If you have never have heard of Pridnestrovskaia (in English, Trans-Dniester or Transnistria), don't worry.

WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale

But when a border guard is pressing a pistol into your waist, well, Trans-Dniester seems very real.

WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale

The first sign that something was afoot came when we reached a bridge over the Dniester River.

WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale

Russia has threatened trade sanctions and a visa regime for Moldovans in a row over Trans-Dniester, a region populated mainly by Russians and Ukrainians which broke away from Moldova in 1992.

BBC: Soldiers queue to cast their vote in Chisinau, Moldova

Trans-Dniester is a tiny strip of land that was once part of Moldova, which has spent most of its recent existence bobbling back and forth between the Soviet Union and Romania.

WSJ: An Accidental Trip to Trans-Dniester | Traveler's Tale