Transnistria: The Strangest Place on Earth

Discover the hidden world of Transnistria, a small, mysterious region in Eastern Europe, claiming independence but recognized by only a few breakaway states. From its unique geography to the enigmatic organization Sheriff, explore the bizarre realities that set Transnistria apart. Uncover the secrets and delve into the strangest place on Earth in this intriguing journey!

[dumitructa]

Best explained Transnistria video made by a non-local I saw so far.
I'm from Moldova.

[stuartmcalister]

I spent five days in Transnistria in 2010. I was working for a non-profit organization with programs in Moldova, and we launched a partnership with a church and an orphanage/boarding school in Dubasari. Crossing the bridge into Dubasari was like time traveling back 30 years into the Soviet Union. The hammer and sickle, red stars and images of Lenin were everywhere. Our group was closely monitored (spied on), with little effort given to concealing it. My Moldovan staff was certain our hotel rooms were bugged, and they were probably right. Our partners at the church and at the orphanage were put under pressure to change all the plans we had agreed on, and goods that we had imported for our work with the kids were impounded until we left. I tried my best to get our stuff, but was given the obvious run-around about it. Every day, the customs officials gave me a different bureaucratic reason why our things couldn't be released to us and told that maybe tomorrow things would be different. I mean, Moldova is full of bureaucracy and inefficiency, but this was clearly something else. We made the best of it, and as we returned across the river at the end of our week, my Moldovan staff person breathed an audible sigh of relief at having made it out without anyone being detained. It was weird, but I'm glad I got to experience it.

[sgordonxx]

Everywhere I look.... I find a new channel with Simon's face in the thumbnail. LOL

[shinkicker]

Transnistria + Sheriff sounds like the perfect real world analogy of a Cyberpunk setting with corporate domination over a nation.

[karenbaisch]

Thank you for making this Simon. I used to think Transnistria was just a goofy bunch of people trying to live the good old days of the Soviet Union. Now I realize it is far more then that.

[Zeke]

Simon has more channels than all the rest of us have hobbies combined.

Not knocking it, mad respect Simon! Just saying.

[smallsleepyrascalcat]

Thank you very much for this video. I knew Transnistria exists, I knew it separated from Moldova, but the complete history has been unknown to me. Now I'm a lot smarter than before.

[kverkagambo]

Very complimentary to Transnistria. It was created to be forever burning conflict for Moldova, who dared to be independent. Plan succeeded just like in Georgia, while other tries failed elsewhere in former USSR.

[matthewdeitch]

Very good overview but my one criticism would be that you skipped almost entirely over the period of 1941-1944 which is extremely important to understanding the Transnisitrian identity, their feelings toward Romania and Moldova, and contextualizing the subsequent Soviet deportation of tens of thousands of Moldovans. The wikipedia page on the Transnistria Governorate is a good place to start for anyone interested.

[atksenc]

So pumped Simon is on a places channel again. You’re the best.

[uppercut]

I'm starting to wonder if Simon is AI generated at this point. How does the man have the time to make so many well-done videos on so many different channels???

[cameronclare]

Thanks for making an in depth video about this bizzare region, Simon! It makes a great factual & explanatory companion to a multitude of adventure travel vlogs exploring the place on the ground from the likes of Bald And Bankrupt or Yes Theory.

[christiangauthier]

Love the longer Format of this Channel Simon & Team! Contrary to a 20 minutes (or less) Video, this allows for a proper Deep Dive into the Subject and to set the stage with historical context before exploring the various facets of an issue!

[ChrisKeziahHyde]

It's good to know that Simon finally has a window. I was getting worried that he was permanently stuck in a cellar or something...

EDIT:
My original comment was originally meant to be a tongue in cheek reference to the running joke of him and his writers in a basement.

It was only intended as sarcasm and satire. It's annoying that I have to explain the joke but that is what was intended.

[AllTradesGeorge]

This was helpful for me...I've seen Tranistria on maps since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and been under the impression that Russia had done the same thing in Tranistria that they'd done in Donetsk and Luhansk, and that was why I kept seeing (unmoving) markers indicating Russian troops.

The situation is far more complex than that. I feel like I have a better grasp of context, now, and the apparent lack of action or urgency towards Transnistria from Ukraine makes a lot more sense.

[connerbridges]

Dude your videos are incredible. I appreciate the density of information and the pace at which you speak, which saves me from having to adjust the playback speed. The background music is at the perfect volume, just audible enough to suggest the emotion. And your thoroughness of information is great, not leaving out important points but not beating a dead horse on erroneous details. Truly magnificent work, I look forward to your future coverage of niche topics!

[GrievousReborn]

I like how he's taking places that were covered on Geographics back when he hosted it and taking a deeper dive into those places.

[lukemiller_]

Simon, you and your writers are absolute legends! Thanks for the consistent, amazing content 👏🏼

[angelitabecerra]

I much prefer this deeper dive into Transnistria than the video you did on Geographics.

[redwoodrc]

I learned so much in this video! Simon does indeed have a back side, his apartment does actually have windows, and AI art is scary good... 😂