No idea why this is near the top of hackernews, but I've been there. One time when I was there, there was a huge billboard in front of the old ministry of culture with the (then) presidents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria smiling together. The local gag at the time was that this was the "Commonwealth of Unrecognized States" - meanwhile Putin was meeting the Commonwealth of Independent States in Chisnau. [1]

Far be it from me to attempt to summarize a nation in a few sentences, but one would be remiss without following up that article by saying the obvious.... Transnistria is a place run by gangsters. The hammer and sickle are printed on their money to appeal to the old folks who long for the days of Soviet protection, meanwhile everything is for sale - including people. This is a hub for the trafficking of everything.

I don't say this out of love for the state it broke away from, Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, the last communist country in Europe, which has all of the same problems at a different scale.

p.s. no need for endless paperwork - fifteen euros to the border guards will secure your entry no matter where you come from.

[1] http://imgur.com/8wf688Y

edited to change: I wrote "fifty" euros when I meant "fifteen" - I probably overpaid, but not by that much!!