Summer in Pridnestrovie

It's strictly old school for Pridnestrovie's breakers! Yes, breakdancing is kept alive in this country. As one of the roots of hip hop, breakdancing has a long tradition ... and Pridnestrovie is now the center of what remains of South East Europe's once-promising breakdance movement.

Love, not war, is what the women of Pridnestrovie are saying by carrying white flowers to the graves of those who were murdered when Moldova tried to invade the nation in 1992. They are firm in their quest for freedom, solemn to the losses of the past, and determined not to let more blood spill on this side of the Dniester ever again.

Every year since 1992, civil society in Pridnestrovie holds a silent day of mourning to honor the fallen victims of that year's bloody Moldovan invasion of Pridnestrovie.

Nativeborn young men from local Pridnestrovie towns and villages have joined together in the nation's self-defense forces, ready to protect the land where they were born. Every year on independence day, they carry their country's flag and show the world that they are prepared to defend their community from outside agression.

Passing the parliamentary government building in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie, the first few members of a peaceful demonstration are calling the attention of legislators inside. From left to right, the youth are seen carrying the flags of the European Union, Gagauzia, Ukraine and of course their own country; the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

In the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, a young boy spends a summer day in one of the country's parks while park police patrol the grounds on horses in the background.

Pridnestrovie: A late summer evening at one of the country's gas stations.

A city bus in Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie. Ever since independence in 1990, the free market has taken hold in the country: On the side of the bus can be seen advertising for a local private company's products.

Rock concerts like this one, reaffirming and celebrating the independence of our republic, is an annual event in Pridnestrovie. The most popular bands in the country are inspired by "U2" and "The All-American Rejects". But U2 hasn't made it to Pridnestrovie (yet), so meanwhile we must make do with our local substitutes.