Transnistria is a sliver of Moldova that declared itself independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It's one of the tiny unrecognized statelets that

Transnistria is a sliver of Moldova that declared itself independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It's one of the tiny unrecognized statelets that's almost entirely propped up by the Russian government as a way of maintaining frozen conflicts. (I really do mean sliver: it's 20 miles wide at its widest point; even The Gambia--a country which exists along the shores of the river of the same name--manages to get wider). The conflict gained a resurgence of relevance in the past year after the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine, over fears that the Russian military might attempt to launch an invasion axis from Transnistria, or at least seek to establish a continuous corridor from Transnistria to Russia. And even more recently, the Moldovan governmental instability has also fueled fears that Russia might try to use Transnistria as leverage in Moldova.