transnistrian separatists and Moldova as early as November 1990 at [[Dubăsari]]. Volunteers, including [[Cossacks]], came from Russia and Ukraine to help the separatist side.<ref>[http://transnistria.md/ru/info Несколько хронологических данных о начале и эволюции войны]</ref> In mid-April 1992, in accordance with the agreements concerning the split of the military equipment of the former Soviet Union, negotiated between the former 15 republics in the previous months, Moldova created its own Defense Ministry. According to the decree of its creation, most of the 14th Soviet Army's military equipment was to be retained by Moldova.<ref>[http://femida-pmr.narod.ru/politika/051012_bergman.htm Mikhail Bergman, ''Вождь в чужой шкуре.''] {{ru icon}}</ref> Starting from [[March 2]], [[1992]], there was concerted military action between Moldova and Transnistria. Throughout early-1992 the fighting intensified. The former Soviet 14<sup>th</sup> Guards Army entered the conflict in its final stage, opening fire against Moldovan forces;<ref>Kazakov, Anatolii Mikhailovich. ''Krovavoe leto v benderakh – zapiski pokhodnogo atamana.'' http://artofwar.ru/k/kazakow_a_m/text_0420.shtml (in Russian)</ref> since then, Moldova has exercised no effective control or influence on PMR authorities. A ceasefire agreement was signed on [[July 21]], [[1992]] and has held to the present day. <!--this is news to me, I knew there were no more than several thousand displaced persons, maybe 10 or 20 thousand max.-->
The OSCE is trying to facilitate a negotiated settlement. Under OSCE auspices, on [[May 8]], [[1997]], the Moldovan President [[Petru Lucinschi]] and the Transnistrian president [[Igor Smirnov]], signed the "Memorandum on the principles of normalizations of the relations between the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria", also known as the "Primakov Memorandum", sustaining the establishment of legal and state relations, although the memorandum's provisions had diverging legal and political interpretations in [[Chişinău]] and [[Tiraspol]].
In November 2003, [[Dmitry Kozak]], a counselor of the Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]], proposed a memorandum on the creation of an [[Asymmetric federalism|asymmetric]] federal Moldovan state, with Moldova holding a majority and Transnistria being a minority part of the federation.<ref>[http://isd.georgetown.edu/smith_ac_moldova.pdf Moldova Matters: Why Progress is Still Possible on Ukraine’s Southwestern Flank], Pamela Hyde Smith, The Atlantic Council of the United States, March 2005</ref> Known as "the [[Kozak memorandum]]", it did not coincide with the Transnistrian position, which sought equal status between Transnistria and Moldova, but was giving Transnistria veto powers, which hence agreed to sign it. [[Vladimir Voronin]] was initially supportive of the plan, but refused to sign it after internal opposition and international pressure from the OSCE and US, and after Russia had endorsed the Transnistrian demand to maintain a Russian military presence for the next 20 years as a guarantee for the intended federation.<ref>[http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/2004/20041200_cstp_art_l%F6wenhardt.pdf Netherlands Institute of International Relations - The OSCE Moldova and Russian diplomacy 2003] page - 109</ref> The refusal by the Moldovan side resulted in the sudden and long-term cooling of relations between Moldova and [[Russia]], and halted further progress in the settlement negotiations.
== Population ==
At the [[1989 Census in Transnistria|census of 1989]], the population was 679,000 (including all the localities in the security zone, even those under Moldovan control). At the time of the [[2004 Census in Transnistria|2004 census]], the population was 555,347 (only localities under Transnistrian control)<ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol37-09-05.htm Official data from 2004 census and comparison with the 1989 census, by Olvia Press]</ref><ref>[http://www.pridnestrovie.net/2004census.html Pridnestrovie.net: "2004 Census: PMR urban, multilingual, multicultural"] from http://www.pridnestrovie.net retrieved 2006, [[February 24|2-24]]</ref>.
