Igor Smirnov

It comes at a moment of great uncertainty and heightened tensions between Tiraspol and Chisinau stemming from Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Roots in language row

A famous photo of a striker guarding a factory in Tiraspol

The Council of the European Union on Monday extended until October 2021 the restrictive measures it has imposed on representatives of the separatist regime in Transnistria, banning then from entering EU countries - but observers noted that the list of individuals sanctioned is outdated and includes people who are no longer part of the administration in Tiraspol.

The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, on Thursday ruled that Russia has violated human rights and the right to freedom and security in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, which it has de facto controlled since it broke away from Moldova in 1992.

Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria celebrated the 28th anniversary from its so-called independence on September 2, 1990, on Sunday.