Divided by the Dniester: Transnistria casts a shadow over Moldova’s EU ambitions

A woman walks past the Operational Group of Russian Forces headquarters in Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova, 1 November, 2021. AP - Dmitri Lovetsky

The separatist region of Transnistria has long been the thorn in the side of Moldova's pursuit of European Union membership – a fact thrown into sharp relief as parliamentary elections loom.

At the 28 September elections in Moldova, most people in the breakaway region of Transnistria won’t vote.