The Transnistrian authorities organized a separate census from the [[2004 Moldovan Census]], and therefore [[Demographics of Moldova|demographic statistics of Moldova]] do not include data from Transnistria.<ref>[http://www.unece.org/stats/trends2005/notes.htm Trends in Europe and North America (Explanatory Notes)], United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).</ref>.
According to the [[2004 Census in Transnistria]], ethnic [[Moldovans]] compose the plurality with 31.9%, followed by [[Russians|ethnic Russians]] 30.4%, and [[Ukrainians]] 28.8%. Smaller numbers of [[Bulgarians]], [[Poles]], [[Germans]], [[Jews]], [[Gagauz people|Gagauz]], [[Belarusians]] and others make up the rest, totaling 8.9%. 64.2% of the population belongs to some ethnic [[Slav]] group (Russians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Poles, Belarusians).
The ethnic composition of the region has not been stable [[Demographic history of Transnistria|in the recent history]], with the most notable change being the decrease of the Moldovan ethnic population and increase of the Russian.
==== Religion ====
Most religious Transnistrians are [[Russian Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] and the government has supported restoration and new construction of orthodox churches. Transnistria's government affirms that the republic has [[freedom of religion]] and 114 religious beliefs and congregations are officially registered. However, as of 2005, registration hurdles were encountered by some minor religious groups, notably the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].<ref>[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51569.htm Moldova, International Religious Freedom Report 2005], released by the US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor</ref> In 2007, the US-based [[Christian Broadcasting Network]] denounced the persecution of [[Protestantism|Protestants]].<ref>[http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/133101.aspx Christians Face Abuse from Corrupt Regime], by Gary Lane, ''[[CBN News]]'', 6 April 2007</ref>
==Economy==
[[Image:Transnistria rubla.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The [[Transnistrian ruble]] shows [[Alexander Suvorov]], founder of modern [[Tiraspol]].]]
Transnistria has a [[mixed economy]]. Following a large scale [[privatization]] process in the late 90s<ref name=icg>[[International Crisis Group]], [http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/europe/moldova/157_moldova_regional_tensions_over_transdniestria.pdf Moldova:Regional tensions over Transdniestria], 17 June 2004</ref>, most of the companies in Transnistria are now privately owned. The economy bases on a mix of [[heavy industry]] (steel production), electricity production and [[manufacturing]] (textile production), which together accounts about 80% of the total industrial output.<ref name=viitorul>[http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=18fc81ca-d52d-4a8a-98fb-63ea194fd695 Transnistria], Center for Economic Polices of IDIS “Viitorul”</ref>
Transnistria has its own [[Transnistrian Republican Bank|central bank]], which issues Transnistrian currency, the [[Transnistrian ruble]]. It is convertible at a freely floating exchange rate but only in Transnistria.<ref>[http://www.pridnestrovie.net/money.html Pridnestrovie's own currency], Pridnestrovie.net</ref>
===Economic history===
After [[World War II]], Transnistria was heavily industrialised, to the point that in 1990, it was responsible for 40% of Moldova's GDP and 90% of its electricity<ref>John Mackinlay and Peter Cross (editors), ''Regional Peacekeepers: The Paradox of Russian Peacekeeping'', United Nations University Press, 2003, ISBN 92-808-1079-0 p. 135</ref> despite the fact that it accounted for only 17% of Moldova's population. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Transnistria wanted to return to a "Brezhnev-style [[planned economy]]",<ref>John B. Dunlop, "Will a Large-Scale Migration of Russians to the Russian Republic Take Place over the Current Decade?", in ''International Migration Review'', Vol. 27, No. 3. (Autumn, 1993), pp. 605-629, citing ''Russian Radio'', September 21, 1992 in ''Russia and CIS Today'', WPS, September 21, 1992, p. 976/16.</ref> however, several years later, it decided to head toward a [[market economy]].
