'I don't feel safe here' Moldovans fear Transnistria may be drawn into conflict

When a string of mysterious explosions hit government buildings in Transnistria, separatist the Moscow-backed region of Moldova, there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

- Paula Erizanu

But for Pasha, a 24-year-old journalist from the breakaway region's capital, Tiraspol, last week's blasts were a clear sign that it was time to get out.

"There was a chance that there would be more attacks, and it's no fun waiting to find out where would be hit next," he said. Adding to the uncertainty were growing rumours that men in the region would be mobilised to fight alongside Russian troops across the border in Ukraine.

So Pasha, his mother and his friend and fellow journalist Maxim, 23, packed their essentials and drove to the Moldovan capital, Chişinău, where they are staying with relatives. They are hoping to return home, but other friends who left Transnistria have already fled to Turkey, Poland or the Czech Republic.

With a population of 470,000 people, Transnistria is a predominantly Russian-speaking sliver of land wedged between the Nistru River and the Ukraine border.

Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and the Transnistria region seceded from Moldova in 1992 after a five-month war in which Russian forces (and Crimean Cossacks) intervened on the side of the separatists.

The self-declared Transnistrian Moldovan Republic has not been recognised by any country - not even Russia - but the "frozen conflict" has kept Moldova partitioned ever since. Now many fear that last week's explosions may herald a dangerous thaw.