SUMMARY

Soon after Moldova declared itself an independent state, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, an armed intrastate conflict erupted over the political status of the region east of the River Dniestr. After a ceasefire was implemented in 1992, the conflict has remained frozen. However, Moldova has been spared from organized political violence since then.

Since 1989, Moldova has experienced the intrastate category organized violence, as defined by UCDP.

Armed Clashes over Dniestr

Moldova was part of the former USSR under the name MSSR (Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic) and emerged as an independent state following dissolution of the USSR. The country was mainly populated by Romanian-speaking Moldovans, but there was a large Slavic Russian-speaking minority concentrated in the land east of the River Dniestr. Members of this minority founded the self-proclaimed pro-Russian PMR (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) which strove for independence from Moldova. The PMR is also known as Trans-Dniester, Transnistria or the Dniestr Republic, to mention some, depending on the source.

In 1992, there were violent clashes between the PMR and Moldovan troops. Around 600 people were killed before a ceasefire agreement signed in July 1992 put an end to the violence. Despite persistent efforts by mediators to reach an agreement between the parties, there has been little success in solving the incompatibility since then. Moldova has during the period repeatedly offered PMR a self-governing territory and a free economic zone, but PMR has continued to struggle for an independent state.

Russia has been an important actor in the conflict over Transnistria since the beginning. Although Russia has not recognized Transnistria as an independent nation, Moscow nevertheless keeps a contingent of 1500 troops in the region and support the breakaway republic with free natural gas and pension funds.