The men and women in the minibus call themselves Pridnestrovians - inhabitants of a thin sliver of land in eastern Moldova. It is a tiddler of a territory. Yet its older citizens like to remind visitors that they were born in the biggest country in the world. For from 1924 right through to the independence of Moldova in 1991, the territory of Transdniestr was part of the Soviet Union.
The minibus is on its way back from Chisinau, capital of Moldova. The Chisinau authorities are naturally not amused at having an upstart state within their own borders. They claim that Transdniestr is an integral part of Moldova, and are decidedly unhappy at having a part of their country style itself as Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublica.
The vehicle is pale blue and sports a licence plate from Transdniestr embellished with the green and red flag of the breakaway territory. The passengers wait patiently inside the vehicle, chatting quietly with each other in Russian. Just ahead are the sheds used by the officials of Transdniestr who maintain the fragile border of their would-be independent state. The Pridnestrovian authorities make a point of checking passports. It is a symbol of their selfstyled independence. And a special vigilance is reserved for inspecting passports from western Europe.