[[Image:PMRcentralbank.jpg|thumb|left|Transnistria's Central Bank]]
=== Macroeconomics ===
According to the government of Transnistria, the 2007 GDP was 6789 mln PMR roubles (appx US$799 million) and the GDP per capita was about US$1,500. The GDP increased by 11.1% and inflation rate was 19.3%.<ref name=stat2007>[http://economy-pmr.org/2008/2008_03_27_doklad.rar Доклад «Социально-экономическое развитие Приднестровской Молдавской Республики» за 2007 года (уточнение)] (''Socio-economical development of the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic''), statistical service of the Ministry of Economy</ref> Transnistria's government budget for 2007 was US$246 million, with an estimated deficit of approximately US$100 million<ref>[http://conflict.md/stiri.php?ID=2143 Transnistrian parliament adopts region's budget for 2007]</ref> which the government plans to cover with income from privatizations.<ref>[http://www.tiras.ru/en/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1172054345&archive=&start_from=&ucat=25& Privatization will solve the budget problem] PMR News, February 21, 2007</ref> Budget for 2008 is US$331 million, with an estimated deficit of approximately US$80 million.<ref name=nr2>[http://www.nr2.ru/pmr/152396.html Евгений Шевчук: бюджет Приднестровья – отражение реальной ситуации в экономике]</ref>
In 2004, Transnistria had debt of US$1.2 billion (two thirds of which are with Russia), which was per capita approximately 6 times higher than in Moldova (without Transnistria).<ref>[http://www.policy.hu/npopescu/publications/06.11%20IPF%20Democracy%20in%20secessionism.pdf Democracy in Secessionism: Transnistria and Abkhazia’s Domestic Policies], by Nicu Popescu, International Policy Fellowship Program 2005/2006</ref> In March 2007 the debt to [[Gazprom]] for the natural gas has increased to US$1.3 billion. On 22 March 2007 Gazprom sold Transnistria's gas debt to the Russian businessman [[Alisher Usmanov]], who controls [[Moldova Steel Works]], the largest enterprise in Transnistria. Transnistria's president Igor Smirnov has announced that Transnistria will not be paying off its gas debt because "Transdnistria has no legal debt {{interp|to Gazprom}}".<ref>[http://www.kommersant.com/p756473/Transdniestr,_Moldova,_Russia/ Moscow's Hand Tired of Giving], Kommersant 6 Aprill 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.ng.ru/economics/2007-03-23/1_gazprom.html «Газпром» передал Приднестровье Алишеру Усманову], Nezavisimaya Gazeta 23 March 2007</ref> In November 2007, the total debt of Transnistria's public sector was increased up to US$1.64 billion.<ref name=nr2/>
According to [[Yevgeni Shevchuk]], speaker of [[Transnistrian Supreme Soviet]], Transnistria is in a difficult economic situation. Despite a 30% tax increase in 2007 pension fund is still lacking money and emergency measures must be taken<ref>[http://vspmr.org/Upload/File/conferential/eng/1.shtml Shevchuk answering a question about 2007 Transnistrian budget]</ref>. However, the situation is not hopeless and it can not be considered a crisis, as a crisis mean three-months delays in payment of pensions and salaries<ref>[http://vspmr.org/Upload/File/conferential/eng/5.shtml Shevchuk explaining that economical situation is not critical]</ref>.
===External trade===
In 2006, the [[Transnistrian Republican Bank]] reported exports of US$422.0 million and imports of US$738.4 million. Compared to 2005, export decreased 27.2% and import decreased 13.7%. The trade deficit reached US$316.3 million.<ref name=bank95>[http://www.cbpmr.net/resource/prbvd95.zip], Transnistrian Republican Bank, Tiraspol 2007</ref> Over 50% of the export goes to the [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]], mainly to Russia, but also to Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova.<ref name=viitorul>[http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=18fc81ca-d52d-4a8a-98fb-63ea194fd695 Transnistria], Center for Economic Polices of IDIS “Viitorul”</ref><ref name=icg/> Main non-CIS markets for the Transnistrian goods are Italy, Egypt, Greece, Romania and Germany.<ref name=icg/> The CIS accounts for over 60% of the imports, while the share of the [[European Union|EU]] is about 23%. The main imports are non-precious metals, food products and electricity.
