Ukraine borders a part of Russian-speaking Moldova that believes itself to be an independent country, titled Transdniestr. Transdniestr has its own president, parliament, currency, stamps and border control. Although it is a self-declared republic, Moldova has not recognized the declaration of independence, and in fact has sent troops in, with a cease-fire entered in 1992. There are still tensions between Transdniestr and Romanian-speaking Moldova, and I was not sure that I would be allowed in with a Moldovan visa (Transdniestr does not issue visas), even though the Moldovan embassy official in Kyiv assured me that it would not be a problem. The border was policed by gold-toothed Russian soldiers who refused to put an entry stamp on a Moldovan visa, but did kindly let me in to the self-declared republic. (At Transdniestr's request, the Russians manage the posts along the border with the remainder of Moldova). It is a really tiny country, and I think I only spent a little over thirty kilometers in Transdniestr (with one flat tire to boot), on bumpy roads through some barren countryside. Some dogs near an abandoned sewage plant chased me, but given the vileness of their chosen place of residence, I made sure to pedal away as fast as I could. At the crossing into Moldova I passed through a number of armed Russian checkpoints with no problem, but still could not get a stamp. The good news was that the bridge that crossed the Dniestr River (the unofficial border) was, contrary to reports I had heard, open to through traffic. The Moldovan officials on the other side also refused to put an entry stamp on my visa, because according to them, I had already entered their country when I entered Transdniestr (what they recognize to be part of larger Moldova). Whatever. On the way to Chisinau I was stopped over and over (along with everyone else on the road)by flashlight-wielding Moldovan police doing random document checks. None of them seemed to care that I was missing the entry stamp. (12-27-04)
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Empty Road, Self-Declared Republic of Transdniestr |
