it's understandable to a degree that Russia wants to have this friendly fragment in Transdniester. The breakaway of ByelloRussia and Ukraine, in addition to the Baltics, left Russia pushed far to the east,away from their old Imperial (both russian and Soviet)spheres of influence so they are eager to hang onto these (Transdniester and Kaliningrad ) little far-flung putposts that display a Russian presence in Central Europe. I suppose two comparisons would be the Guanatanamo base in Cuba and Spains Ceuta and Melilla enclaves.
An unhappy area. The poorest, most corrupt and impoverished EU state has an even more troubled and impoverished breakaway region which itself has a still more corrupt and impoverished breakaway region of its own, like a set of Matrushka dolls.