===Economic sectors===
The leading industry is steel, due to the [[Moldova Steel Works]] (part of the Russian [[Metalloinvest]] holding) in [[Rîbniţa]] (Rybnitsa), which accounts for about 60% of the budget revenue of Transnistria.<ref name=msca/> The largest company in the textile industry is [[Tirotex]], which claimed to be the second largest textile company in Europe.<ref>[http://www.tirotex.com/index.htm Tirotex official website]</ref> The energy sector is dominated by the Russian companies. The largest power company [[Moldavskaya GRES]] (Cuchurgan power station), which is located in [[Dnestrovsk]], is owned by Inter RAO UES, the joint subsidiary of [[Unified Energy System|RAO UES]] and [[Rosenergoatom]],<ref>[http://www.interrao.ru/_upload/editor_files/file0014.pdf Annual Report of Inter RAO UES]</ref> and the gas transmission and distribution company [[Tiraspoltransgas]] is probably controlled by [[Gazprom]], although Gazprom has not confirmed the ownership officially. The banking sector of Transnistria consists 8 commercial banks, including [[Gazprombank (Transnistria)|Gazprombank]]. The oldest alcohol producer [[Kvint]], located in Tiraspol, produces and exports brandy, wines and vodka.
==Human rights==
{{main|Human rights in Transnistria}}
The human rights record of Transnistria has been criticised by several governments and international organizations. The 2007 ''[[Freedom in the World]]'' report, published by the US-based [[Freedom House]], described Transnistria as a "non-free" territory, having an equally bad situation in both political rights and civil liberties.<ref>[[Freedom House]], http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/press_release/fiw07_charts.pdf 2007 "Freedom in the World" report]</ref>
According to the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] report referring to year 2006, ''The right of citizens to change their government<ref>the [[Government of Moldova]]</ref> was restricted[...] Authorities reportedly continued to use torture and arbitrary arrest and detention.[...]In Transnistria authorities limited freedom of speech and of the press.[...]Authorities usually did not permit free assembly.[...] In the separatist region of Transnistria the authorities continued to deny registration and harassed a number of minority religions groups.[...]The separatist region remained a significant source and transit area for trafficking in persons.[...] Homosexuality was illegal, and gays and lesbians were subject to governmental and societal discrimination.''<ref>[[United States Department of State]]: [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78828.htm Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006]</ref>
===Incidents===
The chairman of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights claimed that 20 people were killed in the village of [[Chiţcani]], 5 km south of Tiraspol, between 1996 and 2000. He said that no government authority investigated these deaths because Moldova has no access to the village and Transnistrian authorities do not wish to investigate.<ref>[http://www.humanrights.md/eng/publ/art/Interview%20Suiedia%20Angstrom%20Transnistria.htm Interview on Transnistria with Stefan Uritu, reporter Mrs Sara Еngstrum, Sweden Angstorm]</ref>
In the best known political process, [[Ilie Ilaşcu]] was convicted in 1993 of killing two Transnistrian officials, and initially sentenced to death by Transnistria's Supreme Court, however this was repealed to a life prison sentence. Three other members of his group were sentenced to terms of 12 to 15 years’ imprisonment, and confiscation of their property. [[Ilie Ilaşcu|Ilaşcu]] was released in 2001, following a decision of the [[European Court of Human Rights]] against Moldova and Russia, while the other three were released in 2004 and 2007, when they finished serving their sentences. ECHR stated the authorities have broken the right of freedom and safety to all 4 members of his group, and the treatment Ilie Ilaşcu suffered is qualified as [[torture]]. As part of the ruling the court also stated that they believe Transnistria was "under the effective authority or at least decisive influence of Russia".<ref>[http://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2004/July/GrandChamberjudgmentIlascuandOthersvMoldovaandRussia.htm Grand Chamber judgment in the case of Ilaşcu and others v. Moldova and Russia], [[European Court of Human Rights]], 349, 8 July 2004</ref> The court also ordered Moldova and Russia—which backs Transnistria—to pay the four a total of €750,000 (US$1,000,000) in compensation for the deprivation of their freedom, and for torture and inhumane treatment while in custody.<ref>[[International Herald Tribune]], [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/04/europe/EU-GEN-Moldova-Political-Prisoner.php Pro-Russian separatists in Moldova release last political prisoner], June 4, 2007</ref> The members of Ilaşcu group were forced to exile after their release from prison.
