How To Be A Tourist in the Fake Soviet Union

Are you interested in being a tourist in a country that doesn’t exist? Have you ever heard of Transnistria? Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognized breakaway state that is internationally recognized as part of Moldova.
Transnistria has its own army, currency, border control, and judicial system. This “country” is only recognized by three other unrecognized states: Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
In this Eastern Europe Vlog, we will show you around the capital city, Tiraspol. The first thing we did was check out Suvorov Square and admired the surrounding green spaces in Tiraspol. Suvorov Square and the surrounding green space were beautiful and extremely clean, which came as a shock to us.
From Suvorov Square, we continued to walk along 25 October street and we were able to see a lot of the main sights such as The Presidential Palace with the huge Lenin Monument in the front, the T-34 Tank Monument also known as the Memorial of Glory, the Monument to the First Moldavian Power Plant, and shortly afterward had one of our craziest experiences yet.
Zach found a sign that pointed towards a fortress in Tiraspol. When we arrived we were disappointed because it looked quite small and underwhelming. We were told the museum was closed to the public, but for whatever reason one of the workers offered to give us a tour in broken English. Turns out the museum was closed because they’re doing excavations on a mass grave. Our “guide” kept taking out the swords and guns and allowed Zach to hold them. It was such a crazy experience!
A local recommended we try local cuisine from the restaurant Back in the USSR. We each ordered our own dish and our entire meal at Back in the USSR cost a total of $12, which makes Tiraspol in Transnistria a great option if you are traveling Europe on a budget.
Transnistria is unlike any other place we’ve visited and we can’t wait to see what else there is to do in this “country.”
After watching this Eastern Europe Vlog, would you visit Transnistria in 2022?
We ate @ Back in the USSR: bit.ly/3reyjGK
🚨HELP US REACH 1000 SUBSCRIBERS🚨
Subscribe to our channel here: / haleyandzach
📸 Follow us on TikTok:
/ haleyandzach_
📸 Follow us on Instagram:
/ haleyandzach_
📸 Like us on Facebook:
/ haley-and-zach-1034269...

[@HaleyandZach]

Did you know there are Unrecognized Countries? Have you been to any? Would you go to one? Check out our first Transnistria Video --> kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ2niqethq92sM0

[@russiantroubleyakutsk1612]

I went to Transnistria as a tourist last summer. It was really nice! It feels like time traveling to the USSR! even compared to Russia. Would definitely recommend!

[@Nobody-no6eb]

Do you get visa apon arrival

[@HaleyandZach]

@Nobody-no6eb yes there's a border guard and they ask a few questions and gave us a little paper.

[@EllisWR]

Why would it not be safe to visit?...... One of the friendliest places in all Europe

[@HaleyandZach]

People see Russian flags and get spooked. The people are very friendly and welcoming!

[@EllisWR]

@@HaleyandZach must be some crazy people out there then hahah they should probably turn off their TVs and go meet some Russians 👍

[@HaleyandZach]

Couldn't agree more!

[@ciripa]

it s ok to go and visit the russians, not really good when they come to visit you :)))

[@iosifd2409]

People that are visiting Transnistria ( Pridnestrovye ) are afraid , of things such as KGB , in the past tourists were arrested and asked couple of questions with the reason for being there . Local people are friendly and they live on old fashioned morals . Now with current situation of Russian invasion over Ukraine you could expect anything , despite of the fact that Transistria doesn't want to be involved in this war .

[@rdrgtreer]

I loved the 80's music in that cafe. Real USSR experience.

[@xp_studios7804]

At the end of the video you see the flags of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Artsakh, which are other unrecognized states formed in similar circumstances to Transnistria. Russia and a few of its allies recognize the first two, but nobody recognizes Artsakh, although it has good relations with Armenia.

[@ionbrad6753]

The spending is low due to a less known fact: Russia is subsidizing the separatist region by delivering gas, invoicing it, but never actually cashing it. The rest of Republic of Moldova is paying its gas consumption spot-on. Transnistria accumulated approx. 10 billion US$ debt - which Russia does not try to recover, so it is basically a (not even) hidden subsidy. For such a small region, 10 bn is huge. Without this support, the region would succumb and there would be no separatism in R. Moldova.

[@angeurbain6129]

You should go there and judge by yourself.

[@ThriftySteve]

I think we were in Tiraspol around the same time! My friend and I drove there in September

[@HaleyandZach]

That is close to the time we were there. We went in July :)

[@ProbablyLost]

Okay just now getting caught up so apologies for being late on this guys but HOLY CRAP! The moment you said 'Holy shit guys' Trey died laughing🤣 The look in Zach's eyes right there said everything. And we thought Belgrade was wild!!

[@HaleyandZach]

😂😂😂

[@slobodanboban8717]

Greetings from Belgrade! 😘

[@angeurbain6129]

I have been there twice and i can tell you that is is safe and clean. Trannsnistria is not North Korea. A better question should bow if it is safe to be in Ukraine.

[@mhoadievdelapaz3703]

Spot on

[@RahbekTV]

I am considering to go - but i should not be scared of the KGB?

[@angeurbain6129]

@user-yp2mw2ko9k Ukraine is certanly not safe. North Korea is another world.

[@JubaMoni]

Hi! How is the border crossing? Is it ok to bring cameras?

[@HaleyandZach]

Border crossing was easy. They don't want you to bring cameras

[@JubaMoni]

@@HaleyandZach thanks!

[@MrVlars]

4:35 there is written "in memories of innocent killed during the fascist occupation of Tiraspol"

[@crburek]

As a Romanian idc about transnistria 🗿

[@NatE1]

Why not, its your territory.

[@old-wise-man]

underclass gringos explore the world.

