It brings to mind Tomania or Gondor, except that Transnistria really does exist. A strip of land wedged between Ukraine and Moldova, Transnistria gained independence in 1990. But no other nation recognises the country. Even its capital has a most unlikely sounding name, Tiraspol.
The breakaway state has a population of 550,000, according to the authorities, but far fewer if you listen to the people themselves. And they chose sides long ago. No to Europe. Yes to Russia. Transnistrians, the majority of whom are Russian-speaking, took up arms against Romanian-speaking and Western-leaning Moldova.
A sneering observer might compare Transnistria with the fictional setting of an operetta. But the more attentive eye will see a colourful people who didn’t want to be left behind by history. Transnistrians dream of ecology, tourism, starting from scratch… and are sure of one thing. In the West, they will only ever be considered second-rate citizens. Back in Soviet times, they could travel halfway around the world. Today, their passport gets them nowhere.