In March 2007 several opponents of Transnistrian regime were arrested as they made public appeals for a protest rally against the Tiraspol regime's policy<ref>[http://www.conflict.md/comentarii.php?ID=2288 Transnistrian power wielding forces hold over ten opponents of breakaway regime]</ref>. On 19 March 2007 Transnistrian authorities had also arrested Ştefan Urîtu, the leader of Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, and two other local political activists. They were released later.<ref>[http://www.conflict.md/comentarii.php?ID=2303 Separatiştii transnistreni l-au arestat pe Ştefan Urîtu şi doi membri ai unui ONG local] (in Romanian)</ref>
According to the Moldovan [http://infotag.md/ InfoTag news agency], Transnistrian authorities blocked the polling station of the [[Corjova]] village, not allowing residents to participate in the Moldovan elections of June 3, 2007.<ref>[http://www.infotag.md/knewsen/74795/ Prokuratura initials proceedings on Corjova case]</ref> At the same occasion, Iurie Cotofana, a local antiseparatist councilor was arrested and beaten. Valentin Besleag, a candidate for mayoral office in Corjova was arrested in 2 June for carrying electoral material from Moldova.<ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR590012007 Amnesty International report about the arrest of Besleag]</ref>
===Situation of the media===
{{main|Media in Transnistria}}
According to the [[OSCE]], the media climate in Transnistria is restrictive and the authorities continue a long-standing campaign to silence independent opposition voices and groups.<ref>[http://www.osce.org/moldova/13427.html OSCE - Media in Transdniestria]</ref>
Alternative viewpoints were stifled by widespread censorship
According to the same U.S. Department of State report for 2006, ''Both of region's major newspapers were controlled by the authorities. There was one independent weekly newspaper in [[Bendery]] and another in the northern city of Rîbniţa.[...]Separatist authorities harassed independent newspapers for critical reporting of the Transnistrian regime.[...]Most television and radio stations and print publication were controlled by Transnistrian authorities, which largely dictated their editorial policies and finance operations. Some broadcast networks, such as the TSV television station and the INTER-FM radio station, were owned by Transnistria's largest monopoly, Sheriff, which also holds a majority in the region's legislature.[...]In July 2005 the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet amended the election code to prohibit media controlled by the Transnistrian authorities from publishing results of polls and forecasts related to elections.''<ref>[[United States Department of State]] report for 2006</ref>
===Moldovan schools===
{{main|Moldovan schools in Transnistria}}
Transnistrian local authorities insist that public education for ethnic Moldovans in their mother tongue is done using the Soviet-originated [[Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet]], having restricted the usage of the [[Latin script]] (the norm) for the [[Romanian language]] to only 6 schools. [[Moldovan schools in Transnistria|Four schools]] (of the remaining six) that performed their instruction into the Romanian language.<ref>[http://www.olvia.idknet.com/news15-07-04.htm Statement by the Ministry of Education, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, on the question of children's educational rights insurance], published by [[Olivia-Press]] on [[15 July]] [[2004]]</ref> using the Latin script were forcibly closed by the authorities, who claimed this was due to the refusal of the schools to apply for official accreditation. The schools were later registered as private schools and reopened. This process may have been accelerated by pressure from the European Union <ref>Several Transnistrian officials were banned from traveling through EU [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/ChildrenHRDecember2005.pdf]</ref>
The OSCE mission to Moldova has urged local authorities in the Transnistrian city of Rîbniţa to return a confiscated building to the Moldovan Latin script school located in the city. The unfinished building was nearing completion in 2004, when Transnistria took control of it during that year's school crisis.<ref>[http://www.osce.org/item/22208.html?print=1 Ribnitsa's authorities must return the confiscated school building, says OSCE Mission Head]</ref>
''"In November 2005 Ion Iovcev, the principal of a Romanian-language school in Transnistria and active advocate for human rights as well as a critic of the Transnistrian leadership, received threatening calls that he attributed to his criticism of the separatist regime."''<ref>[[United States Department of State]] report for 2006</ref>
{{seealso|Russification|Anti-Romanian discrimination}}
==Security concerns==
===Arms control and disarmament===
Following the collapse of the former Soviet Union the Russian 14th Army left behind 40,000 tonnes of weapony and ammunition. In the subsequent years there were concerns that the Transnistrian authorities may try to sell these stocks internationally and intense pressure was applied to have these removed by the [[Russia|Russian Federation]].
