Transnistria media guide

The statue of Vladimir Lenin in front of the parliament building in Tiraspol

The separatist authorities exercise tight control over the media. Many outlets are owned either directly by the region's government or by business groups with close links to the authorities.

Western governments and media freedom groups say anti-government outlets face serious restrictions, adding that journalists often self-censor. These claims are denied by officials.

The Freedom House democracy advocacy group rated Transnistria as "not free" in 2023, in terms of political rights and civil liberties.

Residents have access to the Russian press, TV and radio but not to Moldovan media, access to which was cut following the 1992 fighting, and no Moldovan papers circulate in Transnistria.

All of Transnistria's media, regardless of ownership and their stances on social and economic policies, are pro-Russian.

Television is the most-influential medium. The Moldovan Zona de Securitate website has described First Transnistrian and TSV TV as "tools of mass disinformation" for the Transnistrian authorities, which are fully controlled by the Russian intelligence services.

The region's press has been in decline in recent years. Many papers have closed due to a shortage of funds. These include Komsomolskaya Pravda v Pridnestrovye, Novaya Gazeta and Profsoyuznye Vesti. The only survivors are the government-funded outlets and those existing on foreign grants.

There were 145,000 internet users in February 2024, comprising 31% of the population (datareportal.com).

• Media guides by BBC Monitoring

Press

• Novisti Pridnestrovya - official government daily, characterised by strong criticism of Moldova

• Dnestrovskaya Pravda - vows "to tell the truth" about events in the Dniester region, Russia and the CIS, the Russian-led bloc of nine former Soviet republics

• Dobryy Den - weekly, printed in Ribnita, the region's second largest city

• Pravda Pridnestrovy -a biweekly of the opposition Communist Party, said to be funded by the Russian Communist Party, advocates closer ties with Russia

Television

• First Transnistrian TV - the region's public broadcaster, funded by the government, part of the Transnistrian state TV and radio company (PGTRK)

• TSV TV (Free Choice Television) - a Russian-language information and entertainment station

Radio

• Radio One and Radio One Plus (formerly Radio Pridnestrovya) are run by the government-funded PGTRK company.

News agencies

• Novosti Pridnestrovye - the region's only news agency, fully funded by the government and reflects its stance

Online

• Apriori-centre.org - run by the region's human rights NGO Apriori Centre, supported by European and US grants, often faces strong criticism from the authorities

• Pridnestrovye - pro-government, highly critical of Moldova, Nato, the US and EU

• Ispirr.org - run by the Institute for Social and Political Studies and Regional Development, a local think-tank, pro-Russian