Tip-toeing across countries you wont find on a map
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Saturday, 20 August 2005 |
Simon Reeve
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The detention cells in the KGB secret police headquarters in Transniestria, a country between Moldova and Ukraine, are not the ideal place to spend a Saturday night. Perhaps I have seen too many Cold War thrillers, but after being detained by the Transniestrian KGB for spying last autumn, I had visions of being held for years in a dark cell and having to write escape plans in blood using my toenails for nibs.
Transniestria
After the Soviet Union collapsed two-thirds of Moldova wanted closer ties with Romania and neighbours to the west. But the area of the country to the east of the Dniestr river wanted to stay close to Ukraine and Russia. War broke out, and the east split to form Transniestria, a country which remains unrecognised by the world.
Soviet statues still stand in Transniestria, and a mysterious firm called Sheriff headed by former Red Army officers runs much of the economy.
Independence Day was being celebrated when we visited. The Soviet-era army goose-stepped along the main road, and small children in uniforms sang "our army is the best army" with evident pride.
At least we ate heartily on the day they celebrated. The rest of the time, Transniestrian cafes were the slowest on earth, and I regularly waited hours for food to be served. Sadly that gave time for repeated karaoke rehearsals of the uplifting Transniestrian anthem.
As the Europen Union expands, Transniestria will soon be on the eastern edge of Europe. It is a haven for smuggling and has a Wild West feel.
Rumours suggest it is a major producer of illegal arms, and guns from Transniestria have turned-up in conflicts around the world.
International investigators claim they are unsure what is going on in Transniestria. Hardly surprising when there are no foreign embassies and few foreigners visit this extraordinary little nation.
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