In 2000 and 2001, the Russian Federation withdrew by rail 141 self-propelled artillery and other armoured vehicles and destroyed locally 108 [[T-64 tank]]s and 139 other pieces of military equipment limited by the [[Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe]] (CFE). During 2002 and 2003 Russian military officials destroyed a further 51 armoured vehicles, all of which were types not limited by the CFE Treaty.
The [[OSCE]] also observed and verified the withdrawal of the 48 trains with military equipment and ammunition in 2003. However, no further withdrawal activities have taken place since March 2004 and a further 20,000 tons of ammunition, as well as some remaining military equipment are still to be removed.
In the Autumn of 2006 the Transnistria leadership agreed to let an OSCE inspectorate examine the munitions and further access agreed moving forward.
Recent weapons inspections were permitted by Transnistria and conducted by the OSCE.<ref>[http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/278 UN Report clears Transdniester of weapons smuggling; Praises transparency and co-operation] Tiraspol Times. Oct 16, 2006. Retrieved 2007, [[February 21|2-21]]</ref><ref>[http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/336 Confidence-building visit: OSCE delegation inspects Kolbasna military depots] Tiraspol Times. Nov 13, 2006. Retrieved 2007, [[February 21|2-21]]</ref>
The onus of responsibility rests on the Russian Federation to remove the remainder of the supplies.
Transnistrian authorities declared that they are not involved in the manufacture or export of weapons.<ref>[http://pridnestrovie.net/weaponsmanufacture.html PMR doesn't make weapons, experts admit]</ref> [[Mark Almond]] of [[British Helsinki Human Rights Group|BHHRG]] stated that accusations of state-sponsored weapons smuggling in the PMR appear to be groundless and politically motivated, rather than based on any verified facts.<ref>[http://www.bhhrg.org/LatestNews.asp?ArticleID=66 Mark Almond: Kafka and the Arms Smugglers]</ref>
The OSCE and European Union officials state that there is no evidence that Transnistria has ever, at any time in the past, trafficked arms or nuclear material.<ref name="feg">[http://rfe.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/05f3742a-1c2d-4e1a-a57f-0e9780549795.html RFE/RL: Western Diplomats Say Reports Of Smuggling From Transdniester Likely Exaggerated]</ref>
Foreign experts working on behalf of the United Nations say that the historically low levels of transparency and continued denial of full investigation to international monitors has reinforced negative perceptions of the Transnistrian regime, although recent good levels of cooperation on the part of Transnitrian authorities in some areas may reflect a shift in the attitude of PMR.<ref name=seesac>[http://www.seesac.org/reports/ENGLISH.pdf UNDP: 2006 Small arms and light weapons survey of Moldova], SEESAC 1 July 2007, ISBN 86-7728-014-6</ref> Also it says that the evidence for the illicit production and trafficking of weapons into and from Transnistria has in the past been exaggerated, that although the trafficking of light weapons is likely to have occurred before 2001 (the last year when export data showed US$ 900,000 worth of ‘weapons, munitions, their parts and accessories’ exported from Transnistria. The report also states that the same holds true for the production of such weapons, which is likely to have been carried out in the 1990s primarily to equip Transnistrian forces.
