On unrecognized states

Well it was less a point about ethnic divisions, and more linguistic ones. You can build bonds between two individuals, let alone nations or societies if they understand what you are saying. There's a reason Yugoslav nostalgia and neo yugoslavism lives: because the peoples can still speak to eachother. Yugoslav identity in Kosovo, if it ever really existed, is dead forever.

Wow, that is actually pretty interesting. How does one even go to Transnistria? Did you just go on vacation or something else? Also, you said it functions as a regular capitalist state but I'd assume it's just as, if not more regulated that Belarus right? It must be a pretty damn interesting place to visit.

It's pretty easy. Go to Chișinău and take a marshrutka to Tiraspol. The marshrutka will stop at the border to Transnistria and you go into the border station and register yourself, telling them where you'll stay and how long you intend to stay for and they'll give you a little piece of paper with your registration which you can keep in your passport to prove your right to be there. There's no fuss and it's all pretty easy-going. It's actually a lot easier to get into Transnistria than many other recognized states. Relations between Moldova proper and Transnistria have become a lot more easy-going over the past few years so it's all quite straightforward.

In truth, it's not that interesting. There's really not much to see in Transnistria unless you want to see a few statues of Lenin and a few old Soviet buildings. It's worth saying also though that it's not at all like you're "going back to the Soviet Union," despite what some online might say (who never experienced the USSR and think that seeing Lenin is the equivalent of such). It's more like going to some small oblast of Russia where nothing really happens except monopoly money is used worthless outside of Transnistria.

Regarding the economic side of things: it's not as regulated as Belarus in terms of government ownership of sectors, however it IS in the sense that a private corporate entity has a monopoly on most major sectors, so it functions in similar ways as a state capitalist.

If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer also :-)

What was the predominant language?

Tbh I'd still like to go some day. It's kinda interesting to me, you know being in a place which almost the entire world doesn't consider it a country. Imo the two most interesting states I mentioned itt are this one and Somaliland, but I'd much rather go to Transnistria than the latter. Also Transnistria is a standard representative democracy right? Or does it have some dictatorial elements?

Where do you live fren?
Romanian? Moldova?

Russian. They claim that there are many other languages, namely "Moldovan" (i.e. Romanian), Ukrainian, and even Yiddish, but 100% of the time, only Russian is heard in the streets

Yes, it is interesting until you actually go there and realize it's just another eastern European place, except a little cleaner and slightly more functional than its neighbors (due to Russian dosh of course), and it is effectively what you might get if you had an entire corporation ruling over almost half a million people while also answering to other corporate oligarchs elsewhere.

If by representative democracy you mean oligarchy, then yes. I mean, it's basically the same as the Russian Federation for all intents and purposes. There is a status quo political establishment and they wish to keep it that way as the country isn't going to shit so they effectively rig the system so it doesn't change (and yes, of course you can say the same about western "liberal democracies" but I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at). People aren't too fussed though as in eastern Europe, people are pretty alien to the idea of changing governments and tend to prefer strong-arm leaders who can just keep things from going to fires of hell, which is basically the best people have come to hope for in any government in this part of the world.

With all due respect, my man, I'd rather not say at this point. I'm quite touchy about revealing details online about myself. Hope you understand!