Transnistria is one of the poorest territories in Europe. An oligarch turned it into self-service, and financially it would be “not viable” without Russia.
The war in Ukraine has radically changed the situation in the breakaway republic. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and a brief civil war, this long strip of land has been at the mercy of Moscow. The self-proclaimed republic, which is not officially recognized by any other country, gives the rest of the world a middle finger.