Europe is home to 50 countries, 44 of which have their capital city on the European continent. However, there are actually a number of largely non-recognised, de facto states with limited to recognition dotted across the mainland.

One of these is Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, a landlocked breakaway state. It covers most of a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Moldova-Ukraine border, an area of just over 1,600 square miles. It is internationally recognised as part of Moldova.

The region’s origins can be traced to the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, formed in 1924 within the Ukrainian SSR. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in hopes that it would remain within the Soviet Union should Moldova seek independence.

A military conflict broke out between the two parties in 1992, and in the ceasefire agreement later that year, a three-party (Moldova, Russia and Transnistria) was created. Although the ceasefire was held, the territory’s political status remains unresolved.

Nevertheless, Transnistria is a de facto independent, semi-presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, currency, postal system and vehicle registration. It has also adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem and coat of arms.

In addition to the unrecognised Transnistrian citizenship, most residents have Moldovan citizenship, as well as Russian, Romanian, or Ukrainian citizenship.

Home to roughly 367,000 people from recent Moldovan estimates, Transnistria’s capital and largest city is Tiraspol. Its president, the country’s third, is currently Vadim Krasnoselsky, and its prime minister is Aleksandr Rozenberg.

Transnistria, along with Abkhazia and South Ossetia (both partially recognised), is a post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zone. The three maintain friendly relations and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.

In March 2022, PACE adopted a resolution that defines the territory as under military occupation by Russia.

As part of his epic challenge to visit all 195 countries in the world, YouTuber Drew Binsky visited Transnistria, one of only around 500 who travelled to the “country that doesn’t exist” each year.

The journey there was not simple. Binsky first had to travel to Moldova and then pass through the border by road.

“Driving on these roads feels like taking a time machine back to the Soviet Union,” the YouTuber said. “Here, the shadow of war never fully faded, especially underground.”

According to his tour guide, an American who has lived in Transnistria for the last 17 years, a network of 60 miles of underground tunnels has yet to be fully mapped. Those who have tried have got lost.

“Very rarely have I been to a place that is completely frozen in time,” added Binsky. “It’s really the only place left in the world where you really feel like you’re in the Soviet Union. All the other Soviet Union countries, like Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, they’ve all moved on.”