The OSCE mission spokesman Claus Neukirch spoke about this situation: "There is often talk about sale of armaments from Transnistria, but there is no convincing evidence."<ref>Conflict Studies Research Centre, [http://www.defac.ac.uk/colleges/csrc/document-listings/cee/05(07)-GPH.pdf Moldova & The Dniestr Region:
Contested Past, Frozen Present, Speculative Futures?], Graeme P. Herd</ref>
===Personal security===
{{main|Crime in Transnistria}}
Some countries, including the [[United States]],<ref>[http://chisinau.usembassy.gov/wm_081406.html U.S. State Department travel warning for Moldova]</ref> the [[United Kingdom]],<ref>[http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386226 "United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office" - Travel Advice]</ref> [[Canada]], <ref> [http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=191000 Travel Report for Moldova, voyage.gc.ca]</ref> [[Australia]],<ref>[http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Moldova Australian Government - Travel advisories]</ref> and [[New Zealand]] <ref>[http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/countries/moldova.shtml NZ government travel advisory - Moldova] </ref> announced travel warnings for their citizens traveling to Transnistria.
On [[May 25]], [[2007]], Valeri Emelianov, a Tiraspol city councillor, was shot dead.<ref>(Romanian) Transnistria.md, [http://transnistria.md/ro/news//902/ La Tiraspol a mai fost asasinat un politician], 05/28/2007</ref><ref>(Russian) Lenta.pmr, [http://tiras.ru/newsimple.php?subaction=showfull&id=1180279383&archive=&start_from=&ucat=22& "Лидер НДП "ПРОРЫВ!": Валерий Емельянов был хорошим депутатом, но не был политиком]</ref>
In March 2007, Victor Neumoin, a local politician was shot dead<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/13/europe/EU-POL-Moldova-Politician-Killed.php Trans-Dniester politician close to separatist leader's son shot dead (Associated Press)]</ref>.
In July 2006, a bomb killed eight in a Tiraspol [[minibus]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5153322.stm Trans-Dniester blast kills eight] BBC</ref>, and in August 2006, a grenade explosion in a Tiraspol [[trolleybus]] killed two and injured ten.<ref>[http://news.rin.ru/eng/news///8991/8// Grenade exploded in Tiraspol trolley bus]</ref>
==References==
{{citation style|date=May 2007}} <!--I'm somewhat hesitant to use the talk page, so I'll limit the xplanation for the tag to this hidden comment. this is what we need cleaned up: 1. Anything in all-caps (upper case) needs to be converted to normal capitalization (yes, even if it was copied as such from the original). 2. Anything that isn't in English needs to have a translated English title and the language tag added so we know which language is involved. 3. Anything that just a url needs to have a title. 4. Anything that's just a title needs to have a source. 5. Anything that is news-oriented also needs to be dated. Unless these steps are taken, much of this reference section will remain inaccessibale to the article's target audience: the average English reader. Thanks. ~ El C This was long overdue! ~Dc76 -->
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commons|Transnistria}}
{{sisterlinks|Transnistria}}
{{wikiatlas|Transnistria}}
* [[BBC]]: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3641826.stm Profile of Trans-Dniester]
* [[Economist]]: [http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9116439 The black hole that ate Moldova]
* [[OSCE]] [http://www.osce.org/moldova/ Mission to Moldova]
* [[Radio Free Europe]]: [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/2921dabd-b521-449a-a326-bf81bbe3ac88.html Transdniester Conflict Was Long In The Making]
* Jos Boonstra, [http://www.fride.org/eng/File/ViewLinkFile.aspx?FileId=1351 "Moldova, Transnistria, and European Democracy Polices"], [http://www.fride.org FRIDE], February 2007
* Stuart Hensel, [http://www.peacebuilding.md/library/153/en/Moldova%20Strategic%20Conflict%20Assessment%202006.pdf Moldova Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA)], Economist Intelligence Unit.
