Tiraspol (Moldavian Cyrillic: Тираспол) Tiraspol (Russian and Ukrainian: Тирáсполь) is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the de facto independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria).
Mendeleyev note: The above statement has just gotten me in trouble with lots of people around the world! Moldovans will applaud the statement that Tiraspol is the second largest city of Moldova. Citizens of breakaway Transnistria will cry "foul" over the very same statement because Tiraspol is their capital city.
But no matter how you slice it, there is a great deal of animosity between the parties and this region is a future powder keg just waiting to explode. You are perhaps familiar with the region under the anglicized name of Trans-Dniester. Russia is the only country in the world which recognizes the independence of Transnistria but they are truly a de-facto country with their own borders, elected government, army, police, parliament, currency and social services. They want neither to be part of Moldova nor Russia, but for now they're happy to accept Russian passports and Russian protection in order to be free of Moldovan control.
The population is about 550,000, the net growth rate is negative. The population density is 160 inhabitants per km², which is one of the highest in the former Soviet Union. The claim of Russia that Transdniestr is a state of Russian minorities is bogus as the largest ethnic group turns out to be Moldovans - their share is 33.8%. Russians are 28.8% of the population.
The ultimate fate of Transnistria will not be decided on this forum. So for purposes of international maps we'll let the players in the region decide the border boundaries amongst themselves.
ПМР (PMR). This abbreviation stands for Приднестровская Молдавская Республика (Pridnjestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika - Predniestrian-Moldovan Republic). But this name is rarely used outside the PMR - most people refer to it as Transdniestr. Officials of the PMR don't like that name: 'Trans' originally means 'behind'. They prefer 'in front of', which means 'pri-' in Russian. Besides 'Transdniestr', many spellings are common: Transdnjestria, Transnestria, Transdnistria and so on. The official English name, preferred by local authorities, is Dniester Moldavian Republic (DMR).
As Tiraspol is the capital of the disputed region/country, we can't escape the subject of politics. In fact, Transdniestr's president, Igor Smirnov, stands accused of a long list of international crimes. In addition to charges of arms dealing and extortion, Smirnov makes certain of his own reelection by use of power. Since
President Smirnov and his entire cabinet are still wanted by Interpol for murder in Latvia, they are banned from entering any EU countries, but are welcome in Russia.
Ex-KGB Smirnov was 'elected' president of Transdniestr in 1991 following the region's declaration of independence. With Russia's support and Moldova's lack of resources to stop the succession, Transdniestr has existed ever since as an unrecognised country and international hot potato.
See Tiraspol near bottom right of map.
International agencies warn about anti-Semetic crimes in Transdniestr as every year there are attacks of significance against the local Jewish population. Prior to the Great Patriotic War the area population was close to 30% Jewish but today just about 2100 Jewish residents are all that remain, mostly elderly. They are however under persecution. As with any police state the government claims that violent crime is nonexistent and that massive police presence at frequent political demonstrations are solely there to "protect the rights of protesters to peaceful protests."
This is not a place where you want to come and visit. Perhaps if you have a girl, but it will be a difficult and trying trip. In fact, Transdniestr maybe the only place in the world more "Soviet Communist" than Belarus. Many have called Transdniestr a "living soviet museum." There is great accuracy in that statement.
Not many visitors come to Transdniestr. They're just not welcome. A visa to enter the country means little at the border if the guards don't like you, or if you don't have cash for a bribe. They like American dollars and with the typical results of a less than developed economy, about $10-20 each will be a windfall for a border guard.
Walking around Tiraspol is like stepping back into a time machine, traveling back to a KGB controlled Russia in the 1970s. Ah, speaking of KGB yes they're here, and yes they're following you. They're not that hard to spot. You'll be tempted to approach and suggest they go thru some better training in evasion techniques. I'd suggest you resist that urge. I've not been to one, but have heard that a Transdniestr jail is not something most would enjoy.
Did we mention beautiful ladies? Yes, they're here by the boatload. It's just that nobody is coming to get them. Getting here takes some guts. This is definitely not the place to try a WMVM approach as about the 3 or 4th interview in a hotel or cafe you'd likely be arrested for violating public meeting laws.
The 3 official languages of this tiny area are Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian with the Moldavian done in Cyrillic as was common during the CCCP era. Due to geography both Arabic and French are also spoken. A surprising number of residents speak some English but on the street it's not wise to speak English so openly. That's a quick ticket down to the KGB hq. Residents tend to be of Slavic or Caucasian ethnic origin. These ladies are very lovely with the dark hair and darker (much like Georgian or Latino) skin tones.
Don't get too camera happy either. Snapping a photo of a statue, park, cafe or street sign could bring on more trouble than you've bargained for. You can take a photo or two but its risky to pull and a camera and start snapping photos like a tourist. For this post we relied on native Moldovans and Tiraspol residents for photos--that's why some are so small. Telling border guards that you're a Western journalist usually means checking your camera, computer and writing tablets at the border station and hoping they'll still be there when you are ready to leave.
Speaking of leaving: don't be surprised if leaving takes more than a few minutes. They'll want to know where you stayed (you also give this info when entering), where you went, whom you met, why you came (this should match the same answer you gave when entering), etc.
Exceptions to much of the above: holders of a Russian passport. My wife did just fine.
Above: Presidential palace/seat of government in Tiraspol. That's a tall statue of Lenin out front.
Registration upon arrival is different that the Russian procedure. No matter when you arrived, you have only 24 hours to register. This must be done at the Migration Office in downtown Tiraspol on Kotovskiy street 2/A. They work every day from 9 am till 5 pm, lunch time from 12 am till 1 pm, except Saturdays and Sundays.
If you arrive on a weekend or holiday and the Migration office is closed, you must register twice. First at the Police office of Tiraspol at Roza Luxemburg, 66 street. Then as soon as the Migration office reopens you must reconfirm your registration at the Migration Office. For information, please, call the Migration office (+373 533) 7-90-83.
Okay, to the subject at hand, the city of Tiraspol.
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