Moldova was the first country after the collapse of the Soviet Union in which Russia supported separatists, provoking a bloody war that lasted for several months in 1992. The result was a frozen conflict, with pro-Moscow forces ruling Transnistria, a narrow strip of land in the east of Moldova that is home to many Russian speakers, for more than three decades. About 2,000 Russian soldiers are still stationed there. Concerns have been raised in Moldova as a result of ongoing economic hardship among the population – and the war in Ukraine.