===Local links===
* {{ru icon}} [http://www.cip.nm.ru "Chelovek i ego Prava" (''"Man and his Rights"'')], local newspaper
* {{en icon}}{{ro icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://conflict.md/index.php?lim=eng Conflict.md], site about the conflict
* {{en icon}}{{ro icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.azi.md/en.html Moldova Azi: News from Moldova], news portal
* {{en icon}}{{ro icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://politicom.moldova.org/index/eng/ Moldova.org], non-governmental country portal
* {{en icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.tiras.ru/en/ PMR News], English-language news and commentaries
<!--* [http://www.president-pmr.org/ PMR Presidential website] - appears to be down for a while. -->
* {{en icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.pridnestrovie.net Pridnestrovie.net], official English site of the PMR authorities
* {{en icon}}{{ro icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.transnistria.md/en Transnistria.md], English-language news and interviews
* {{en icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.visitpmr.com/ VisitPMR.com], official tourist information
* {{en icon}}{{ru icon}} [http://www.vspmr.org/?Lang=Eng Website of the Supreme Council (Parliament) of PMR], official site
{{Template group
|title = Geographic locale
|list =
{{Transnistria, Moldova}} <!--Eponymous template first, per elsewhere in Wikipedia-->
{{Districts of Moldova}} <!--Administrative unit template second, per elsewhere in Wikipedia-->
{{Transnistria}} <!--this one is about the conflict, will be renamed-->
}}
{{Template group
|title = International membership
|list =
{{Non-sovereign territories of Europe}}
}}
[[Category:Transnistria]]
[[Category:Russian-speaking countries and territories]]
[[Category:Romanian speaking countries and territories]]
[[Category:Ukrainian-speaking countries and territories]]
[[ast:Transnistria]]
[[be:Прыднястроўе]]
[[be-x-old:Прыднястроўе]]
[[bs:Pridnjestrovska Moldavska Republika]]
[[bg:Приднестровие]]
[[ca:Transnístria]]
[[cs:Podněstří]]
[[cy:Transnistria]]
[[de:Transnistrien]]
[[et:Transnistria]]
[[el:Υπερδνειστερία]]
[[es:Transnistria]]
[[eo:Ĉednestrio]]
[[eu:Transnistria]]
[[fr:République moldave de Transnistrie]]
[[ko:트란스니스트리아]]
[[hi:ट्राँस्निस्ट्रिया]]
[[hsb:Podněsterska]]
[[hr:Pridnjestrovska Moldavska Republika]]
[[id:Transnistria]]
[[it:Transnistria]]
[[he:טרנסניסטריה]]
[[jv:Transnistria]]
[[ka:დნესტრისპირეთი]]
[[lv:Piedņestras Moldāvu Republika]]
[[lt:Padniestrė]]
[[hu:Dnyeszter Menti Köztársaság]]
[[nl:Trans-Nistrië]]
[[ja:沿ドニエストル共和国]]
[[no:Transnistria]]
[[nn:Transnistria]]
[[oc:Transnístria]]
[[pms:Transnistria]]
[[pl:Naddniestrze]]
[[pt:Transnístria]]
[[ro:Transnistria]]
[[ru:Приднестровье]]
[[simple:Transnistria]]
[[sk:Podnestersko]]
[[sl:Pridniestrska republika]]
[[sr:Придњестровље]]
[[fi:Transnistria]]
[[sv:Transnistrien]]
[[vi:Transnistria]]
[[tr:Transdinyester]]
[[uk:Придністровська Молдавська Республіка]]
[[zh-yue:德涅斯特河沿岸共和國]]
[[zh:德涅斯特河沿岸共和国]]