Harald Baldr

The Country That Doesn't Exist

The Republic of Pridnestrovie or Transnistra, as it's known in English, is an unrecognized country straddling the Dniester river sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. The country declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However Moldova did not take kindly to this and a war ensue. I visited this capital with the communist hammer and sickle in its national flag as it's one of a handful of post-Soviet unresolved land disputes. The country was much less corrupt than I expected and I really enjoyed swimming in the Dniester river, visiting the 14th century fort in Bender, meeting the locals and the general Soviet aura that looms large over the place. See that and more in the film.