[@skyisred3585]

Nice video! Interesting to see how peaceful it is, especially during the war in Ukraine. Will definitely visit when I go to Moldova. What's the process like tho? Don't you need to get some sort of a permit before?

[@HaleyandZach]

Thanks! We took a mini bus from Chisinau. At the border they looked at our passports, asked how long we were staying and why we want to visit. 10 minutes later they gave us the "permit" and we got back on the bus

[@HaleyandZach]

They also wanted to know where we were staying. We stayed at a hostel so if you do that make sure you have the name.

[@old-wise-man]

Unsafe? Tiraspol is a lot safer than Bronx or Brooklyn.

[@HaleyandZach]

Yes it is

[@Tch5802]

@@HaleyandZach so far.

[@ionbrad6753]

Those skulls (the mass grave) were from Stalin's purges during the thirties. Millions have perished throughout USSR. Even the locals now are horrified by those killings, but still ... glorify USSR (not all of them, of course).

[@Vikdam]

Source? Out of your ass apparently

[@luciencron6655]

well the USSR was pretty amazing so don’t blame them and glad they keep the revolution alive

[@ionbrad6753]

@@luciencron6655 USSR wasn't pretty at all. Nor amazing. You like communism? Try it with your comrades: share everything equally, etc. But do not be surprised to economically fail. Just like the USSR.

[@konradkarlovich5801]

how many millions ?

[@konradkarlovich5801]

there are also mass graves of Soviet citizens shot by the German-Romanian occupiers

[@RahbekTV]

Is it safe to travel there? I am planning to visit as a dane with a latvian friend on october 2024 HELP.

[@HaleyandZach]

It was safe when we visited in July 2022.

[@danorbe4397]

Just returned from there a few weeks ago. Safe place - and interesting.

[@RonieNerbes-mt9ko]

I Love Jonna Napire 💜💚❤️ JULY 8, 2024

[@djspiel89]

Great video!

[@HaleyandZach]

Thanks so much!

[@AnatolyZolotukhinov]

Fun fact Syria recognizes Transnistria 🇸🇾

[@HaleyandZach]

Is this new? We read nobody recognized it, including Russia!

[@AnatolyZolotukhinov]

@@HaleyandZach That's my bad, I live in Transnistria and I mistook some information. However there are a few unrecognized countries that recognize us :)

[@HaleyandZach]

We hope to visit them all one day !

[@dazzini82]

What were the border guards like during the Ukrainian war and you as a US Citizen?

[@HaleyandZach]

We are both US citizens. They asked us what were doing there, how long we planned to stay, and where we planned to stay. They didn't give us any issues.

[@dazzini82]

@@HaleyandZach Cool. Thanks for the reply. I've been there 4 or 5 times but with Russia involved against Ukraine and the West and they are so Pro Russian and actually Russian was wondering if any troubles at the border. What month did you go?

[@HaleyandZach]

This was filmed in July

[@hamayhazhar9695]

Please where can I get a visa for Iraqi citizen in embassy of Russia or they have special embassy????

[@HaleyandZach]

No embassy. You have to go to Moldova

[@dantirk4560]

That sounds like a war crime scene..

[@HaleyandZach]

I think stalinist purges would count 🤷‍♂️

[@deez8202]

@@HaleyandZach prob many of the polish soldiers who were executed i wonder what they are gonna do to the remains tho

[@ionbrad6753]

@@deez8202 No, they were locals (Romanians/Moldovans, Ukrainians, Russians executed by the Soviet NKVD based on mere suspicions, based on the fact they owned a cow so they were rich or something like that). During Stalin's purges, all USSR regions had quotas of people needing to be killed. Some bolshevik leaders were enthusiastically reporting fulfilling their "mission" and were requesting supplementing the quota so they could kill a couple thousand more. I am not bullshiting. It's all in their archives.

[@deez8202]

​@@ionbrad6753 God damn, Welp thanks for correcting me. And I forgot I actually wrote this. But yeah regardless of which nationality or not. It's quite unfortunate that The NKVD has never gotten punished for it's many crimes and atrocities they've committed under the era of Stalin.

[@lucifer796]

this man looks like JayStation

[@mmassehs3251]

Mass grave form ww2 maybe

[@HaleyandZach]

It was from Stalin's purges so not WW2

[@mhoadievdelapaz3703]

Time to find a wife in Transnistria.Im inspired😉

[@TheRulerGuards]

Transnistria

[@mmassehs3251]

I’ve been to that exact restaurant you had that food and a cost only four bucks you guys got ripped off so so so so so bad

[@keithroberts2440]

It's Prednistrovia lol

[@PopescuSorin]

OMG! i hope you don't get arrested in Transnistria

[@HaleyandZach]

We did not get arrested in Transnistria. The people are very lovely and welcoming!

[@jonsen2k]

@@HaleyandZach It's not the people that's the issue though

[@robertcastle6060]

I ve been in May 2023 for 3 weeks..no problems and had a good time

[@artyomerickovich9924]

🍂🍂

[@07Blackbeard]

What a sick society with nostalgia for a terror state.

[@MightyWinz]

get a life loser

[@Мы.русские...С.нами.Бог]

Are you aware that the word "transnistria" is an extremely rude insult? Or do you only have the courage to insult on the Internet? 👎

[@atomicgrasshopper4391]

Oh no!?! Anyway...

[@Мы.русские...С.нами.Бог]

@@atomicgrasshopper4391 What?

[@cooperjohnston5607]

@@atomicgrasshopper4391 LOL

[@ionutnistor8119]

România Mare... Da, dar clar fără Transnistria!!!

[@ionbrad6753]

Ba cu. Dar fără extremiști în ea.