Transnistria

Transnistria stamps

P=have O=don’t have it

Transnistria (also called Trans-Dniestr or Transdniestria) is a partially recognized state located mostly on a strip of land between the River Dniester and the eastern Moldovan border with Ukraine. Since its declaration of independence in 1990, and especially after the War of Transnistria in 1992, it has been governed as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR, also known as Pridnestrovie), a state with limited recognition that claims territory to the east of the River Dniester, and also the city of Bender and its surrounding localities on the west bank, in the historical region of Bessarabia. The names "Transnistria" and "Pridnestrovie" both refer to the Dniester River.

Unrecognized by any United Nations member state, Transnistria is designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Transnistria autonomous territorial unit with special legal status (Unitatea teritorială autonomă cu statut juridic special Transnistria) or Stînga Nistrului ("Left Bank of the Dniester").

After the dissolution of the USSR, tensions between Moldova and the breakaway Transnistrian territory escalated into a military conflict that started in March 1992 and was concluded by a ceasefire in July 1992. As part of that agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, Transnistria) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarized zone, comprising twenty localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognized but de facto independent presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, and currency. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem, and coat of arms. However, after a 2005 agreement between Moldova and Ukraine, all Transnistrian companies that seek to export goods through the Ukrainian border must be registered with the Moldovan authorities. This agreement was implemented after the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) took force in 2005. Most Transnistrians also have Moldovan citizenship, but many Transnistrians also have Russian and Ukrainian citizenship. The largest ethnic group is Moldovan (32.1%), who historically had a higher share of the population, up to 49.4% in 1926.

Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia are post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zones. These four partially recognized states maintain friendly relations with each other and form the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations.

World's First Postage Stamps - 175th Anniversary

Scott: #???O

(Michel #Block 117/650-651)

Issued: 23.01.2016

175th Anniversary of World's First Postage Stamps

sos gt britain 1 M-F 1840 Inside #???: G.B. #1 [M-F]

sos gt britain 2 1840 Inside #???: G.B. #2O

transnistria fdc

Thanks to Mike Knopfler and Lou Guadagno

Scott: #???O

Issued: 24.12.2020

Ancient Postal Routes

sos russia tiraspol zemstvo Chuchin 1 1873 Inside #???: Russia Tiraspol Zemstvo Chuchin 1 1873O

Sheetlet 8v

FDC

Lou wrote: Transnistria, on December 24, 2020, piggy-backed onto the Europa 2020 Old Postal Routes theme with a T-nvi issue showing a postal wagon. In the background is an 1873 Russian Zemstvo stamp from Tiraspol, which is now the capital of Transnistria. The official country name is shown with the initials PMR for Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. PMR/Transnistria is a break-away state of Moldova, which altho not recognized by any major country, has existed for thirty years, and has its own government, currency and postal service. The stamps issued are for domestic use only, mail to foreign addresses require additional Moldovan stamps and is processed in Moldova. Transnistria has used a good part of the Cyrillic alphabet for the classes of its no value indicated postage, but I have not been able to find any description of what they represent.

I like these Zemstvo stamps, rarely seen and sometimes quite expensive, an example of this issue sold recently for approx. $25.00.

Thanks to Lou Guadagno and Michael Merritt

transnistria 8.15.21